After our foray into Nueva Ecija, we drove to Baguio and arrived an hour past noon. We were all famished. Fortunately, Microtel Baguio's in-house restaurant came to the rescue, serving us with a grand fiesta of Mexican/Spanish dishes.

THE PLACE

Te Quiero is located just beside the hotel. Its entrance is framed by cobbled grey bricks stocked together. This then leads to a some sort of foyer where the seating is more casual. Further, the main dining area can be found. Its set-up can be described as vertical. It's a length of room with panels of burnished wood for flooring. On one side, there's a column of booths with maroon leather seats. A bar, and another table were on the other.

A wall of glass windows surround the room. These look out to the busy streets of Baguio. On one side, roofs of houses mingling with distant mountain silhouettes can be viewed. The natural lighting is gorgeous.

Related Adventure: A Quick Guide to Whang-Od

THE FOOD

The servers came carrying our food and, boy, did they look beautiful. On our table was a bowl of Ceasar Salad (Php130), Callos Madrilena or ox tripe and chorizo in tomato sauce (Php210), Beef Salpicao (Php225), and Paella Mixto (Php500).

The Ceasar Salad was, of course, great. It was gone in an instant!

The callos was also tasty. The ox tripe not too chewy, and the chorizo giving it the needed kick.

The beef was tender and garlicky. The pair of crostini that comes with the dish was perfect for sponging the meat juice.

The paella was generous in serving. It had meat and seafood in it. I, alas, wasn't able to try it because I am deathly allergic to crustaceans and mollusks (i.e. virtually everything from the sea except fish and seaweed), but my companions seemed to enjoy it very much.

For dessert, we were served a plateful of assorted pastries. We were told these was not on the menu and are usually served during breakfast and lunch buffets.

Related Adventure: Face to Face with a Legend

THE SERVICE

The food arrived in a reasonable amount of time. The waiters are courteous and are quick to respond to requests. Nothing much to say, really. The staff was that efficient.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I'm going to make this short and quick: I absolutely love Te Quiero! I would definitely be dining here whenever I'm in Baguio!

Related Adventure: Effortless Sea of Clouds at Treasure Mountain

OTHER DETAILS

Modes of Payment: Cash and credit cards

Wi-fi: Yes

Parking: Street and Lot

Te Quiero Tapas Bar and Restaurant

#5 Marcoville, Upper Session Road Baguio City

Business Hours: Monday to Sunday - 6AM to 10PM

+63 74 619 3333