CHOCO-LATE DE BATIROL OF BAGUIO CITY
“Coffee or hot chocolate?” The usual question I am asked when the
morning mists hover and the need to awaken my senses comes in.
I’m not used to drinking
coffee, thus, a hot chocolate made of cacao chocolate tablets (tablea) has been a familiar comforting
drinks for me. I basically grew up with cacao trees at our backyard back in our
hometown, thus, producing tablea was exploited as an opportunity for business
by my family.
In this Neo-cordilleran
rainforest garden named Choco-late de Batirol, I found myself sipping on a
demitasse of hot chocolate blanketed by a chilly atmosphere with random
conversations shared with good friends.
The first time I visited
this garden was with Gay and Melo. This
time around was with my constant companions and travel buddies along with
friends from Artstream Hospitality Management Group, Inc.
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| February 2014 |
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| December 2014 |
Choco-late de Batirol is a hot, thick, bittersweet
blend, with a distinctive texture that calms your nerves and enriches your
soul. This is an ancient choco-late
concoction with no preservatives.
The above statement is how
this known concoction situated at the Camp John Hay of Baguio City is described
in the restaurant’s menu.
The process of producing this concoction has been passed from one generation to another with the constant aid of their reliable iron pitcher termed batirol. A wooden utensil known as batidor or molinillo will be moved in circular motion between the palms, until the desired thick and grainy moisture will be attained.
The process was presented to
us by one of the owners and some in the group tried the whisking part.
Turon, suman sa lihia and bibingka graced the chocolate drinking affair. All these were among my favorite snacks since childhood. It appears like a session of rekindling my childhood.
Choco-late de Batirol is a landmark when visiting Baguio City. I fervently hope the brand won’t be so commercialized in the near future and stay as is – set up in a garden. Currently, branches include those at: Northwalk II, City of San Fernando, Pampanga; Alauli, Pilar, Bataan and Nepo Quad, Angeles City.
We all came to Baguio for the relaxing vibe and a stay at one of the premier hotels of Camp John Hay, The Le Monet Hotel. A sip of hot chocolate in a garden where pine trees and sunflowers dwell was a great supplement to this weekend trip.
1 comments
sarap ng food :)
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