I had my trepidation the first time I heard about The Cake Club. First, I thought it was so generic-sounding for a dessert place and held no appeal for someone like me who’s trying to a) lose weight and b) avoid diabetes. I was certainly glad to find that the place offered more than desserts. Although you’re highly encouraged to clinch your meal with a sweet, happy ending…more on that later.
We started our meal with a highly-indulgent appetizer called the foie gras macaron (P150 each), fashioned by the Diamond Hotel’s executive chef Nick Stoyanov from a French creation. Needless to say, I fell in love with this treat on my first bite. And then one macaron became two until I gave myself a pat on the wrist for overeating. There was still lots to try on the menu.
Up next: the GM Salad (P210 a serving) proved to be a delight. Cheese is one of my favorite things and I was glad to get my healthy dose of greens enclosed in a crispy parmesan basket.
Another dairy-inspired salad is the Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tart Salad (P295). The tart is paired with lettuce, cherry tomatoes & drizzled with white wine vinaigrette.
A pair of soups that are a must-try in the place: Roasted Red Beet Soup and Hobart’s Spicy Tomato Soup (both P190 an order). Both are good, but I prefer the latter as I realize that red beet is really an acquired taste for me 🙂
This one I couldn’t get enough of: truffle fries! Who doesn’t love fries, right? More so if it’s infused with luxuriou truffle oil & sea salt flakes. Two words: so good 🙂
A trio of sandwiches followed. The red beet burger would be on the checklist of vegetarians. No meat is involved yet it seemed it was still able to carve out its juicy goodness. The lamb burger would be ideal for those who like their Mediterranean food. It’s described as Moroccan spiced lamb patty with feta, parmesan cheese and harissa yogurt.
The Cake Club’s Grilled Reuben is my kind of Reuben. We’ve been hard put in finding a good version of this sandwich in Manila (not even Chuck Deli’s would do) and now, here it is. This is something I would order again when I come back, preferably with the tomato soup.
For those who like a different kind of pasta, the Club’s Braised Veal Cheek Ravioli is an option. I loved seeing the sliced haricot verts (French green beans) and the braising sauce that accompanied the dish was tasty. A companion asked if the filling was beef and I replied cheeks from the veal akin to sisig and she said “ewwwe.” LOL.The French would love this.
For the ladies who lunch, there’s the porcini mushroom crepe drizzled with a light cream sauce & the cheese combo of Parmesan and Emmenthal.
Ending the parade of mains was this slow-roasted beef belly (P395). It tasted like it could spend more time in the oven for that melt-in-your mouth goodness but our host, who loves her beef belly, devoured it just the same.
Happy birthday to Miss Toni Gregory (shown here interviewing Chef Nick) –
She’s undoubtedly now Manila’s ever so young dessert empress. Cecilia Ang, president of The Cake Club, Diamond Hotel & Royce Chocolates (Philippines) explains the colorful history behind their much sought-after cakes….
Did we say cakes? They were so good that they deserve a separate write-up in another time. But then again, The Cake Club is not just about cakes. It’s about ice cream, Royce Chocolates & all that food too!
The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel
now open at Bonifacio High Street Central
oh my, that reuben sandwich & burger looks delish!
The Reuben is one thing I’d like to taste again too 🙂