It was weird to be suddenly in Baguio without enduring the usual six-hour bus ride from Manila. An hour hasn’t passed yet since we ate lunch at La Union’s Capitol and here we were preparing to chow down again, this time at Baguio’s Te Quiero Tapas Bar & Restaurant.

Te Quiero, which literally means I Love You, is one of the newest food joint in the City of Pines. Part of the Microtel hotel in Baguio City, it sits loftily above the towering pines of the city.  
The restaurant has a modern chic interior; white and yellow walls, huge windows, red furniture and lots of textures. I specially love the airy dining hallway that’s lined with red paintings over a stone wall.  On one side Te Quiero’s windows open to the bustling Victory Liner bus station, but look on the other and you’d see nothing but pine tree tops.

I really don’t know what to expect of their food, having no idea what a Tapas Bar was. Stupid me thought it was some sort of posh tapsilogan but upon receiving our food; I’m pretty sure it was not haha. Okay, Wikipedia to the rescue:

Tapas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtapas]) are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine. In Spain, patrons of tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. In some Central American countries, such snacks are known as bocas.

Te Quiero’s name should’ve been a dead giveaway I know, but isn’t the tapa in tapsilog Spanish too (or is it?). Alright I’ll stop before all my eight readers unsubscribe; enough of my dim-wittedness, lets dig in.
For starters, the Lakbay Norte team was served with Calamares & Chips. The calamares was very tender but has enough outside crunch. It compliments the chips and although the dip was somewhat unusual; mashed potato with olive oil and garlic, I really loved it.
Next on our table, Ham & Cheese Panini; this one’s real heavy. We were still full from lunch but that didn’t stop us from wolfing everything down though. These are excellent when hot but with Baguio’s cool weather you better eat ‘em up real fast.
Te Quiero’s Strawberry Shake kept everything shaking. I’m no fan of strawberries but I really love this. The sweetness, sourness and texture are just spot on.

Everyone was gut-bustingly full as we exited from the restaurant. With Te Quieros relaxing ambience and delectable offerings, we just cannot say no; full stomachs and all.

    Te Quiero Tapas Bar & Restaurant
    Microtel Hotel, Marcoville
    Upper Session Road, Baguio City
    Telephone: (074) 619-3333
    GPS Coordinates: 16.406148,120.602621 | Click to view location on Google Maps