There’s a multitude of places you can hang out in Baguio. But there’s one that makes you drop dead on your feet because of how awesome this place looks. “Drop Out” is one of the newest chill-out places in the city, complete with a baffling view of Upper Session Road.
One of the notable things that definitely stands out about the place is its neo-rustic and industrial interior. You’re immediately greeted with that modern aura of belonging that makes everything else so Instagram-worthy. If you’re one who loves to curate your feed and maintain that specific theme for your posts, “Drop Out” is the best place to fill up your social media space with.
We asked about the name “Drop Out,” and why it was chosen to brand the place. What we got was a hilarious but noble answer. Kimberly, head of marketing says they once had a staff who was actually a dropout. Hence, the owner just came up with the word and thought it’d be a cool name for the place.
Huh. Interesting indeed. But don’t let the catchy name fool you because this isn’t a place for knock-off problematic teenagers with nothing to do but whine on social media, but it’s a place where anyone from any age is welcome. You can be 65 and be greatly amazed by the place.
There’s an impressive clock collection that goes well with “Drop Out’s” aesthetic. And if you ask me, it’s a great addition to the overall feel of the place. It’s modern, and it’s old. It kind of gives you that 1920’s aura if you close your eyes and sit in a corner looking like a weird Charlie Chaplin drag queen.
Drop Out’s Classy Dishes Served For Classy or Wannabe Classy People (Like Me)
As an appetizer, they served us this drink called the Holly Berry. Obviously, this is a direct reference to the actress Halley Berry (tragic “Catwoman” movie), but holy napalm bombs this drink’s as epic as her! It doesn’t have alcohol—but if it did, you’d love it even more. It’s a combination of fresh lychee juice and some other special concoction that only the wizards of “Drop Out” can make.
Now, on to the food! I’m going to give you a really quick roundup of their best-sellers.
First off is the Ceviche (Kilawin). This is one of the coolest things you can have with your beer or any other kind of drink. It’s your typical kilawin with a special “Drop Out” spin on it. The Ceviche isn’t that sour, which is okay if you don’t really want it that strong. But if you’d like to turn the sourness up a notch, I’m pretty sure they hook you up.
The spring roll shooters is a medley of mushroom and tender beef partnered with mango tomato salsa and infused with “Drop Out’s” own Vietnamese sauce. This was where I dropped my jaw and was very impressed. They call it “beginners” here, as it hypes up your taste buds for the coming main courses and meals that they have. What’s also very cool with this dish is that they serve it in a shot glass, so help yourself to an unlimited amount of healthy spring roll shots. Go on, I won’t judge you.
Now comes “Drop Out’s” best freakin’ pasta dish that sent me flying out to space with Rick and Morty and doing this:
Anyway, the Pasta Negra is the most impressive pasta I’ve ever tasted since the time I knew about pasta. It’s a unique dish that is made up of fettuccini pasta combined with the Filipino dinuguan. You can think of it as a reverse carbonara, because of the black sauce. The odd part? You wouldn’t even notice that it’s dinuguan. So if you’re not that much of a fan of pig’s blood or dinuguan, this is perfect for you. The flavor isn’t that strong, and it’s a great pasta alternative. Who would’ve thought that fettucini would go well with dinuguan right? Absolutely plain genius.
The Tres Fromage pizza is like your average pizza, but if you take multiple bites and servings, you’d end up craving for more. It’s best served hot—something that any pizza person would really love. Try it and see for yourself how it sticks to your mind and you’d go rabid demanding for the waiter to give you more.
Wrapping up “Drop Out’s” best seller dishes is the Spicy Crablets and Sausage. It’s an unlikely pair, but it works just as well as Batman and Robin. It’s a medley of deep-fried crablets and poached Hungarian sausage tossed with creamy crab paste. It’s mildly spicy but nonetheless made perfect by the rich crab sauce.
Thinking about these makes me cry. It’s honestly so, so good.
Overall Verdict
I’m not one to give out stars for every place that I review because I find it inexplicably dull and overrated. But “Drop Out” deserves all the stars for being a unique place where they redefine the art of hanging out. It’s not just a place for show—the food speaks for itself too. Every presentation is worth looking at (maybe even from Anthony Bourdain?) and I swear to god your phones are going to lose its mind as you snap away.
Call me patronizing, but once you come to the place, you’ll never want to DROP OUT of it. Visit Drop Out located at Potenciano building, just beside YMCA, along Session Road Rotonda, Baguio City. This dope place opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. You may also visit their Facebook page @dropoutbaguio. Drop Out. Drop by. Hang out.