Beggang Resto Grill, found in the skating rink of Burnham Park is a family restaurant that serves Filipino cuisine. I find myself in this restaurant whenever our group, the Cordillera Bloggers/Baguio Bloggers Society, holds a meeting because it’s accessible to everyone and because Vince of LakbayBaguio.com (Cordillera Bloggers founder) likes the food they serve. I found myself here once again for dinner with my fellow bloggers one fine night.

I have already eaten here once before for lunch, right after the First Baguio Blog Conference, with Kat and Gaby Keith, but did not manage to take photos then. Or perhaps I did, but just can’t find them. LOL.

I love Filipino cuisine, not unusual since I am Filipino and it is the type of cuisine that I grew up with. When I think of authentic Filipino dishes, it makes me think of home, my grandmother and my childhood and in a way because of that, I expect it to comfort me. When I dine in restaurants that claim to serve authentic home-style Filipino cuisine, I look for that comforting feeling I get whenever I eat my grandma’s cooking. You know how they say that no one measures up to your mother’s cooking? Well, that is how it is for me, because my grandma is a mean cook and she made me enjoy and love food because of her cooking.

When we dined in Beggang Resto Grill, we were served some of my favorite Filipino dishes, so you can just imagine how critical I was.

First up, Beef Kare-Kare.

Kare-Kare is usually made of ox tripe, ox tail with a little bit of beef and veggies smothered in peanut sauce and eaten with shrimp taste. The ox tripe and ox tail have to be cleaned and boiled to death for it to be soft enough to eat, if not cooked properly it can come out chewy and really, who wants to eat meat that you need to chew for hours just so you can swallow it? I imagine no one, unless you do, then that’s your thing, I’m just saying it’s not mine. And because it is boiled to death, the meat has no flavor, this is where the peanut sauce and the shrimp paste come in. This is definitely one of my favorite Filipino dishes because my grandmother makes it so awesomely, I was happy that Beggang Resto Grill managed to pull off a Beef Kare-Kare without scrimping on the ingredients (as what most restaurants do, ox tripe, tail and beef aren’t exactly cheap). The meat was perfectly tender, not chewy at all. The veggies still had a crunch to them, which is just perfect, nothing is worse than soggy, over-cooked veggies. The shrimp paste accompanying the dish was great too, it wasn’t sweet, or spicy, it was just right, you can get it from a can, which I think they did, but they made the right choice. Believe me, using the wrong kind of shrimp paste for this dish can ruin the entire thing. Over all, very well done, if not for anything else, their Kare-Kare is definitely worth going back for.

Next up, Dinuguan or Blood Stew. This one is another favorite of mine and let me tell you, out of all the restaurants I’ve eaten this dish at, only 2 (so far) have been able to measure up to that of my grandma’s version. Dinuguan is traditionally made of pig innards and blood, mixed with vinegar and other spices. I don’t like innards so my grandmother makes it with pork meat instead. I was super glad that Beggang Resto Grill used pork liempo instead of innards.

They say I like this because I’m a vampire, har har , I do have the fangs, so yeah, perhaps that’s it. LOL. Their version is okay, it didn’t make my list of measuring up to my grandma’s version because it was way too soupy than it was supposed to be, I suppose there was more water than blood, which is why it’s more soupy, I like my Dinuguan kind of thick. Taste wise however, it was okay.

Chicken Barbecue is one of the kids’ favorite, but I am careful when I order this for them and I make sure that it’s cooked all the way through, raw chicken can actually make a person sick you know. I’m glad that Beggang Resto Grill know how to grill chicken properly. The chicken was grilled perfectly, it was cooked all the way through but it was still juicy, exactly how it’s supposed to be like. I loved whatever marinade they used because it tasted great.

I’ve never had Sizzling Garlic Tuna before, so I think that perhaps this one is a Beggang Resto Grill original.

Not a fish fan, not even tuna, I didn’t find anything special with this one, I actually thought it was chicken, because it tasted like chicken. I loved the freshness of the vegetables that accompanied it though.

I love Pancit Guisado for merienda, mid morning snack or mid afternoon snack, but I don’t mind having it for lunch or dinner as well. Pancit Guisado is like a Filipino version of Spaghetti and Meatballs. The Noodles are like the pasta and everything else, the meatballs. hehe. I love Beggang’s take on this popular Filipino dish. Perfectly seasoned noodles with fresh and perfectly cooked vegetables

I’m sure you’ll find yourself near Beggang Resto Grill, one time or another, whether you are a local or a tourist because of its very accessible location. If you’re a local who jogs in the morning, this is the perfect place to come to after, if you’re a tourist, chances are you’ll find yourself in Burnham Park anyway, you should definitely check this place out. Although it is located in the area where the Skating Rink skates’ rental area was, the ambiance is actually very pleasant. It’s a quiet place that you can go to if you want to have an intimate dinner with your family, partner or with friends.

I loved how affordable everything on the menu is and the food is not bad as well. Next time, I’ll try their desserts.

Price List

Serving size: Good for 4 people.

Beef Kare-Kare 280Php

Dinuguan 135Php

Chicken Barbecue 135Php

Sizzling Garlic Tuna 185Php

Subject to Change Without Prior Notice.

Beggang Resto Grill

Skating Rink, Burnham Park

Baguio City, Philippines

Operating Hours: Mondays to Thursdays: 7am to 8pm

Weekends: 7am to 9pm