More than providing a refreshing comfort at the end of every meal, desserts are meant to be purveyors of enjoyment and satisfaction to dining experiences at any given time. Whether for afternoon meetings or for quick grabs, these confections give a saccharine blast with their sugary characteristics and eye-catching designs.

 

Be it from mainstream establishments or from artisanal suppliers, Philippine Tatler Dining gathers its most recommended dessert picks that will leave your taste buds wondering how an excellent feast of tastes fitted into one bite.

Chocolate Calamansi Cake by Café Macaron

Fairmont Makati
1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue
Makati City
+632.555.9888 local 6840

 

Home to a beautiful line-up of pastries inspired by an innovative combination of Filipino ingredients and French culinary techniques, Fairmont Makati's Café Macaron is a must-try dessert destination. Whoever is a fan of fruit-flavoured dainties and chocolate cakes alike will go crazy over the café's masterpiece - the Chocolate Calamansi Cake. The hotel's executive chef Didier Derouet, together with the chef de partie Miko Aspiras, combined calamansi (a local citrus fruit native to the Philippines) and chocolate into a fantastic round cake.

 

The charming proof of the café's delectable signature taste comes in special layers of premium Guanuja chocolate and calamansi curd jelly, richly coated with dark chocolate all over. Spell and then taste luxury, too, in this wonderful piece as it brings flakes of 24k-gold and some white chocolate carvings on top. Surrounding the cake are the signature macarons that add a citrusy and velvety finish on the palate.

 

The café has its own barista, who's willing to make a speciality coffee option that would complement your cake. For filling snacks, sandwiches are also available in choices such as tuna, lechon (suckling pig) and adobo (soy and vinegar marinated Filipino dish).

Custaroons by Gigi Gaerlan

The Custaroonery
Parking Lot, St Pio Chapel Compound
188 E Rodriguez Avenue, Bagumbayan, Quezon City
+632.435.2459, +63918.828.2929, +63917.834.8846

 

The idea is simply brilliant. Merging the luscious custard cake concept and the crunchy coconut macaroon style into a great dessert creation, Custaroons surely makes this list. Under the baking expertise of Gigi Gaerlan, a claimed mistake of baking a macaroon with custard content unintentionally became a huge business success.

 

The sweetened victory of Gaerlan prospered in bite-sized morsels that are irresistibly good. Imagine a dreamy and heavenly bite of a smooth and creamy flan layer with a chewy and buttery coconut crown. This magic is brought forth by Gaerlan in a mouthful of indulgence.

 

Gaerlan is also known for her sumptuous Lemon Vanilla Bean Cake, Orange Chocolate Chip, Green Tea Cookies and Le Petit Squares.

Guava Basil and Mango Basil Sorbet by Pinkerton by Alexandra Rocha

+63917.884.4111
Available at the following establishments: The Frazzle Cook, Mandaluyong; MU Noodle House, San Juan; Cova, Makati; 2nd's, Taguig; Last Chukker, Manila Polo Club; Hai Chix and Steaks, Ortigas; Daude Tea Lounge, Taguig; Atelier 317, Makati; Rustan's Grocery, Rockwell; Tinderbox, Cebu; Fresh Start, Bacolod; Ritual, The Collective, Makati; and Bistro NYC, Mall of Asia

 

Homemade, old-fashioned, and ingredient-driven - these three characteristics encapsulate the identity of Alexandra Rocha's popular artisanal ice-cream line, Pinkerton. It attests to a foodie's passion for the best elements in a speciality dish. Rocha makes sure that her ice-cream inventions contain no artificial flavouring and preservatives. Her commitment of giving a richer and fuller taste is exemplified in one of her patrons' preferred fruit- and basil-based sorbet options - Guava Basil and Mango Basil.

 

This delicious twin of sorbet has a divine impact on cleansing your palate. Its sweet and sour combination makes it a perfect choice for dessert. The fruity hints pleasurably partner with the strong and pungent notes of the basil, formulating a cooling amount in your mouth.

 

Not a fan of sorbet and more of a hard-core ice-cream aficionado? How about some scoops of Red Velvet for its cupcake ice-cream rendition or a try of Banana Nutella to complete your day?

Kalookie Cups by Kalookies

+63921.302.2241
kalookies@gmail.com / www.kalookies.com

 

Your addiction to cookies will be like Cookie Monster's obsession with these chocolaty, chewable, and on-the-go treats. Kalookies, a cool and unique baking hub of homemade cookies, created these sweet emblems into a unique product concept, infusing the goodies with the favourite flavours of chocolate fanatics like Hershey's, Reese's, Nutella, and Oreo.

 

This is not the typical combination of flour, eggs, butter, and chocolate chips. For über delicious bites of these yummy cookies, Tatler Dining praises the Kalookie Cups for its rich, thick, and sweet blending of the small cup-type baked base and the mixed chocolate elements in its core. A divine and heavenly conclusion always deserves every bite.

 

Such tempting options include White Toblerone with Nutella, Kalassic in Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chip and Nutella, and Reese's and Nutella in Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips, Reese's peanut butter and Nutella.

Labuyo Chocolate by Theo and Philo

+63920.431.5650 / +632.242.4093
Available at the following establishments: ECHOstore branches; Manos Nail Lounge, Bonifacio Global City; Ritual, The Collective; Team Manila Stores; Aji Ichiban outlets; Shangri-La Hotel Gift Shops in Makati and EDSA; Jojiberry Quezon City; Human Nature branches; Milky Way Tea Shaw Boulevard; Connie's Kitchen Quezon City; Organique by Biodynamis Quezon City; Mabuhay Restop, Ermita, Manila; Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm, Bulacan; The Coffee Ministry, Diliman, Quezon City; and Discovery Country Suites Gift Shop, Tagaytay

 

Theo and Philo, a passionate and one-of-a-kind artisanal chocolate brand, has become a Filipino pride by using native cacao from Davao as its key ingredient. Founder Philo Chua takes a religious process in making the chocolate bars, from the sourcing of the right beans to the tempering and moulding stage.

 

Its products showcase a well-planned and luscious list of classic indulgences with a Filipino tweak, such as 70% dark chocolate, milk chocolate, barako (baraco coffee), labuyo (wild chilli), green mango and salt, calamansi (local lime), and pili and pinipig (pili nut and glutinous stamped rice). But amongst the selection, Tatler Dining fell in love with the Labuyo chocolate because of the great combination of sweetness and spiciness. The hint of chillis brings your palate to a decadent battle of fire and candied finishes.

Sugar-free Gelatos by Bar Dolci

F133 Forbeswood Heights corner Burgos Circle
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
+632.846.8245

 

Located at the sprawling Bonifacio Global City, Bar Dolci lets diners have a modern and sumptuous taste of Italy in its offerings. Spearheaded by the young entrepreneur Nicholai Go, it became one of the most sought-after gelato hubs in Manila with its large target market ranging from youngsters, families, and the working class. Both sinful eaters and health buffs will enjoy the selections available at Bar Dolci.

 

Tatler Dining suggests the top three sugar-free gelato options such as Ferrero, Pistachio, and Hazelnut for a guilt-free indulgence. These well-chosen flavours use stevia, an herb known for its sugary extract, as its sweetening base.

 

Satisfying the sweet preferences of the metro's enthusiasts for around three years now, Bar Dolci has an extensive menu for your palate's desired mood that makes life sweeter than ever with fruit jellies, rich gelatos, macarons, sandwiches, and beverages.

Suman Latik by Corazon Filipino-Hispano

4/L East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall
EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard
Mandaluyong City
+63917.850.7580, +63908.251.5591

 

Expect a hearty food selection that comes in a blend of Filipino and Spanish cuisines. Corazon, which means "heart" in Spanish, delights every guest with a lovely dining experience with the chef Florabel Co's sumptuous creations, varying from carnivorous options to vegetable-based viands, seafood choices, and meal-ender sweets.

 

Tatler Dining gives a two-thumbs up to the restaurant's Suman Latik that will let you taste nostalgia because of its locality to the Filipino palate, suman (sticky rice) being the Filipinos' staple snack and latik (solid coconut crumbs) being a favourite sweetening add-on for desserts. Served in an unconventional way, the five-piece bite-sized sticky rice dainties come in a row of shot glasses - each dipped in melted chocolate from Batangas.

Wasabi Panna Cotta by Yakumi

Solaire Resort and Casino
1 Solaire Boulevard, Entertainment City
Parañaque City, Metro Manila
+632.888.8888

 

The big name and reputation of Solaire that came in the realms of the urban entertainment and gaming industry of the country have opened a wider door for more competitive fine dining restaurants in the city. Yakumi, known as one of the finest Japanese restaurants in the metro to date, takes the best imports from Japan to the dining table. Offering most of the rarest, licensed, and seasonal seafood species on its menu, its wasabi arises in a different aroma and top-rated quality that's crafted right in the kitchen of the hotel's executive Japanese chef Norimasa Kosaka. And there came the oh-so-refined Wasabi Panna Cotta.

 

If your usual Italian panna cotta goes floppy, milky, creamy, and fruity, Yakumi's Wasabi Panna Cotta has an amazing blend of sweetness and strong chilli pepperiness that creates a swift sensation to your nose. The chef Kosaka modernised this sweet staple by combining the traditional gelatin of Italian and the famous condiment of Japanese into a unique favourite.