(First of two parts)
In the tradition of the best desserts list—which has spawned the best-selling book “Inquirer Lifestyle Best Desserts: The Most-Read Ultimate List”—here is a brand-new roster of the city’s finest cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies, etc. This new list boasts a merry mix of flavors and textures—salty and sweet, crispy and soft, all in one delicious bite!
Apple Walnut Pie
Come-on: Nothing beats the sensation of biting into real, chunky and fresh wedges of apples sprinkled with cinnamon and light sugar delicately covered with ground walnuts. The apple filling is a far cry from other fruit fillings that oftentimes become too soggy and mushy. The secret here is baking the apples together with the pie, which helps retain the apples’ crunchy goodness. The recipe was formulated in the 1990s by the late Angel Alvendia who passed on the recipes to her children led by son Mike, who now runs the daily operations.
Cost: P950/8-inch; P650/6-in pie. Order a day in advance. For pick-up only. Delivery for a fee. Also offers sugar-free apple pie.
Creator: The Kitchen of Angel Alvendia (Mike Alvendia)
Contacts: Tel. 0917-8609556; e-mail [email protected]; White Plains, Quezon City
Luscious Lemon Squares
Come-on: These light, refreshing and silky lemon squares are a buttery and lemony pleasure. They have the right blend of sweetness and tartness, and are best served cold to subtly awaken your appetite.
Cost: P425/box of 16 pieces or 25 pieces. Order two days in advance. For pickup only.
Creator: Fran Siquia-Villaroman
Contacts: Tel. 0917-8991203; e-mail [email protected]; Greenhills, San Juan City and Makati City
Butterball Cake
Come-on: It’s the Butterball candy of your childhood amazingly transformed into a delightful cake. Thanks to chef Jonathan Em for incorporating nostalgic moments into his sweet works of art. The Butterball Cake is a surprisingly light sponge cake with caramel filling. The caramel is created out of melted Butterball candy and whipped cream.
Cost: Butterball Cake P 1,050/9-inch, P600/6-in cake. For pickup only. Delivery around Quezon City for a fee.
Creator: The Baker’s Table (chef Jonathan Paul Em)
Contacts: Tel. 4337543, 0917-5766001 or 0917-5999493; 88-B Maginhawa St., Teachers’ Village, Diliman, QC
Chocolate Decadent Cheesecake
Come-on: The lightness of baked cheesecake and the goodness of chocolate fudge in one dreamy concoction. Smooth and easy on the palate. Black Velvet Crepe Cake is also an irresistible treat, offering layers upon layers of choco crepe deliciously draped in cream cheese frosting and topped with melted chocolate.
Cost: Chocolate Decadent Cheesecake P1,150; Black Velvet Crepe Cake, P1,250. Order three days in advance. For pickup only.
Creator: Ilustrado Restaurant (chef Bernice Pimentel)
Contacts: Tel. 5272319 or 52736747; visit www.ilustradorestaurant.com.ph; 44 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila
Cheesecake Sampler
Come-on: Satisfy your cheesecake cravings with this sampler in lip-smacking flavors—Queso de Bola, Tablea, Chocnut, Ube and Calamansi. The Queso de Bola has a dense, velvety taste, while the Tablea is an intense dark chocolate experience. Chocnut is plain cheesecake topped with ground chocnut, while the Ube flavor is akin to eating real ube jam straight from the jar. Calamansi, the newest bestseller, has just the right balance of sweetness and tartness.
Cost: Cheesecake Sampler P900 inclusive of four cheesecakes (four inches each) with one ube flavor and a choice of three other flavors. Individual price: Ube P250/small 4-inch, P1,200/big 9-in; Quezo de Bola, Tablea, Chocnut, Calamansi, P220/small, P1,000/big. Order two days in advance.
Creator: Indulgence by Irene (Irene Co and Richard Co)
Contacts: Tel. 0917-6225800; visit www.facebook.com/indulgencebyirene
Dark Turtle Brittle
Come-on: A sweet way to close a holiday meal is to have a slice of moist chocolate cake with toffee and pecan brittle for that extra-crunchy sweet bite. Drizzle this with caramel syrup and pair with a cup of coffee, and it’s a heavenly indulgence.
Cost: P1,300/whole; P120/slice
Creator: Nic’s Gourmet Dessert (Rina Go)
Contact: Tel. 5711818, 3549081 or 0999-9933231; e-mail [email protected]; 172 A. Mabini St., Addition Hills, San Juan City; 2/F Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City
Salted Caramel Cookies
Come-on: Moist, chewy cookies blended with all sorts of goodies—marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies, candy sprinkles, pretzels, etc. There are four variants: Salted Caramel (with salted pretzels, caramel, dark chocolate and Himalayan salt), Chocollows (with marshmallows and three kinds of chocolates—dark, semi-sweet and bitter-sweet), Birthday (with milk crumble, white chocolate chips, sprinkles and marshmallows) and White Chocolate Cranberry.
Cost: Chocollows P60/piece; Salted Caramel, Birthday and White Chocolate Cranberry, P65/piece. For pickup and delivery depending on location.
Creator: The Bald Baker (Cy Ynares)
Contacts: Tel. 0917-5116370; visit www.facebook.com/thebaldbaker; Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Bananalicious Almond
Come-on: A very moist banana cake smothered in luscious snow glaze and generously topped with slivered almonds. Delectable and very filling to the tummy.
Cost: Bananalicious Almond P580/8-inch cake. Order three days in advance. For pickup only.
Creator: Dessert Barn (Twinkle Legaspi)
Contacts: Tel. 0917-8424861; Tirona Street, BF Homes, Paranaque City
The Pink Fantasy
Come-on: Here’s one dessert that’s almost too beautiful to eat. Pink Fantasy or Pastel Pink Ombre Cake is a six-layer vanilla cake covered with Swiss meringue buttercream. It’s roughly 9 inches in height—perfect as an eye-catching holiday centerpiece. Also available in an all-over ruffled design.
Cost: P2,000/big, P1,700/small. Order three to five days in advance. Chocolate Glamour, P1,300/8-inch cake
Creator: The Sweet Life by Ange (Ange dela Cruz)
Contacts: Tel. 0917-8238198, 0917-8343924 or 8150188; visit www.sweetlifebyange.com; UG/L, Vernida 1 Condominium, 120 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City; and Baker’s Dozen Bazaar, Rockwell, Makati City
Pinoy Mango Trifle
Come-on: A traditional Filipino favorite wittily jazzed up—local biscuits (crushed otap and pilipit) layered with mango mouselline and whipped cream and topped with fresh mango slices, cubed leche flan and cream puff. Truly a festive dessert for the whole family.
Cost: P2,000 inclusive of the glass trifle jar. For pickup only. Order three days in advance.
Creator: Dedet de la Fuente of Pepita’s Lechon.
Contacts: Tel. 0917-8660662 and 4254605; No. 6 San Pablo St., Magallanes Village, Makati City
Chef Jessie’s Banana Split
Come-on: Who can say no to this cool concoction churned out by no less than chef extraordinaire Jessie Sincioco? This guiltless pleasure combines strawberry, chocolate and pistachio ice cream topped with whipped cream and concealed with caramel and chocolate sauce and cherries. The banana slices are dipped in dark chocolate covered with pistachio nuts.
Cost: P250/serving. For dine-in only.
Creator: Chef Jessie Rockwell Club (chef Jessie Sincioco)
Contacts: Tel. 8906543 or 8907630; G/L Amorsolo Square, Amorsolo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City
Citrus Melange Tropical
Come-on: For those who prefer something lighter and citrusy, make room for this decadent pie, which has an ideal mix of lemon, calamansi and orange drizzled in mango sauce and pretty meringue clouds. A small slice is enough for that sublime experience.
Cost: P485/6-inch, P800/10-in pie. Order two days in advance. For pickup only. Delivery to selected areas only.
Creator: Cynfully Sweets (Cynthia Patos)
Contacts: Tel. 738-0364 or 0919-8376720; visit www.cynfullysweets.com
Ube-Leche Flan Cake
Come-on: True to its name, it’s a glorious combo of very filling ube halaya and velvety rich leche flan. The sinful mix is sure to keep you in suspended animation with every bite.
Cost: P500/7.5-inch, P300/5-in cake. Order two days in advance. For pickup only. Delivery to selected areas only.
Creator: Anghelica’s Desserts (chef Angelica Atanacio)
Contacts: Tel. 0917-7256038; Taytay, Rizal
Nora
Come-on: Beguiling, silky smooth chocolate mousse delicately secured with a thin almond sponge. The praline base offers a nice wafer-like texture. It’s topped with a glossy dark chocolate glaze. For true-blue chocolate fans.
Cost: P1,750/6-inch cake. Order two days in advance. For pickup only.
Creator: Karisia Pattiserie (Karisia Bitong)
Contacts: Tel. 0977-2148471; Makati City
Caramel Crepe Pudding
Come-on: Regardless of how full you may think you are by dessert time, you will quickly devour this deadly combination of creme brulee, caramel and crepes, which has a leche flan-like custard feel to the bite.
Another sweet treat is the Chocolate Panna Cotta, a gratifying blend of white chocolate cookie, ganache and brown butter financier.
Cost: Caramel Crepe Pudding P750/9 in x 9 in square container that serves 8-12 persons. Chocolate Panna Cotta P1,300/9.5 in x 12.5 in cake that serves 16-20 persons. Order two days in advance. For pickup only.
Creator: Dessert du Jour (Mara de la Rama-Poblete)
Contacts: Tel. 4052580, 0917-8116272 or 0917-8036272; Ecology Village Gate 3, Sabio Street, Pasong Tamo, Makati City
