OMG Chocolate Cake

By: The Moody Critic

The flagship dessert of Todd English has all it takes to shame even the most celebrated chocolate desserts out there.

Although the dessert strictly adheres to its chocolate theme, one will be surprised by the overwhelming methods chocolate was utilized. Texture distinction was evident in the muddled chocolate cereal crumbs and drop-like silky chocolate pudding. The range of sweetness was diverse. On the other hand, the chocolate gelato provided that cool contrast from its warm, moist lava cake partner underneath.

Because of its high caloric content and density, this dessert is meant to be shared. Though quite expensive, it will fulfill the wish of someone who is seeking a "death by chocolate" experience. It was truly an epic conclusion to the fine dining experience that we had in this restaurant.

Presentation: 7.5
Taste: 8.5
Texture and consistency: 8.2
Complexity: 8.4
Value for money: 7.0

Overall rating: 8.1/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Todd English Food Hall Manila
Address: 5th level, Skypark SM Aura Premier, Taguig City
Full food name: OMG Chocolate Cake
Price: P420.00

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Slice's Red Velvet Cheesecake

By: The Moody Critic

"Massively and enticingly made!"

While other desserts fail to show harmony with the color schematics, this one followed the correct theme with respect to the concept of red velvet desserts: a black base, a white frosting layer, on top and a sea of crimson that manifests a paradox of firmness and velvety consistency intertwined.

The cream cheese frosting layer, though having had a good ratio of thickness with its cheesecake matrix, lacked that penetrating saccharine property. This only made a partial synergism of tastes causing the marked bitterness of the Oreo crust to surface.

Without a shadow of a doubt, this dessert wins the serving size award. Having an approximately 4-inch thickness, you would really surrender consuming this dessert in one shot thus necessitating the helping hand of your friends. However, sharing this ecstasy with others suggests sharing the bill as well. You would be a little surprised that a slice of this dessert will cost you a fortune. Never again will you undermine the meaning of the word "slice".

Presentation: 8.2
Taste: 8.1
Texture and consistency: 8.5
Complexity: 7.8
Value for money: 7.0

Overall rating: 8.1/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Slice
Address: G/F Southeast block, Bonifacio High Street Central, 7th Avenue corner 29th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Full food name: Red Velvet Cheesecake
Price: P290.00
Serving: 1-2 person/s

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Dark Cherry Truffle Cake

By: The Moody Critic

A newbie among Coffee Bean's arsenal of desserts.

There is no question about the cake's elegant and scrumptious presentation. However, having made a replica of a ruptured tumor cell covered in a chocolate ganache really discouraged me to put those so-called dark cherry truffles in my mouth.

The milk chocolate frosting sure was an excellent match for the cake because it gave that appetizing contrast of colors and that distinct saccharine taste. However, what was markedly lacking in this cake was the sharp sweetness that could have satisfied the sweet tooth for decades. It would have been better if it was 20% sweeter. While this sweetness factor ideally emanates from its frosting or filling, the cake's sweetness on the other hand should be left unaltered to be able to preserve the balance.

The conspicuous chocolate tile located at the back of the cake, believe it or not, had its own unique texture and taste. Given its thin frame, it was quite surprising how it was able to contain a significant number of crisped rice. Unfortunately, these tiles have the tendency to crack because aside from being thin, they don't completely adhere to the cake's convex exterior.

Having maintained the uniformity in this dessert was very commendable. The apparent congruent layering of the chocolate cake was made possible by the equidistant interceding milk chocolate fillings. Because the cake was made with just the right moisture and density, I guess forcefully flushing this dessert down into my stomach with copious amount of water won't be necessary.

Presentation: 8.4
Taste: 7.5
Texture and consistency: 8.2
Serving size: 7.8
Value for money: 7.7

Overall rating: 7.9/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Address: Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City
Full food name: Dark Cherry Truffle Cake
Price: P135.00

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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

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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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Dolcelatte's Red Velvet Cheesecake

By: The Moody Critic

Combining modern defiant crimson with traditional white elegance was never a problem for this dessert.

The frosting without a doubt was the trump card of this dessert because not only was it designed to have those intricate rosettes or billows but it was made to harmonize with the rich cheesecake matrix and its semi-bland base.

The cheesecake matrix lacked compactness and the dead air spaces within it was quite easy to discriminate. These air spaces made the matrix osteoporotic causing the latter to easily break apart or fall off.

The red velvet base was moist and was cooked evenly. However, the idea of making ectopic red velvet layers within the cheesecake matrix tarnished the apparent elegance of this dessert. It looked like it has open surgical wounds that need attending to. It would have been better if they adhered to the standard layering of cheesecakes.

Peek a boo! I see you! The partly hidden caramel sauce underneath the red velvet base seemed to be very modest in proclaiming that this dessert is worth a try. It either needs a new plating design or a trip to oblivion.

Presentation: 8.7
Taste: 9.0
Texture and consistency: 8.3
Serving size: 9.0
Value for money: 9.1

Overall rating: 8.8/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Dolcelatte
Address: 1616 Quezon Ave., South Triangle, Quezon City
Full food name: Red Velvet Cheesecake
Price: P150.00

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Milk Chocolate Cake

By: The Moody Critic

NOT BAD for a home-made desert! For such a small cake, it immediately earned it's title as one of the store's bestsellers.

The small grated chocolates which looked like pencil shavings matched the size of this cake. The milk chocolate frosting which served as the skin of the cake seemed like it underwent a lot of oxidative stress because its top surface was uneven. Furthermore, it needs 10% more sweetness because it lacked that penetrating chocolatey goodness. Lastly, the chocolate pillars, those vertical structures surrounding the milk chocolate frosting, should not have been there at all if they would look grotesque in the first place.

The cake was very moist and had the right level of sweetness. It was divided into a superior and inferior partition by an inconspicuous milk chocolate filling. However, you will need a magnifying lens to see this very thin layer of chocolate filling.

If it is such a drag to wash chocolate-smeared plates, then hire an indefatigable dishwasher rather than serve the cake on a disposable plastic plate. The dog bowl-like plate was such a nuisance because it prevented my fork from slicing the cake all the way down to the bottom. The menu brags that this cake is sinfully rich and moist, but I believe this plastic plate should be the genuine sin that they should talk about.

Presentation: 6.7
Taste: 8.0
Texture and consistency: 8.4
Serving size: 8.1
Value for money: 8.0

Overall rating: 7.8/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: The Parvati Store
Address: Mindanao Lobby, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City
Full food name: Milk Chocolate Cake
Price: P150.00 (mini), P595.00 (6-inch), P995.00 (8-inch)

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Déjà vu

By: The Moody Critic

I really do hope I will never have a Déjà vu of eating this dessert. The crepe was undercooked as evidenced by its stickiness to the plate and my knife. It was also made too thick due to the redundant folding thus accentuating its eggy blandness. This thickness also disturbed the ratio of the crepe to its overripe mango filling by around 30%. Instead of the crepe claiming the spotlight with its potent flavor, the hero of the day was the vanilla ice cream embellished with whipped cream and caramel sauce. It saved the crepe from uttermost disaster. However, it would have been better if it was placed on top of the crepe.

Presentation: 6.5
Taste: 7.0
Texture and consistency: 6.0
Serving size: 6.4
Value for money: 3.6

Overall rating: 6.3/10
Mood: DISAPPOINTED

Resto: Cafe Breton 
Address: Robinson's Place, Ermita, Manila
Full food name: Déjà vu
Price: P228.00

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Mango Chiboust

By: The Moody Critic

No bee or butterfly would dare overlook this alluring flower-like dessert. The sweet extract from the beautifully arranged fresh mango slices seemed like honeydew from heaven.

Surprisingly, the cheesecake matrix had a strange wet cotton wool consistency. Though it may not be as solid or compact like your everyday cheesecake, it didn't melt, collapse, or show any sign of deterioration at room temperature.

The harmony and balance of tastes together with the coherence in color choice for the matrix and base layers make this dessert a winner. The meticulous handiwork applied on this dessert will surely make eating this piece of art a painful struggle

Presentation: 9.4
Taste: 8.9
Texture and consistency: 8.3
Serving size: 8.2
Value for money: 8.4

Overall rating: 8.8/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Bizu Patisserie
Address: Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City
Full food name: Mango Chiboust
Price: P195.00

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Envy

By: The Moody Critic

Not the prettiest cake to behold especially when you remember the mysterious dripping goo from the Goosebumps show. As described by the menu, it is a super-moist chocolate cake with green mint sauce. And how couldn't it be super moist if it was practically bathed with this minty goo from a witch's cauldron? I think what they were trying to replicate here was a lava cake because of its traditional form. If it was a plain chocolate cake, it was way under-cooked and if it was a lava cake on the other hand, it was overcooked. To my dismay, the cafe staff didn't even know what it was.

The cake was extremely moist all over and the mint sauce was overwhelming in terms of amount and taste. After patiently waiting for 30-40 minutes, all I get was this wellspring of Flubber which I strongly suspect was a rushed dessert because of its uneven cooking inside and out manifested by its crusting surface and soft interior.

Speaking of Envy, it reminded me of Fullmetal Alchemist's Envy in his colossal monstrous form or at least what remained of him when the Philosopher's Stone was no more. Remember that FMA's Envy can transform into anything he liked to imitate. As I have mentioned earlier, this ambiguous cake lacks its own identity so I think that is why they called it Envy. I suggest that this dessert should undergo a complete overhaul.

Presentation: 5.2
Taste: 3.1
Texture and consistency: 4.6
Serving size: 6.4
Value for money: 6.0

Overall rating: 4.4/10
Mood: DISGUSTED

Resto: Wicked Kitchen
Address: Mother Ignacia St. Quezon City
Full food name: Envy
Price: P158.00

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Forest Berry Cheesecake

By: The Moody Critic

There's more to this cake than its apparent cuteness. First, you may consider this as a 2-week old forgotten birthday cake in the fridge because the base layer was mysteriously hard, coarse, and dry. Second, the middle layer had a shocking rubbery consistency similar to the nodes of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This layer would also demand tremendous muscle effort because your fork has the tendency of sticking avidly to the cake. So when you pull your fork from that layer, you will be dragging the entire cake. Moreover, this cheesecake was ridiculously nutty thus preventing me to savor the richness of the cream cheese.

To me, it was a Sahara desert experience rather than a forest adventure. However, the oasis of that desert-like experience was the white chocolate frosting. Although it was excessively sweet, it revived the entire dessert because of its highly contrasting and potent taste. The overall structure was quite appealing also because of its unique dome shape compared to the standard cheesecake wedge.

Presentation: 7.0
Taste: 6.5
Texture and consistency: 4.2
Serving size: 6.6
Value for money: 8.2

Overall rating: 7.2/10
Mood: UNSATISFIED

Resto: Cheesecake Etc.
Address: Northeast Square Bldg., Greenhills, San Juan
Full food name: Forest Berry Cheesecake
Price: P160.00

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Two Nut Caramel Cheesecake

By: The Moody Critic

With its relatively cheap price, you can never go wrong with this dessert when you come to the shop to fill your empty stomach.

The cheesecake matrix was very compact but it slightly lacked the ideal texture that I was looking for.

Above the rich matrix comes the poverty-stricken caramel layer. If they managed to saturate this dessert with not just one, but two kinds of nuts, then they could have bathed it with lavish caramel sauce instead. I really struggled to find the caramel taste up to the very last bite and I tried to conserve what little caramel was available just to match the generous amount of the cheesecake matrix. Although disappointed, this layer was still the reason why I chose this particular dessert because the caramel was captivatingly arranged in a Medusa-like or devil's snare-like manner.

Surprisingly, I noticed that the base layer was quite softer compared to the other cheesecake bases I ate before from this restaurant so I managed to consume the dessert completely.

Presentation: 8.0
Taste: 7.4
Texture and consistency: 7.8
Serving size: 9.0
Value for money: 9.0

Overall rating: 7.9/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Banapple Pies & Cheesecakes
Address: Il Terrazo Mall, Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City
Full food name: Two Nut Caramel Cheesecake
Price: P105.00

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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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Strawberry Shortcake

By: The Moody Critic

This is a dessert for those who haven't eaten strawberries for a decade. Almost everything from top to bottom is made up of strawberry. The strawberry toppings though showing some signs of aging already, are still succulent. However, it was very intriguing that they used an overripe mother strawberry and unripe daughter berries around it.

The cake is enclosed by a rich and delicious strawberry cream. There were frozen strawberry slices embedded in the cake which were quite hard to extract. If you force to get these adherent strawberries, the cake has this tendency to collapse.

The cake's overall presentation was very commendable especially the intricate detail of a Mayan-like or Aztec-like carvings of the base layer. However, I don't get the wisdom of placing the butterfly at the side because it seemed to me that the insect was flying with decreased sensorium so it crash-landed into the cake.

Presentation: 9.3
Taste: 8.2
Texture and consistency: 8.5
Serving size: 8.3
Value for money: 8.2

Overall rating: 8.5/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Sweet Bella Cafe
Address: Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City
Full food name: Strawberry Shortcake
Price: P275

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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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Yo-ho-Hope!

By: The Moody Critic

Though this cheesecake may look like it has underwent some melting, it didn't prevent it from kicking some butt. Originally made as a Christmas-season dessert, the hidden candied pecans under the custard layer gives you an explosion of a very distinct roasted nut effect; just perfect for the holidays!

This dessert has three layers: a top layer of custard cream, a middle layer of rich chocolate fudge, and a bittersweet base of chocolate cookies. The middle fudgy layer could have been made 20% sweeter while the base layer should be 10% sweeter so that they would potentiate the sharp sweetness of the top layer. Unfortunately, the posterior portion of the base layer was made very thick and it was also unyielding because it was as hard and compact as a bone. This gave me the impression that it was overcooked.

WARNING: This is a very very dense dessert which warrants small frequent feedings. It may actually be consumed by two people.

Presentation: 7.3
Taste: 8.8
Texture and consistency: 7.9
Serving size: 9.4
Value for money: 9.2

Overall rating: 8.4/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Banapple Pies & Cheesecakes
Address: Il Terrazo Mall, Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City
Full food name: Yo-ho-hope!
Price: P120.00

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