Sinfully would satisfy your cravings for dessert. The aroma of chocolates wafting from the store is enough to make a chocoholic’s heart skip.
The new pâtisserie cum chocolate bar in Makati in Greenbelt 5 is a new concept from Makati Shangri-La Hotel. It is a stand-alone shop where you could buy pralines or fancy chocolates by the piece or box, pastries, mini and specialty cakes, and assorted bread for takeout.
French, Belgian and Swiss chocolates are used as base for the pralines and cakes. In the center of the shop is glass cabinet of Designer Cakes. One is a pink fondant purse; another, a gorgeous four-tiered cake done in pastel colors.
‘Get kissed’
A wall is dedicated to catchy Emoti-cakes, round yellow fondant cakes which you could personalize through a touch-screen unit. It comes in chocolate and cheesecake flavors, and you could put messages from the traditional “Happy birthday” to something playful like “Hey, sexy.”
Makati Shangri-La general manager Reto Klauser, at the launch, said the store is called “Sinfully” because the items are meant as a treat, something we wouldn’t usually have daily. While there is a pastry shop in the hotel, a mall-based store is more accessible to buyers. Items like the bread selection are available in both the hotel and mall.
The shop sports cocoa colors brown and black, and cream. A large print of red pouty lips is imprinted on a black panel, with a note “Get kissed.”
Are the items meant for the women, or for the men who want to make the women happy? “Both,” said Klauser, “the items are ideal gifts for celebrations—not just for couples, but also for families.”
Tempting display
Sinfully has an open kitchen which can be viewed from outside the store from where you watch the chocolates being assembled. Finishing is done here, a tempting show which would make you want to check out what’s inside the store.
Executive pastry chef Anthony Collar makes all the items. The Australian chef (he trained there and in Europe, but was born in Malaysia and has a Portuguese dad and Chinese mom) showed us the “right” way to eat—and appreciate—chocolate.
When presented with a lovely piece, chocolate lovers, after letting off a squeal, pop it in the mouth, and reach out for the next piece. This should not be the case, said Collar, who has been making chocolates for past 28 years.
He got a chocolate chip from a large pack and instructed us to put it on our palm: “Cup it with both hands and warm it. Smell it. Put it into your mouth but do not chew. Let it melt. Roll it on your tongue. Breathe.”
The procedure, he said, lets you enjoy your chocolate better, so you’d taste the milk in your milk chocolate better, or discover the roasted, fruity layer of flavors in your dark chocolate.
He is most proud of his “Kiss” collection, candy-coated chocolates in the shape of plump lips which come in three flavors: Caribbean Kiss, tropical-inspired white chocolate with star anise; French Kiss, raspberry-filled dark chocolate bonbon; and Italian Kiss, amaretto and coffee-filled dark chocolate. All are coated with a sheen sparkle, like that of a light lip gloss.
Top 10
Choosing pralines from the spread may be tough, so here are the Top 10 bestsellers, which cost P50 a piece: Passion Fruit; Framboise, raspberry-filled chocolate ganache; Pistache, pistachio cream and chocolate ganache; Gianduja, milk chocolate; Miel, honey-filled chocolate ganache; Caramel Au Sale, salt-infused caramel in chocolate ganache; Amaretto, almond liquor coffee and dark chocolate ganache; Violette de Coco, ube chocolate ganache covered with desiccated coconut; Anis Étoilé, star anise and white-chocolate ganache; and Gold Palet, musky vanilla ganache. The items can be boxed, too.
A more luxurious offering is the Praline Tower, a carrying case which houses 100 pralines in satin-lined drawers.
Or, you can have the 60-piece Macaron Box.
Collar explained Sinfully macarons are different because they are filled with almond bits and powder instead of butter cream, which is too sweet. It also has a good bite, and a slightly crunchy coating. Macarons are available in green tea, mint, mango, raspberry, chocolate, coffee and ube flavors.
Seasonal specialties include mooncakes in tin cans, which come in white lotus, red bean, pandan, jackfruit and mixed nuts varieties. You can complement these with Horoscope chocolates.
For sharing are the Designer Cakes such as Dark Fantasy chocolate mousse cake, Lost Horizon citrus cake and True Love strawberry shortcake. If you want something simple, head to the bakery baskets for some Danish muffins, baguettes and multi-grain loaves.
