Cookout by Size Matters

(Woohoo-  This is Jhapes’ first entry for Eats in Baguio! Many more to come! – Krish)

I heard of this place about a week ago through social media while my friend and I were looking for someplace new to check out. After attending my schoolmates’ graduation rights, we decided to have dinner there. We hailed a cab and told our manong driver to head to Albergo Hotel. Cookout is hard to miss since it’s along the facade of the building.

We were greeted by the staff who were all smiles as we entered the place. I’m not quite sure what to call the theme of the place but it felt appropriate for the kind of food their name suggested.

Cookout’s light-up signage on exposed brick along with framed photos of some of their meals.

Cookout’s wooden logo singage under warm lighting.

I sometimes have this thing of asking the people who eat with me to order different things so I can have a sampling of a restaurant’s meals. Luckily my friend happily obliged to do so. We placed our orders and several minutes later, they served us our food. You know how food advertisements look nothing like the real thing? Well, Cookout isn’t part of that “truth.” 😀

For appetizers we got a for sharing-sized chili cheese fries. The fries were crispy, the mayo was creamy and light, the cheese was gooey good, and the salsa (maybe it’s not salsa? I’m not quite sure) had enough savory flavor to it. Oh and the pickled jalapeno slices tied everything together.

The pickled jalapeno peppers perfectly complement Cookouts’ Chili Cheese Fries.

By the time our main orders arrived, this is how our tables looked like:

We already ate half of the fries!

I ordered a 1/4 lbs “The Italian Burger Job” and my friend got a 1/4 lbs “The Bacon Cheese Burger”. Both were served on aluminum plates with a piece of “burger paper” (haha) to hold their food with.

Smoky flavors with every bite.

Crunchy deep friend onions ftw!

My burger had great smoky and grilled flavor but it remained quite juicy nevertheless. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh and the caramelized onions on top of the grilled beef patty weren’t too sweet for my taste.

Look at that juicy goodness!

I kinda expected that the beef patty in the Bacon Cheese Burger would also have a recognizable grilled flavor similar to my burger but it was more subtle. It was still good, though! The bacon and deep fried onions were crunchy and the veggies were also fresh.

The buns for both burgers were made of white bread topped with toasted oats. I wish the buns were toasted a bit but it wasn’t a deal breaker.

For our pampatulak, we ordered a glass of iced tea and wintermelon milk tea. It was delicious and not too sweet but there was nothing really special about it. Their tea tasted like it was brewed and not powdered so that’s a plus. Their milk tea pearls were soft and chewy like it was meant to be so that made me happy as well. They had beers on their menu but I’ll try that along with their other meals next time.

Overall, I was very delighted with my first experience at Cookout. Their staff, although always busy, were very attentive and seemed happy to serve their customers. This added to the chill vibe of the whole place. They had clean facilities (yes including the restrooms) and you can also get a peek at how your food is prepared.

Cookout’s busy staff plus a view of their kitchen.

Our total bill was almost Php 600 but it was definitely worth it. As an added bonus, they had a mini stall of Glyco Sweetshop cupcakes near the entrance — perfect when you need a quick dessert fix. I’m sure this is not the last time I’ll be going there. 😀

Cookout caters for events as well! Check them out on their facebook page here. They posted their menus and contact details there, too.