Classic Beef Wellington

The Moody Critic'ss beef odyssey finally concluded when he tried Lulu Restaurant'ss Classic Beef Wellington. Read the review to learn more about it!

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

A certain Sesame Street Muppet would definitely devour this treat in an instant! Can Chelsea Kitchen's Cookie Dough Cheesecake dunk its way to the Moody Critic's heart or will it twist into oblivion just the way the cookie crumbles?

French Toast with Ice Cream

The Moody Critic needed the powers of prime numbers when he recently tried Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe's French Toast with Ice Cream. If 2³ = 8 , 3³ = 27 , what is 1331? Please answer this within a minute or you're toast!

Slice's Red Velvet Cheesecake

A great cake, like a great empire, easily crumbles at its edges. Will Slice's Red Velvet Cheesecake successfully penetrate the Moody Critic's gustatory cells? This daunting task is not a piece of cake.

Dark Cherry Truffle Cake

I think that I shall never see, a chocolate-coated cherry delicacy. A critic whose hungry mouth is prest, against the sweet cake's frosting with zest. A sting from a bee can make you sob in melancholy, can Coffee Bean's Dark Cherry Truffle Cake make you jump with glee?

Aug 9, 2013

Wildflour's Cronut

By: The Moody Critic

The "Croissant-Doughnut" or Cronut, is taking the world by storm; Thanks to the brilliant Chef Dominique Ansel of New York City who learned that not only geneticists or genetic engineers can hybridize things.

Within just a few months, several shops around the world have cracked the Cronut code and made imitations of this ingenious pastry. Wildflour Cafe + Bakery was one of the first shops to offer the Filipino people with a quality replica - a replica that can really stir one's curiosity due to its elusiveness.

By genetics, a cronut is dominantly a croissant added with some doughnut traits like the classical ring shape and the flavored frosting on top which the former lacks. Nevertheless, the golden brown shell, the flaky consistency, and the beautiful laminated structure remained.


Upon dissecting the cronut, you will appreciate the multiple thin layers and the sweet custard cream modestly embedded within the central transverse fissure. I believe it is not necessary to add sugar granules around the cronut because the custard cream's sweetness is just enough to match the slight blandness of the cronut itself. The flaky texture and consistency, the sugar granules, and the transverse fissure concept all lean towards one thing: making a mess. So be sure to have table napkins within reach.

Due to the very high demand for this pastry, Wildflour currently sells two Cronuts per person only. Moreover, they are selling it only at specific timeslots (9:30 AM, after lunch, and 3:30 PM) per day. No worries, sooner or later, I feel they are going to repeal this system when competition starts to kick in and the high demand has abated. There are around seven flavors to choose from: plain, chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Dulce de leche, Mixed Berry, Hazelnut. Regardless of flavor, all of them contain a rich custard cream filling. If you're planning to buy Cronuts from Wildflour, I strongly suggest that you plan ahead to avoid disappointment and waste of time.


Cronut quality is inversely proportional to time. The longer the time it exists in the world, the more you'll appreciate its deterioration. It is best eaten as soon as you bought it. But if you're going to take it home, do not imprison it in a fridge because you wont be able to appreciate the remarkable croissant consistency. Do not leave it at room temperature for a very prolonged time either because the custard can easily turn rancid. But with its amazing taste and texture, I doubt a normal person would even save some for tomorrow.
Presentation: 7.5
Taste: 8.8
Texture and consistency: 9.0
Complexity: 8.3
Value for money: 6.6

Overall rating: 8.3/10
Mood: EUPHORIC
Resto: Wildflour Cafe + Bakery
Address: 4th ave. cor 26th st. Fort Bonifacio, Global City, Taguig
Full food name: Croissant-Doughnut
Price: P120.00

Aug 3, 2013

New England Pot Roast Beef

By: The Moody Critic

The first time I got acquainted with the pot roast was during my childhood days when I used to play the popular old game- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. After being dropped by the Flail Guard - a monster in this game, my mouth would usually drool over this item because it looked very tempting to eat. In those days, I promised myself that I would someday savor on this dish. Finally, I did; and I was not disappointed!

Seeing the gargantuan serving size of this dish, I was immediately shocked when it was finally served on our table. It can actually be shared by two persons. Surprisingly, it didn't look the same like how it was shown in the menu where it looked more of a typical beef stew. Nevertheless, the arrangement of the meat slices and the sprouts helped in giving that appetizing presentation.

The only way to deal with tough beef cuts like the ones used in this dish is through slow-cooking. So far, they were able to achieve this because the meat was very tender and succulent. However, what they failed to achieve was the Maillard reaction - the browning effect which the meat cuts evidently lacked. Lastly, the seemingly unrelated "ribs" was overcooked because some of its segments were already charred.

Excellent choice of flavors, well-cooked meat, generous amount of sauce, and more-than-enough serving size - sum them all up and you'll get a satisfied mouth and a happy stomach.
Presentation: 7.7
Taste: 8.0
Texture and consistency: 8.0
Complexity: 8.1
Value for money: 9.0

Overall rating: 8.0/10
Mood: SATISFIED
Resto: Uncle Cheffy
Address: 3rd Level Atrium, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Full food name: New England Pot Roast Beef
Price: P495.00

Uncle Cheffy Cheesecake

By: The Moody Critic

While waiting for our food, I decided to have a quick tour around the restaurant just to kill the time. The thing that first attracted me was their cake display case. As I look upon the variety of desserts they had on display, one cake stood out among the rest... in a bad way! One look and you'll say that this is one of those forsaken desserts because it seemed to have stood inside the case way past its expiration date to be able to develop such moldy appearance. I left hoping that our paths would never cross again.

I chose the Uncle Cheffy Cheesecake for dessert because it was the most probable flagship dessert of this restaurant as the title suggests. However, as soon as this dessert was served on my table, I was in fierce denial because the cake looked very familiar. It dawned to me that it was that grotesque moldy dessert! Questions came rushing in my mind. Was the concept and presentation of the cake intended? Were they thinking of culturing Aspergillus species on this cake? And how would I find the courage to eat it?

Because this dessert carried the esteemed "Uncle Cheffy" title, it is very much expected that it should be the restaurant's best-seller. I really tried to grasp the idea that there must be something special under that ill-looking masquerade. Unfortunately, there was nothing. It was no different from your average cheesecake in terms of taste. The cheesecake matrix had this marked humidity accompanied by an undercooked mushy consistency. The matrix-to-base ratio was obviously out of proportion. The base was made too thick and it was evidently uneven throughout the length of the cake slice. Lastly, I find the plating really pathetic because it lacked the accentuating contrast needed to give this dessert that appetizing appeal.
Presentation: 4.5
Taste: 5.5
Texture and consistency: 5.2
Serving size: 7.5
Value for money: 5.4

Overall rating: 5.4/10
Mood: DISGUSTED
Resto: Uncle Cheffy
Address: 3rd Level Atrium, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Full food name: Uncle Cheffy Cheesecake
Price: P150.00