Fancy Cakes and Crepes

I didn't actually expect to eat here since I just stopped by to pick up my Battalia Royale ticket.  However, when I went inside, the display of cakes were so tempting that I knew I had to get something from there.  Since my companions and I were still planning on going somewhere after this, we just got 2 crepes.  Here's what we got:

Banananutella
As in the name, this crepe was composed of bananas and nutella.  It was sweet and good!  I totally loved the crepe and the ice cream.  Well, I am a sucker for sweet things, but I really prefer crepes on plate rather than eating it like an ice cream cone.  However, if I was to be really fair and impartial, I would say that it's really quite a typical crepe.  I still love it though :)

Sun-zette
My friend who ordered it described it as having a mature taste.  Why?  It's probably because this crepe has rum in it.  It's a crepe with oranges and flamed rum (flambe in French).  When I initially tasted it, I found it not so sweet, and the flavor of rum was still quite powerful.  However, when mixed with the orange sauce thoroughly, it tasted a lot finer, and the orange acidity was neutralized.  How should I describe it?  It's unique.  I'm not saying it's not delicious but as I always say, it's probably an acquired taste.  As I said earlier, I found it not so good at the start but in the end, I swapped plates with my friend since I liked the taste already.  If you're looking for an adventure, I would recommend this to you rather than the first crepe.

What I found sweet in this place is that they personalize your crepes.  See the names?  I think this kind of thing would go over very well to people celebrating something, lovers especially.  They told us instead of names you could ask to place messages instead.

As for the price, the crepes range from 100ish to almost 200, depending on the flavor.  It's a good buy when you consider the taste :)

Must go back for those cakes!!!!


Fancy Cakes and Crepes
Matalino St, Quezon City

Meidoll's Cafe at Cainta

I've heard a lot of things about this place so I decided to see for myself what the fuss was about.  It was quite a long drive from my place (since I live near the north), although luckily I did not get lost.  It was a small place on the 2nd floor of Saunterfield Bldg. in Cainta.

The pics here are some of what my best friend and I ordered.  Here was what we ate:

Bread Rolls
My friend and I enjoyed this.  It was just simple, and you could not call the flavor outstanding, but it was the simplicity of it that made it quite good.  The dressing on top was mayo and mustard, and the bread roll was stuffed with hotdog.

Korokke
It was just your regular hash brown, Japanese style.  It was very crispy on the outside and quite soft in the inside, since the potatoes were mashed.  Quite bland, but I guess that's to be expected if someone really wanted to bring out the potato taste.  

Fried Sushi Rolls
Okay, I have to admit I didn't enjoy this dish very much.  It tasted a bit like fried suman (native rice cake) with crab sticks inside.  The yellow sauce seen in the pic is mayo + mustard, I think.  Why I didn't enjoy it?  I guess it was just all wrong for me.  It's an interesting dish, but I guess when you deep fry the whole thing, the oil just seeps into everything and in essence, it tasted like oil.

Meidoll Gyudon
I was kind of expecting something else when I bought this, since the presentation was different in the picture.  I can't compare it to other Gyudon, since I don't actually order it in other Japanese restaurants.  The taste?  It was just like beef stew.  I have no complaints though, it tasted okay.  The question is, is that really how gyudon tastes like?

Tempura Fried Ice Cream

This was my order so that we could all taste dessert.  The concept I think was fried ice cream, but they kind of made it into something like the bread roll.  It was satisfactory, although I wouldn't say the slices were really meant to be bite size since I had to half it before I could eat it.

I guess it's the novelty of the place which really draws patrons here.  The "Maids" here call you master, and they cook and serve you the food.  You can get them to sing a tune or dance for you, but of course, that all comes with a fee.  As for the meals, they could be improved, but that's not really the reason why you came there, right?

Mini Cakes at Gourmet Tart Co.

A late review.  Am already at the Philippines and yet I haven't posted quite a number of my tastings in Ireland.  I've been busy on other things as well, but I will try to post as much as I can before I forget about them.

We were in Galway City Centre when I saw these cute mini cakes.  Here's the pic:

Why did I pic four cakes?  It was only because my mom and I couldn't agree on the flavors :D 

I can't remember the exact names of the ones in the upper right and bottom left, but all I can say is that they were the fruity ones.  The mini cake with the strawberry was berry flavored, and the full flavor was quite intense.  It was a mix of tangy berry flavors and just a hint of sweetness.  As for the rectangular cake, it was also fruity, but as far as I can remember it had a milder taste than the berry cake.  It also was not that sweet, which accentuates the taste of fruit more.

Side note:  I checked the website, and I think the rectangular cake might have been Passion Fruit and Cassis Mousse and the  Strawberry cake might have been the Red Berry Mouss.  I'm not that certain though.

The one on the upper left is the Triple Chocolate mousse.  Everyone's verdict: utterly divine.  It was just the right amount for anyone wanting a bit of that decadent chocolate cake.  It was also quite soft that it melted in your mouth.  The amount of each layer was just fine, it blended well into that creamy chocolate taste in your mouth.  Phew!

The last cake is the Black forest.  Quite a surprise, isn't it?  I was also intrigued by this cake since it was all white, and not a hint of chocolate in it.  When I tasted it, viola!  It was the black forest taste I have always known.  The secret?  It was the bottom layer that housed all the nuances of the black forest cake.  It was a different take on the cake I thought I already knew.

Gourmet Tart Co., Co. Galway
http://www.gourmettartco.com/index.php

Lunch at Carrickdale Hotel in Newry

On the way to Banbridge, near Belfast, we had to stop for lunch since it was already past 12.  We stopped at the nearest hotel, which happened to be the Carrickdale Hotel.  Lunch was as follows:

This was my order: Roast Irish Sirloin Beef.  I know, it's just roast beef with a fancier name, but the side dishes were different.  There was stuffing, roast potatoes, broccoli and carrots, and of course, the mashed potatoes.  How was it different from the meal I had yesterday?  Aside from the sides, the vegetables were not very well done, which was a good thing.  The broccoli and the carrots were both crunchy.  It was the first time that I had tasted stuffing, and I have to say it was delicious.  The stuffing was made of bread crumbs and herbs, although I'm not sure what herbs it were.  

Both my brother and sister had roast lamb.  I tasted the meat, and I could say the it was quite tasty, although I know I would not be able to distinguish beef from lamb anytime soon.  I guess I would only be able to distinguish the two by texture and aftertaste.  The lamb was softer, even without gravy, and it had a very distinct aftertaste which the beef didn't have.  I should taste veal sometime for future comparisons.

Dessert!  The banoffee we shared was very good!  Unlike the ones I usually taste, the toffee was not very sweet, so you could really finish the entire slice.  The strawberry syrup was a pleasant addition.  It was not too sweet, and it mixed well with the banoffee.  The amount of cream was just enough for me, although others might find it too much.  The chocolate sprinkles on top were also of good amount.

In all, it was a hearty lunch :3

Cake Overload at Contis

I just got my diploma and I decided to treat myself to something sweet.  I was at Trinoma at the time so I thought of a place where I have been quite a number of times: Contis.  I ordered 2 cakes (Gluttony, I know, and I now cringe thinking about all the calories I consumed): Mango Bravo and Strawberry Cheesecake.

Cake 1: Mango Bravo

Sorry if it's not a very good shot, I forgot my camera again and I had to use my I-phone.  As you can see, the cake is divided into layers of wafer-like cake, with a single layer of chocolate cake and layers of cream, mangoes and nuts.  The topmost layer is filled with cream, mangoes and nuts, while the side was cream relished with chocolate.

The wafer layers were so sweet and tasty and they literally melted in you mouth.  They blended well with the mangoes, cream and nuts.  The overall flavor was not overpowering, but it made a very sweet dessert which would no doubt satisfy any sweet tooth out there.  Besides, the portion is huge, so if you feel you can't finish it by yourself, there's always enough to share with a special someone <3

Cake 2: Strawberry Cheesecake

After a very sweet cake, I decided to try something less decadent, so I tried this.  When I tried the layers separately, the strawberry topping was quite sweet, the cream part tasted like sour cream and cheese (the taste was actually quite overpowering that I couldn't handle it without taking a gulp of water afterwards) while the bread on the bottom was like grahams, but not as flavorful.  After tasting them separately, I decided to eat it as a whole.  Lo and behold!  It mixed wonderfully in my mouth, without any of the flavors overpowering each other.  Well, I did get tired of eating it after a while (probably since I already ate one cake), but thankfully, the cream on the last part of the cake was able to change the taste so I was able to finish the whole thing.  I guess in all it was good, but you need to get used to the flavors first.

The Mango Bravo cake was always their best seller, so it was no doubt that it was good.  I tried the Strawberry Cheesecake out of whim, and although I might not recommend it to someone who will be taste testing, I would still say it was pretty good and interesting.  This is one of the reason I come back to Contis again and again and again :3

Contis

Trinoma

Strawberry and Chocolate Cheesecake

The Chocolatier
Ayala, Cebu City

I actually forgot the name of this dessert since the only time I ate it was during Sinulog last January. Looks pretty nice, doesn't it? I just fell in love with it when I saw it on display. My opinion on its taste? It was good in small portions only since the novelty of the taste wears off after half a slice ^^

Mango Delight Cake

Secret Recipe
Robinson's Place Ermita
Php~95

It looked so scrumptious in the menu that I decided to order it among other fresh cream cakes offered. To be honest, it was quite a disappointment. I have to admit it was good, but it was not that good that I'd recommend it. What I noted was that the topping on the top (seen at the picture) did not go very well with the rest of the cake. If it was an attempt to make the cake more flavorful, it failed since the seasoning overpowers the cake.

Verdict: 6/10

Mango Sansrival Gelato Cake

Caramia, Robinson's - Ermita
~110 Php/slice

I returned to the place to eat it again since it was so good! Although compared to the rest of the cake the mango pieces were quite harder and they did not melt in my mouth unlike the rest of the cake, it overall flavor and texture was still good. The chocolate piece was just an extra, which did not really help in enhancing the cake's flavor.



Verdict: 8.5/10