Here’s a new player in the Baguio food scene that’s been creating a buzz among the locals. Rasa Pura!
Rasa Pura is an Asian restaurant that specializes in Singaporean cuisine. Singaporean Chef Joseph Cho leads the way in showing Baguio what Singaporean food is all about.
My boss took me and a couple of my radio coworkers for a sampling just a few days before Christmas. It’s one huge building that’s hard to miss. If you know how to get to The Botanical Park (Garden?)- then you’re good. Proceed to CM Recto Road and you’ll see a pretty big building on the right and some construction going on- plus a huge Rasa Pura sign.
True to my prompt self, I was first to arrive and the one of the waitresses politely showed me our reserved table. You may feel a bit intimidated at first because Rasa Pura , compared to a lot of restaurants in Baguio, has that “sosyal” feel. Everything is bright, new, and modern here. And there’s a whole lot of seating. And since it’s an Asian restaurant- they have those “semi- private” / partitioned rooms for customers.
They have interesting light fixtures too.
And some more intimate seating for smaller groups. Oh and some more interesting pieces on their wall.
We were there compliments of the manager/ owner whose name I forgot but who I will be forever thankful for because I had some heavenly Pata Tim. The meat fell of the bone and the “timpla” was perfect!
Ideally, we probably should’ve been sampled their chili crabs because that’s their specialty but that’s okay — I’m the laziest person when it comes to eating crabs anyway. So much work and very little meat! hahaha! I’m all for shrimp any day though.
We also had their steamed egg soup- that was perfect for a chilly December evening. The thickness was just right and the flavors (seafood) and spices complimented each other to create this wonderful , tummy warming concoction.
But wait, there’s more. We also had some sate and Hainanese Chicken. Now a word to the wise, if you’ve had Hainanese Chicken and sate in some part of the world that specializes in Hainanese Chicken and sate, manage your expectations. Not to say this failed mine- but just saying the kitchen conditions in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are not the same as the Philippines- thus a difference in taste. Minute, but conceivable, but not bad at all! You have to pay attention to the sauces they serve!. Those were really good- there was peanut, ginger and more. Gotta love Asians for their dips and sauces. Nothing in the world like it.
Interestingly enough, for most of us in the table- we all scrambled to get a taste of the Kangkong with shrimp sauce. Maybe because it was the only vegetable option in the table. Baguio people are programmed to always have gulay in their diet. That’s probably why. 🙂
Rasa Pura is a great place for group dining. I think the best deals are the family / group deals.Their menu shows the regular and family option. Plus, ’tis not good for man (or) woman to dine alone. 😉
I recommend Rasa Pura for Family Sunday lunches, barkada get togethers , baptisms, meetings – pretty much all sorts of eating opportunities. They offer a wiiiide variety of Asian/ Singaporean cuisine that will certainly tickle your taste buds. Plus, they ship ingredients straight from their sources so you’d be glad to know that they’re keeping things as authentic as possible.
It takes a lot of time and money to fly over to Singapore but lo and behold – it only takes a few minutes from down town to get some authentic Singaporean eating experience in Baguio City.
Thanks again, Rasa Pura for an awesome dining experience.
Check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rasapura
(PS. Holidays were soooo busy and just had so many things on my plate including this guest post on my friend’s blog. There was no way this was going to be posted on a food blog. Unless of course the US embassy was in Baguio and they served food 🙂 )