Chocolate Paradise Cake

By: The Moody Critic

The first thing that you would probably notice about this cake would be its posterior portion. Its milk chocolate crumbs might give you a scenario of this cake falling on a dirty, rocky terrain and was then picked up to be served on a plate. Nevertheless, it gave the cake a unique eye-catching appeal.

The cake had moderately moist consistency and quite a stable structure. With seven layers composed of chocolate cake, milk chocolate and cream fillings, who will ever doubt its title: chocolate paradise? However, I find this multiple layering scheme redundant and insignificant because the taste was very uniform regardless of layer. Moreover, layering was inconsistent because identical layers are not congruent.

I know they're trying to be different from other coffee shops out there but blue plates just don't work for me. This is a cafe; so it must express its warmth by adhering to classical plain theme of whites. Furthermore, plate abrasions are readily conspicuous in colored ones.

Presentation: 7.0
Taste: 6.0
Texture and consistency: 7.9
Serving size: 8.5
Value for money: 8.0

Overall rating: 7.0/10
Mood: AMBIVALENT

Resto: Baang Coffee
Address: 258 D Tomas Morato Ave. cor. Scout Fernandez St., Quezon City
Full food name: Chocolate Paradise Cake
Price: P90.00

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Angus Au Jus

By: The Moody Critic

Every time I eat at Racks, Angus Au Jus never fails to be included in my eating program. One simply cannot deny or ignore the quality of a genuine Angus beef.

Without any sauce, any sidings, or any elaborate plating, the Angus beef can definitely stand alone on the plate. The way the meat was seasoned was very remarkable. It is delicious on its own and any sauce would just serve as a bonus. Even if I would asked for a well-done steak, the meat would still remain very tender and juicy.

This dish comes with two sidings of choice. I would almost always choose mashed potato and macaroni & cheese out of the variety of sidings because of their caloric value. But if you're on the heavier side, veggie siding is the way to go!

I found the mashed potato shockingly lumpy and watery. Moreover, it was made very bland given that it has no accompanying gravy. The macaroni & cheese was basically "okay" but the macaroni was slightly undercooked. I almost knocked the living daylights of the waiter because my mac & cheese still had the bacon bits after I specifically asked him not once, but twice to remove them.

With an average size of around 13 cm x 10 cm x 1.7 cm, this beef dish can surely say "shut up and eat!". Sometimes, I would even fast for a whole day just to allot space for this dish because I usually had problems in ambulating afterwards due to my overly distended stomach.

Choice of side dishes:

1. Baked Beans
2. Corn Bread
3. Potato Salad
4. Gravy Fries
5. Mac and Cheese
6. Corn on the Cob
7. Coleslaw
8. Garlic Mashed Potato
9. Buttered Vegetables
10. Pasta Salad

Choice of Sauce:

1. Au Jus (comes with the dish) - Red wine plus the Angus beef's own juice
2. Racks' original barbeque sauce regular (on the table)
3. Racks' original barbeque sauce extra hot (on the table)

Presentation: 6.5
Taste: 8.3
Texture and consistency: 7.5
Complexity: 7.2
Value for money: 8.1

Overall rating: 7.7/10
Mood: Satisfied

Resto: Racks
Address: Ground floor, Entertainment mall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Full food name: Angus Au Jus
Price: P680.00

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Oh! La La

By: The Moody Critic

It is an innovative idea to give the classic Oreo cheesecake a makeover. However, the thought of making the cheesecake matrix a marble of hazelnut and vanilla didn't work for me. By deviating from the standard layering seen in typical cheesecakes, the cake loss the balance and the potential synergistic effect of its flavors. It was like hazelnut as episode one and vanilla as episode two. Another downside of this dessert was the increased humidity of the matrix by roughly 30%. It was like eating a piece of a poor unsuspecting bread that fell into a cup of coffee. I also believe that the general idea of making a cheesecake is making it more hydrophobic than hydrophilic.

Presentation: 8.0
Taste: 7.3
Texture and consistency: 6.0
Serving size: 6.6
Value for money: 8.2

Overall rating: 7.2/10
Mood: AMBIVALENT

Resto: Fleur De Lys Patisserie & Cafe
Address: Tomas Morato ave., South triangle, Quezon city
Full food name: Oh! La La
Price: P98.00

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Hallow Mallow S'mores Pie

By: The Moody Critic

A dessert that obviously heralds the Halloween season.

To be honest, I haven't tasted the actual S'mores. I usually hear about it in American TV shows and they would really fuel my desire to taste it. But thanks to this dessert, my curiosity was somehow put to rest.

This dessert includes the traditional ingredients needed to make S'mores: graham, chocolate fudge, and toasted marshmallows except for the added roasted almonds. From top to bottom, the cake was inconsistent in terms of texture because first you have a smooth, rich graham whipped cream, then a rocky road-like texture from almonds and chocolate fudge underneath, then a gooey marshmallow layer with brittle graham crackers.

The only amazing constituent of this dessert was the deliciously sweet graham whipped cream because of its thematic cobweb-like design and the cute solitary ghoulish marshmallow on top. As I have observed, these marshmallows vary in facial expressions and personalities.

Sad to say, like its existing brothers and sisters, this dessert's Oreo crust seemed to have been enveloped with iron curtain. I wasn't able to eat it because it was practically made indestructible.

Presentation: 8.0
Taste: 7.3
Texture and consistency: 6.2
Serving size: 8.7
Value for money: 8.1

Overall rating: 7.4/10
Mood: AMBIVALENT

Resto: Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes
Address: Il Terrazo Mall, Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City
Full food name: Hallow Mallow S'mores Pie
Price: P110.00

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