Before heading to the bus station for our Manila-bound trip, we decided to try the famous Chocolate de Batirol near Baguio Country Club. Contrary to what we all thought, Chocolate de Batirol does not only offer hot chocolate. Aside from its wide variety of chocolate and coffee concoctions, it also offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Since we just had heavy dinner (Bulalo and Liempo at Slaughter House), we obviously did not have ample tummy space to accommodate even a slice of cake. So we each ordered a cup of their traditional blend of chocolate de batirol.
What makes Chocolate de Batirol special is the way they prepare their hot chocolate concoctions. They use a batirol, a traditional wooden rod which serves as a “mixer”. The rod is placed in between palms and rubbed back and forth. This is to ensure that the desired consistency of the beverage.
The traditional blend of Chocolate de Batirol tastes a lot like tsoknut (a local chocolate with peanuts). It is rich, creamy and nonetheless comforting to the stomach.
For those who want to make Chocolate de Batirol at home, they also sell chocolate paste, almost similar to tablea, only these are not in hard tablet form, and are easier to prepare using the batirol (which is also available instore).
Travelogues by Matet Garcia-Reyes 