Two of the many foods I really enjoyed while growing up were pizza and pasta and there was never a good restaurant as far I can remember in (my) Aurora Province. I only have my mom’s pasta (Pinoy Style Spaghetti) on Christmas Day. Pizza? I can’t think of any. When Aurora opened its doors to tourists because roads became accessible to any vehicle type, alot of business establishments opened and one of those was the best Pizza and Pasta Restaurant named Happy Huts. Does it make its customers happy? I believe so..

My brother in law (BIL) and sister discovered this hidden on a secret place somewhere in Baler and keep on asking me – do you know where the best pizza in Aurora is? It’s like exaggerating something that sounds unreal. My hubby and I didn’t try it first because the street to where ’twas previously located was narrow so it’s a no. Fast forward after a year when Happy Huts transferred to their new location – Smart Beach House, Querijero St. along Sabang Beach in Baler, that’s when we finally gave it a try. Although the street is still narrow, it’s passable passable and more accessible (1 vehicle at a time) than the previous one.

What we ordered? Not much, really…

For the appetizer: we had Sloppy Potato (PhP 269) and Chicken N’ Wedges (PhP 359) – photos below. The serving sizes are good for sharing as per the menu which is true if you have other orders, but if just one of these, then it’s not. The crispy shoestring potatoes with thick potato wedges smothered with ground meat, ranch and melted mozarella are good combination – though the photo didn’t justify how appetizing this was. The crispy Chicken tenders and potato wedges has two dips – ranch and honey mustard. The chicken meat is tender and goes well with the dips but I still preferred the Sloppy Potato over this. Oh and by the way, this is part of their “Mains” but it’s more of an appetizer for me.

For the Pasta orders, we had the Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta (Solo for PhP 189) and Creamy Tandoori Chicken or Leon’s Carbonara (Solo for PhP 189) – sorry I really can’t remember which one we ordered but the taste is more of a chicken carbonara and lacks saltiness on my palate. I’m a bit bias here as I really love anything about tuna so I vote for the Tuna Aglio Olio eventhough I can’t remember which one has a mild spicy taste (plus point if the tune pasta). The taste is simple but clean and leaves no fishy taste unlike in other restaurants. The solo servings are generous for its price so you’re a winner in either pasta meal.

This visit to the best pizza and pasta in Baler Aurora won’t be complete without the Pizza. We had the Duo Pizza which costed around PhP 339 for two flavors in one. It’s Texas Chicken BBQ and Margherita. It’s thin crust so it’s crunchy and loses it’s charm when left cold. Surprisingly, the crunchiness didn’t leave until we consume everything – I think around 30 minutes or so. 🙂 The combination was good ‘coz I’m not a fan of pure meat so this is better for my taste.

Last and definitely not the least, is their Pan-seared Fish Curry which was around PhP 299. The sauce topping is well blended on the fish and my hubby liked this. I can’t really identify the ingredients of the curry sauce but I’m sure there’s lots of tomatoes in it like sarciado but in a good way. The serving size is also big enough for its price.

Overall, I can say that this pizza-pasta joint is a must try when you’re in Baler. The prices are affordable for the quality and serving sizes of their offerings. They occupy two floors – air-conditioned on the ground floor and open-air on the second. The owners and servers are friendly and attentive so it’s a plus x2.