Baguio's Hidden Gem: Cakes by Yda

Cakes by Yda

This little cafe hidden in the quiet street of Bakakeng serves what I would call Baguio's drool-worthy cheesecakes. My mom discovered this humble cafe while looking for a nearby place that can deliver a cake for my Lola's birthday.

We returned during one long weekend. It was a 4-day trip to the north and Baguio was the last stop.

That's me looking fresh with make-up on, ready to eat some good cheesecake!

I searched for the location of Cakes by Yda in advance. Upon arriving, I rang the bell a few times before it was picked up by a man who I assumed was its owner.

"Cakes by Yda?" I asked, as if I had not seen the signage outside their house. Haha!

"Ah yes! Daan kayo dyan. (Pass through there.)" He pointed at a tiny aisle that can fit one person at a time. No one would really think this narrow passageway was the gateway to some damn good cheesecake. I was thrilled! "What else would it take to get a slice?"

Soon enough, we were welcomed by what seemed like a backyard -- a shed. There were antiques that would amuse anyone that's into collections. You can tell that the place was old judging from the furniture but the heirloom touch added a cozy feel to it.

No table can fit five of us so one of the servers ushered us upstairs. We had the entire floor (including the billiard table) to ourselves! Found at the corner were some old vinyl records that caught my dad's eye. It was a really classic place to chill.

My family and I had breakfast first. It took them a while to serve the food because only two servers were present. I guessed they were more used to pre-orders and to-go's.

That's my dad setting up our game of pool.

The fries and sisig were served first. Mayonnaise and ketchup is a typical Filipino dip for fries and burger. This was served together with homemade french fries (PhP70).

The sisig (PhP80) was good too! It tasted like sizzling longganisa and you can tell they used Sukang Iloko to season it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a good photo of it because my mom had to mix the raw egg quick. Apologies for this unappetizing shot. Haha!

Then came the meals -- Costillas con Iloco and Daddy's St. Louis Ribs.

Costillas con Iloco (PhP130) was served with rice and a side of KBL. This side, which stands for Kamatis, Bagoong, at Lasona (tomatoes, fish sauce, and onions), is commonly paired with any Ilocano dish. The pork had the right amount of salt but I would've enjoyed it better if it was grilled instead of seared. One can never go wrong with grilled stuff, you know.

I had the Daddy's St. Louis Ribs (PhP160) which was your typical ribs with barbeque sauce. I wasn't able to take a pic (again) because I was so hungry from waiting! The meat was tender and had the right amount of fat. It came with apple slices but I had to leave it for my dad to eat because I'm not the type to pair fruits with rice. (Like how I am not a fan of pineapples on pizza.)

We took lots of pictures before heading down for what we really went here for, THE CHEESECAKE!

We ordered two slices, one salted caramel cheesecake and one apple pie. All five of us had drinks to pair with these two delicious slices. I believe my Iced Mocha (PhP70) paired best with the cheesecake.

Not a fan of caramel but the cheesecake was really good, no bias, no exaggeration. It was cheesy but just the right level of cheesiness, the sweetness and saltiness weren't overpowering each other too. I loved it! Hoping they would consider chocolate cheesecakes in the future for the not-so caramel fanatics.

Took a small portion of the apple pie just to taste. My Lola bakes apple pies too so I was used to the apples being in thin slices. As for Cakes by Yda, theirs is a chunkier version. My dad liked it a lot. We even requested slices for takeout because why not?

I was so happy with what we ate that I offered to pay for everything. The things you do when you're too happy (slightly regrets) Haha! But it was something I gladly paid for because it was so worth it! And of course, it's family.

We were supposed to stay a bit longer but my stomach gave me a big NOPE. Such timing. Haha! Til our next, CBY!

End!