After a stressful transaction with a government office, I wanted to reward myself for surviving the ordeal. So off I went to Park Avenue Desserts in Magallanes, owned and run by one of the most talented pastry chefs in the land, Buddy Trinidad.
Buddy had just arrived from Los Angeles where he is said to have created a buzz with his pastries. After sampling all that Buddy wanted me to eat at his bakeshop, I wanted to kneel down in awe. His pastries are the best—fluffy, light, not too sweet.
Deciding to have lunch also in his bakeshop, I ordered Chinese Chicken Salad and Spicy Chorizo Burger. In minutes, I devoured both of them
Other sandwiches on the menu are Italian Club, Tomato Basil and Mozzarella, Roast Turkey with Cranberry Relish, Grilled Cheese made with Cheddar, Mozzarella, Bacon and Freshly Baked Brioche. I made a promise to order them next time.
What I found interesting were items like Croguette, baguettes with the buttery and flaky texture of croissants. I ordered it for takeout and it was fantastic! I matched it with my recently bought Hokkaido butter.
Buddy had no Brownie Bites that day, so I settled for a combination cookie. It was a delicious discovery. My daughter Danielle and I loved them.
I saw a chunk of Lemon bars and I had no doubt they would also be very good. Also there were Apple Cinnamon Tart, Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Sansrival, Carrot Cake, Pralines, and
the best-selling pastry called Eureka, a crispy, cheery chocolate caramel treat with sea salt.
Buddy assured that all of this was worth the weight gain, and I believed him.
I also saw Hunny Buns, cinnamon-like buns sticky with bacon and pecans, Croissants and Pain Chocolats.
For a sweet tooth like me, this place was a great find. I loved that Buddy would combine several pastries into one. I guess the Cronuts (doughnuts and croissants) started all of this. Examples at Park Avenue Desserts would be Cro-Guette (baguettes and croissants) and Brokies (cookies and brownies).
Happy eating!
Park Avenue Desserts, G/F, Paseo de Magallanes, Makati; tel. 8526141
My Fukuoka-Hiroshima food tour is on Nov. 5-10 while my Hokkaido tour is on Nov. 19-24. If you’re interested in doing a Seoul food tour, too, e-mail sandydaza@yahoo.ca.