Choco-Late de Batirol : A Bittersweet Filipino Tradition

I first saw this restaurant featured in Umagang Kay Ganda last year and since then I really wanted to visit it. I've been to Baguio multiple times but I haven't really heard of this place, not until I saw it on the Television. Last June 23,  I had the chance to go back to Baguio to celebrate my 25th birthday, so I never let that Baguio moment pass without visiting Choco-Late de Batirol.



From Golden Pine Hotel-where we stayed, we took a cab to Camp John Hay. Choco-Late Baterol is a garden restaurant located in Igorot Park, Camp John Hay. Choco-late de Batirol is a garden-restaurant with a relaxing and cool ambiance. It's like having a good hot thick chocolate drink in the middle of a forest in a fairyland. The rustic furniture complements with it's ambiance - wooden chairs and tables and the roofing are made of recyclable materials.




They are known for their famous hot, thick, bittersweet tsokolate drink made from the local cacao beans traditionally blended using a pot and a batirol (wooded whisk with spiky end). They also serve different Pinoy food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and different pinoy meriendas.



I ordered hot Cinnamon Choco-late de Batirol and Bibingka. I was supposed to order Suman sa Lihiya but it was not available so I ordered Bibingka instead. Ivan ordered Strawberry Choco-late de Batirol and Langka Turon.



I was very excited to taste their famous tsokolate and it was indeed one of a kind. It reminds me of the hot chocolate that my lola used to prepare for me when I was a kid. It has a balanced taste of bitterness and sweetness, pleasing to the tongue, very thick and creamy, perfect for the cold weather of Baguio.  Plus the cinnamon and strawberry complements well with the taste of chocolate.

Their Bibingka was good too though it tastes like the usual bibingka for me. The texture is not too dry, it's fluffy and generously topped with grated coconut. Still, nothing beats the Bibingka that I used to eat when I was still in the province (I grew up in Negros, iba talaga ang Bibingkang gawa sa Negros :) ). Their Langka Turon also tastes good. I guess what makes it tastes different is the thick chocolate drizzled on top.

Nonetheless, we really enjoyed the food and it was worth of its price. Sad though coz we were not able to witness how the hot chocolate is being prepared traditionally which is one of the main reasons why we went there. I asked one of the crew and she said that they are only doing the demo if there're few people and there were quite a lot of customers that day.



They also sell different locally made pasalubong products such as Pili Nuts, Cashew Nuts, Ga
rlic chips and the famous Baguio jams such as Strawberry Jam, Mango Jam and Ube Jam.

This cute cat was with us the whole time and he slept on our laps :)

It was indeed one of the super relaxed birthday that I had so far. :) Will definitely visit this place again.

NOTE: Its a challenge to hail a cab in the area. Kinda hard to use Grab either.

Choco-Late de Batirol
Address: Igorot Garden, Cam John Hay, Baguio City
Store Hours
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday - Sunday: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Website: www.chocolatedebatirol.com
Facebook: Choco-Late de Batirol
Email: chocolatedebatirol@yahoo.com
Contact Numbers:
0917-877-1427 or
0917-877-1428