Baguio, just like its sister city Tagaytay, is known as a culinary haven for those who love going on food adventures. With numerous rave-worthy restaurants and cafes, Baguio City is one of the must-visit places for those who love going on food adventures and pig-out sessions with their friends and family.
The night before we left for Baguio, I did a bit of research on restaurants or cafes that we could eat in while we were there (fast food places were out of the question)--and Little John's was one of those that I did read about in one of the websites I came across. Conveniently located at the Mile Hi Center at Camp John Hay (where the hotel we stayed in is located), they claim to serve the best baby back ribs in the city. It is their best-selling item on the menu, and upon our arrival in Baguio after an exhausting 6-hour car ride, we were to find out why.
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| Inside the restaurant--it does look a bit cramped |
After checking in at the restaurant at past noon, the restaurant was absolutely packed with people! That, and the fact that the restaurant space was tiny made it a bit difficult to move around and find a table. luckily, just as we arrived, a family did leave and we took over the newly-vacated table.
The restaurant seems a bit too understaffed, though--there was only one woman minding the cashier and one man who would clean the tables and bring the ordered food to the tables. It took quite a while before our table was cleared, which was quite annoying, actually--the man who was supposed to be cleaning the tables would come to our table to pick up the utensils then come back after several minutes to get the plates and then come back again later to wipe our table clean and put new utensils and paper place mats In-between, he would also be clearing other tables or would be bringing the food to the other customers. Yikes.
When we got to the restaurant, we actually had no idea that their baby back ribs were their bestseller (or I might have read about it the night before but I just completely forgot), but we did end up ordering it anyway. At just around P155 pesos, it is still more affordable compared to other places that sell baby back ribs. Other items on their menu include items such as Fish and Chips, Veggie Lasagna (which I heard is also a must-try), and also all-day breakfast food and burgers, among others.
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| Their famous baby back ribs |
Apparently, they seem to be a bit understaffed in the kitchen, too. It took quite a while before our food got to our table. Interestingly enough, one of the things this place is known for is for their paper place mats which customers could draw on while waiting for their food. There are small buckets of crayons provided at each table so that customers could keep themselves preoccupied while their food is being prepared. The best drawings would then be framed and hung on the walls of the restaurant.
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| Customers' artwork on the walls |
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| Cute drawing! |
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| This customer decided to get clever and took the opportunity to advertise his/her company for free |
I must admit--their baby back ribs are delicious! The sauce that went along with it tasted great with the meat, too--I do think the time we spent waiting for it was worth it. The meat was actually quite soft and doesn't really stick too much to the bones--they could easily come right off when you use your spoon and fork. For people like me who don't like to eat with their hands, this is definitely a big plus.
For dinner the following evening, we decided to come back again, because we were already too lazy to try out other food places both inside and outside Camp John Hay (the Mile Hi Center is just a short walk from The Manor). While my family decided to order their baby back ribs again (you'll just want to keep coming back for it), I decided to try out their Fish and Chips.
There seems to be a lot less people eating here at night--even during the peak dinner hours of 6-8pm. There were a lot of vacant seats and service was noticeably faster. Perhaps it would be better to drop by the place at dinner time instead.
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| Fish and Chips |
The Fish and Chips was okay, I guess, though the servings were much smaller than I had expected. The Fish tasted good, though the potatoes were a bit too soggy and bland for me. I probably wouldn't be ordering this the next time we're there.
Conclusion
Three words: (1) Baby, (2) back, (3) ribs. This is undeniably their strength--I've read other bloggers' posts about this restaurant and they do agree that this item on their menu is an absolute must-try (as what I overheard one customer at another table saying, "Panalo!"). While I haven't exactly tried a lot of the other items on their menu to make a proper conclusion, their Fish and Chips did make me feel as if they focused too much on the ribs and neglected the other items on their menu. I could be wrong though, which is why I do think I would still want to come back the next time I'm in Baguio. Their Veggie Lasagna has actually had me curious as other bloggers have said that it was also worth a try. They could also perhaps hire more employees to make service faster, especially during lunch time which is the time of day where they seem to have the most customers. Good thing they have those crayons and paper placemats to make the wait more bearable.
Score: 6.8/10
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