Bagoong Club Calamansi Torte

One of the 20 Yummiest Commercially-Baked Cakes according to the Inquirer, especially prepared by Pixie Santos-Sevilla for Bagoong Club Restaurant.


Layers of meringue and calamansi curd encased in marshmallow icing.

This was very light, literally. I had it to go and it was like I was carrying nothing. Its taste was also light and refreshing. I just find the price too high for its size and taste. It was so small and the meringue used was not the almond, cashew or any nut meringue but just the common, bakery sugar meringue.

It seemed as if you let the wind blow-off your P130, it was not a practical purchase.




Happy Eating!

BAGOONG CLUB RESTAURANT
122 Scout Lazcano Street,
Quezon City

Banapple Fudgymudgymud Pie

Chocolate cookie crust topped with chocolate ganache and whipped topping, finished with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup.

This was different from quite a number of mud pies that I have tried. The chocolate layer was not dense and chewy like most of what I had, the chocolate used was not that good also.


Mud pies usually have that frozen chocolate bar or chocolate truffle kind of texture, plus it should also have nuts in it.

Banapple's Fudgymudgymud Pie P80/slice, tasted and felt like a chocolate batter. So if you like or love licking the batter off the bowl when you're baking, you'll like this pie too.

Happy Eating!

Banapple Choconut Oreo Cheesecake

Layers of Oreo cookie crust, cheesecake with chocnut pieces and whipped topping, finished with crushed chocnut and Oreo cookies and topped with chocnut chunks.




If you like chocnut you'll like this cheesecake. It tasted strongly of chocnut but just an okay cheesecake for me.


Happy Eating!

Banapple Two Nut Caramel Cheesecake

Cheesecake on a graham crust topped with nuts and drizzled with caramel sauce.

This was better than their other cheesecakes. The caramel was similar to a yema in taste and appearance and with the nuts gave a twist to the cheesecake.


I just wish it had more of the caramel and nuts, like the same thickness as the cheesecake layer, 'coz as soon as they were gone all that's left was a plain cheesecake and an oily crust.

Happy Eating!

Banapple Very Berry Custard Cake

Alternating layers of sponge cake, custard and berry preserves, covered with marshmallow icing at P80/slice.


This is their version of the trifle, a dessert made of sponge cake, berries, custard and whipped cream.


The berries, cream and sponge cake in this cake were all good, the custard on the other hand was neither creamy nor sweet. It was just like a soggy sponge cake in taste and appearance.


I hope they can do something about it, ‘coz their idea of a trifle cake was good but their execution wasn’t.


Happy Eating!

BANAPPLE PIES AND CHEESECAKES
2nd Level Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato corner Scout Madrinan,
South Triangle, Quezon City
Tel No: 413-2675

Banapple Cadbury Old Gold Oreo Cheesecake

The Cadbury Old Gold Oreo Cheesecake at P120/slice was one of their best sellers.


A huge layer of baked cheesecake and a thin layer of Cadbury chocolate ganache on top of a chocolate cookie crust, finished off with crushed Oreo cookies.


I love the slight bitterness of the chocolate ganache and like the tartness of the smooth cheesecake. What I don't like was how wafer-thin the layer of the ganache was. It should have the same thickness as the cheesecake 'coz it's what carried the cake. Also the chocolate cookie crust lacked sweetness and crunchiness and was more of like a bland and soggy chocolate cake than a cookie crust.

Happy Eating!

Banapple White Chocolate Truffle Berry Cheesecake

Layers of graham crust, cheesecake with strawberry preserves and strawberry cream, decorated with chunks of baked crumbles and white chocolate curls.




To date, this is my favorite among Banapple's cheesecakes. But it doesn't mean that it's the best or anything, just that everything here worked well together, from the crust up to the baked crumbles. And even if I am more of a chocolate person than a fruit one for dessert, I still like it more than their chocolate base cheesecakes.



Happy Eating!

Banapple Pies

I guess I'm addicted to their Chicken Pie P50.


Shortbread/doughy crust with flaky and very tender chicken filling. Though not as creamy as some people said but will still melt in your mouth in tenderness. They are huge and filling, more like thrice the size of Conti's.



A couple of days after my first bite of their Chicken Pie, I was back there again and bought a couple of Chicken Pie plus their Tuna Pie and Cheese and Mushroom Pie, all at P50 each.

In the Tuna Pie, the distinction between the crust and the filling was prominent than that in the Chicken Pie. It was slightly salty too. This was my least favorite of the three pies.



The Cheese and Mushroom Pie was also good but not as good as their Chicken Pie. Since button mushrooms are flavorless/bland (that's why it's Jamie Oliver's pet peeve. He thinks it's all chemicals), the tartness of the cheese and the sweet doughy crust are the only flavor you'll taste.




I don't know why, but even if their Cheese and Mushroom Pie and Tuna Pie are not that good, I still always buy a couple of them every time I'm at Banapple (which is twice a week). Maybe they have grown on me or maybe they are just plain filling and come in handy when I don't know what to eat and am tired of thinking what to eat.




Happy Eating!

Richmonde Banana Walnut

Aside from the Choco Moist Square, I also bought a loaf of their Banana Walnut at P200/loaf.



I was sold by the shop attendant’s description of the loaf. He even let me hold it for a while to have a feel of how heavy and dense the banana walnut loaf was. He said that unlike other banana loaves that have more flour than bananas, theirs was packed with bananas and generously sprinkled with walnuts.


Biting thru it, it was evident how densely-packed with bananas it was, filling too. You’ll be full and satisfied after just a couple of bites.


This can be a part of a filling brunch or an afternoon tea. It can also be paired with Nutella Hazelnut Spread for that gourmet twist or made into a French toast, similar to what Giada De Laurentiis had in one of her weekend getaways but with Halal bread (of carrots).


This should also be a staple together with the Brioche, for those who love to entertain at home but don’t have Ina Garten’s talent and time.



P.S. I hope to try these soon :-)




Happy Eating!

Richmonde Hotel Choco Moist Square

One of the 20 Yummiest Commercially-Baked Cakes according to the Inquirer at P80 per piece.


Super moist dark chocolate sponge cake covered in rich chocolate ganache (description from the Inquirer).


Richmonde’s Choco Moist wasn’t all that. Surely, the sponge cake was super moist but it doesn’t taste of chocolate at all but of rum.


What I love in this cake was the rich, fudgy and chocolatey ganache on top. It was just too thin for the size of the sponge cake. I just wish it has more of it, like maybe half of the cake was ganache and half sponge cake :-) I also wish they use more dark chocolate and less rum in their sponge cake.


Happy Eating!

THE RICHMONDE HOTEL
21 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Tel No: 638-7777

Oliver’s Egg Mayo

I miss my husband terribly and since I still have many more months to wait for us to be together again, I just hold on to his favourite foods for now, like Oliver’s Super Sandwiches Egg Mayo P98.


It is his favourite sandwich in Oliver’s, he usually have this on buttered then toasted/grilled bread. So that’s what I ordered, the same thing, the same way.



It tasted good, creamy egg mayo on a crunchy, nutty and chewy wheat bread, but it wasn’t as good as I remember it to be. What’s missing? Butter, salt and pepper.


When I asked the staff, he said that they don’t put butter or oil on their breads. Since when I asked again, and he answered ever since. I doubt that it’s true because we (my husband and I) usually have our sandwich with butter. I may not know everything but I definitely know my Oliver’s Sandwiches. About the salt and pepper, I was too hungry to ask =p


Happy Eating!

OLIVER’S SUPER SANDWICHES
2nd Level, GLorietta 2,
Makati City