The Chemistry Between Us … and an Elements Buffet UPDATE

We have come to get de-stressed with desserts. \m/

Said  we will return when Chemistry Bar at Newtown Plaza Hotel opens and so we have … for their edibles … as well as the laid back atmosphere that the hotel offers.   Such was the feeling at the bar too, although we didn’t take a table inside.  I’ve since been eyeing the seats looking out to the pool and finally sitting there for this meal, we only heard the distant dance beats being played at Chemistry. =D

The bar =)

Ordering dinner, we ran into a bit of a hiccup where none of the frothy, whip cream topped, blended drinks were available and so we settled for a cup of cafe Amerikano and a glass of iced tea.

Our anticipation of the (meander designed) cakes were forgotten with the palatable pork tonkatsu short order that was delish to the strands of cabbage and squirts of mayo and mustard on the side. No rice was served with it, (pulutan, we assume), and so we got pizza Margarita and blooming onions, too.

Pork tonkatsu ^^,

Reverting to the drinks for a small commentary, I shouldn’t forget to mention that as simple and common choices as these were, they were pretty good.  The coffee was almost like the coffee at Cosy’s, Race says … almost. =b The iced tea felt like it was more than a powder mix; it seemed to have bits of lemon/pineapple in it.

Coffee and iced tea

The pizza was a delicate thing that I think someone, anyone can eat whole and want more of. I thought about rolling it up, holding it like a cigar to take bites off it. The cheesy-tomato-ey taste really seeped into the thin dough. It was gone in a flash.

Pizza Margarita =D

I was curious to see how blooming onions bloomed and for this visit, it turned out to be a late bloomer.  =)) Only when we were finished with the breaded pork was it delivered to our table.  Interesting, it was one huge onion cut up to look like a flower with its petals. We sliced away a few “petals” and dipped it into the sauce, hhhmm, tastes like onion rings. *snickers  Getting to the un-fried bottom, and with everything else consumed, a spicy flavor bloomed in our mouths, too. We found out then, we were no ogres. *harhar

(Late) Blooming onion. =))

As an attempt to cure our onion breaths, which we thought wasn’t so bad, we remembered the cakes.  Asking our attendant about what’s available, he mentioned three kinds of desserts but only mango soy (or was it soy mango) caught my attention.  Just like the maja dessert we had at the Elements breakfast buffet, this was one firm treat, NOT sickeningly sweet but just right. #happiness

Soy mango cake or mango soy cake. (“,)

X marks Chemistry Bar for good food in Baguio. There’s chemistry between me and this bar. (Like the Piano Bar at The Manor, I’m beginning to like hotel bars: No call to be rowdy and no rupture our eardrums sounds. *happy sighs  I AM old! *tee hee) 

Food: 

Service: 

Ambiance:  Yes, a five for the nightime scene. It’s all becuase of the noncrowded-ness. =b

Price: 

Additional Bites of Info

1.) Elements Buffet by Night

\m/

What’s there to love?

• A wide selection of delectable dishes (Continental, Chinese, Japanese and Mediterranean on our visit.)
  • Yummy potato salad, maki, kebab, fish fillet, black chicken soup, and … and …
• More rich desserts.
  • The first time I ate coffee jelly that wasn’t coffee flavored jello cubes in milky/creamy sauce.  It was just jello but with super coffee flavors … jiggly-jiggly too. (Check out the collage below, it’s the stripety one at the bottom middle.)
  • Surprising selections. One we thought was going to be hard and stale but it was a soft donut hole with a bavarian filling. And almond mango: Almond jelly but in mango syrup with mango jelly cubes.
  • Buchi with puff rice consistency outer shell with a custard/sweet red egg yolk-like surprise.

Some dishes at the dinner buffet (maki, kebab, fajita, shrimp, potato salad, fruit salad, breads and pastries, coffee jelly, almond mango). Looks like my sweet tooth was on a rampage then; yey, desserts!

• The carvings/meat slices/ribs section.
• We shared the dining area with only a couple of foodie groups.
• Another fun time with P3+1 for the memory book. ^^, Elements Buffet is a fantastic setting.

At the carving station. *nomnomnom

What’s not to love?

This is more on my part than it is for the restaurant’s.

• I’m really not keen on dinner buffets (this being just my second since we started the Baguio food quest, not counting Mongolian buffets). I stayed awake past my bedtime just to ensure I’ve digested every bit of what I ate and even then, I didn’t get to sample everything that was offered since I got major stuffed really fast. *hihi

The uncrowded dining areas

2.) Newtown Plaza Hotel

… is OPEN!

So this was what was going on behind the boarded up spot. Beautiful; the hotel lobby is a wide open space with high ceilings, glass everywhere around; hotels keep looking classier and classier. =)

Elements as well as Chemistry makes it to my favorites list. A big plus is the vacay feel that it lent … it wasn’t just the way the sun shone because even at night, we felt relaxed and unhurried for the few hours we were at Newtown Plaza Hotel. (“,)

Chemistry Bar

Elements Buffet Restaurant

Newtown Plaza Hotel

42 Claro Recto Street

St. Joseph Village, Navy Base

(Landmark: Botanical Garden gate. Right across it is Ibay’s Silver Shop, enter that street)

Baguio City, Philippines

0917 655 9005

422 8906

facebook.com/newtownplazahotel