Nothing beats hearing the words “I love you” on Valentine’s Day.
As the next best option, you have these delectable items to make your special someone blush with love and gustatory satisfaction.
Caviar cake and graze box by Caviar Cake Manila
Contact: Tel. no. (0917) 863-6644
Make a good first impression by serving a box of this picture-pretty appetizer. The savory cheesecake comes in different sizes and can even be crowned with a smoked salmon rose. It can be accompanied by fresh strawberries, a small jar of honey, crackers and an assortment of chocolates.
Wine and chocolate pairing from La Vie en Rose
Contact: Tel. no. (0917) 810-9002
End the day on a sweet note and enjoy this lovely pairing—three kinds of chocolates served with a glass of Vignoble des Verdots, a sweet and fruity wine that goes very well with desserts. The sweet wine is from Southwest France and is a blend of semillon and muscadelle grapes, while the chocolates come in three variants—dulce gatas, pili butter bars, and a play on Twix.
Heart-shaped burger by Prime Beef Co
Contact: @primebeefco on Instagram
Surprise your loved one not with something sweet, but with a savory dish. Impress them with your cooking skills simply by placing these heart-shaped 100 percent beef patties on a hot skillet, and just let the delicious aroma and seasoned burger do the rest of the talking—and courting.
Vanilla rose mochi ice cream from Mochiko
Contact: Tel. no. (0917) 831-0624
“When we were thinking of a Valentine Mochi, we really wanted to try floral flavors,” says owner Nowee Potenciano. “Fortunately, we found that the floral notes of vanilla go very well with slightly sweet rose. After experimenting with how to infuse that flavor into the mochi, we felt we found a great balance between the two.” The result is a lovely chewy treat that’s subtle in flavor but strong in game.
Strawberry shortcake from Cara Mia
Contact: Tel. no. 8822-1111; caramia.ph
Cara Mia’s beloved strawberry shortcake makes a comeback just for this love season. Available for a limited time only, their version of the classic cake comes as chiffon slices with fresh strawberries tucked in between. It’s dressed in pink cake crumbs then crowned with dollops of cream and more strawberries.
Strawberry Creme Chantilly Cake from Butternut
Contact: Tel. no. (0916) 279-2052
Can’t decide whether to give flowers or something sweet? Give both. This piece from Butternut has both bases covered. Sponge cakes sandwich a layer of creme chantilly and berry compote. To make it more picture-pretty and special, this seasonal cake is adorned with fresh flowers and gold flakes.
Tea jelly from TWG Tea
Contact: Tel. nos. (0917) 803-7775 (Central Square) or (0917) 804-6931 (Greenbelt 5)
Teas have long invaded the pastry world, with their unique flavors being turned into custards, icings, cakes, ice cream and more. Add jams to that growing list. Now you can enjoy your favorite tea as a bread spread as TWG Tea offers its tea jellies. For Valentine’s, they have the Red of Africa jam, delicate red tea blended with sweet TWG Tea spices and marigold.
Rose gelato from Manila Creamery
Contact: www.manilacreamery.com
For Valentine’s, local gelato brand Manila Creamery teams up with a local luxury flower shop for a limited supply flavor. They used real dried rose petals and infused it in their base to come up with a naturally pink and fruity rose gelato. To add more layers, they also used Callebaut chocolate called Ruby and folded in cotton candy popcorns for texture.
Strawberry kouign-amann from CiÇou
Contact: Tel. no. (0917) 540-1811
Chef Cyrille Soenen is synonymous with all things delicious and French, including his well-loved kouign-amann. This Valentine’s, he turns this Breton specialty into a five-piece cake with pastry cream and fresh strawberries in the middle. He also offers heart-shaped cronaps, which is a fusion of croissants and Bacolod’s napoleones.
The Red Velvet Supreme from Homemade by Roshan
Contact: Tel. no. 8631-7786; homemadebyroshan.com
There’s a slice of a New York-style cheesecake wedged in between two layers of red velvet cake. It is then frosted with cream cheese, and topped with rose-piped red velvet cupcakes. It also doubles as a non-traditional Chinese New Year dessert with the lucky color red and with eight round things on top.
Angelo Comsti writes the Inquirer Lifestyle column Tall Order. He was editor of F&B Report magazine.
