Patisserie Caroline

This place has the BEST garlic breadsticks ever!!!! Their corned beef is also quite good as I am told that this is made in house!
Sweets?? You can't go wrong with their carrot cake slices and chocolate rum cake slices! I absolutely love this place!

I used to order their frozen calamansi cake. They were quite a treat and excellent for giving away to family and friends during special occasions. It's not always you get to try pastries with calamansi. We would call in the order and passby to pickup the cakes from their store. This place is also near my home so it's easy to passby.

Is it me, or do the restaurants I've been reviewing lately just have very interesting names? I can't think of Patisserie Caroline Bakery Cafe in Little Baguio, San Juan without the Neil Diamond song, Sweet Caroline, playing in my head. It's that kind of inviting place that makes you want to try everything. Of course, being surrounded by scrumptious baked goods certainly helps. How did they know that I have a weakness for pastries?!

I was invited to this quaint cafe by Zomato for a Foodie Meet-up, a chance for foodies to get to know each other and a new restaurant. All I can say is: It's fun to geek out on food with those who appreciate it the same way.

Patisserie Caroline is a small cafe with an intimate mood and a simple design. It's not one of those distinctly themed cafes, but the setup is cozy enough for those who want to sit, eat, and chat. The display cases and shelves are filled with pastries, so you'll make no mistake of the highlight of this cafe. (That and the very name of the establishment, of course.)

The mirienda started with a cup of Iced Hong Kong-style Milk Tea. Strong black tea is toned down by plenty of ice and evaporated milk. Usually, I can only get this type of milk tea fix in a legit Cantonese restaurant or a Singaporean/Malaysian kopi tiam, so I was pleasantly surprised that a coffee shop with primarily Western dishes would serve it—and serve it well, at that.

Salad Caroline (PHP 215)

The Salad Caroline was actually very popular at our table. Everyone enjoyed how the satisfyingly tangy dressing was balanced with the sweetness of the mango. It's also fun to chew on juicy tomatoes and crunchy walnuts. Plus, the generous serving of chicken means that this salad is quite filling.

Clubhouse (PHP 214)

I'm a Clubhouse fan, and this hit the spot. Fresh ingredients are a huge deal in multi-layer sandwiches, and this did not disappoint. Notice how generous they are with the fillings/toppings? You're not leaving this place hungry. In fact, just the salad and sandwich already left us feeling full. I'd recommend the Clubhouse as a snack for sharing.

Pasta con Sarde (PHP 160)

If you have an appreciation for olive oil-based pasta sauces, then you'll appreciate Pasta con Sarde just as much. Spanish sardines aren't cheap, and they did not skimp out on the good stuff. It was a little too spicy for my liking, though I admit to having alternating moods between "more chili powder, please" and "I can't touch the stuff". Also worth mentioning is how they didn't overload it with the oil. There's nothing I hate more than an oil-based sauce with extra, extra oil. Can you say "overkill"?

Pasta Neptuno (PHP 160)

If you're looking for a safe dish, this is some pretty standard stuff. Pasta Neptuno, pomodoro sauce with tuna, is the crowd-pleaser in the fancy pasta category. It's right up there with Carbonara. No problem with the execution or flavor.

Calamansi Dacquoise (starts at PHP 400)

It's dessert time! Calamansi Dacquoise is Patisserie Caroline's signature dessert. I'm struggling to describe this, and I've settled on calling it a cross between Brazo de Mercedes and Sans Rival. Brazo de Mercedes because of the yema (chewy, soft egg yolk candy) filling. Sans Rival because of the crispy dacquoise. However, the similarities end there. Both Brazo and Sans Rival are incredibly rich desserts, whereas Calamansi Dacquioise keeps things light. The whipped cream isn't loaded up with milk fat, and the zest adds freshness to each bite.

Bailey's Cheesecake (PHP 195)

I mentioned above that they don't skimp out on the star ingredients, and the desserts are no different. You want Bailey's? You got it! The flavor is so strong that I would most definitely recommend sharing this dessert with two or three others. Personally, I'm not a fan of alcohol-flavored dessert—with the exception of Kahlua—but I can see how those who like a strong "hit" would appreciate this. The price isn't that expensive, considering the quality of the dessert.

Mango Sans Rival (starts at PHP 400)

Lightly-flavored and none too sweet, though this is the part where I wish for something more buttery. (Fear not the milk fat!) I'm used to a more hedonistic Sans Rival, so eating that particular dessert means that I'm fully prepared to get sinful.

Frozen Calamansi Brazo de Mercedes (PHP 450/loaf)

Again, they take something traditionally rich and make it much lighter. The frozen factor already sightly numbs the tongue, so the dessert is instantly perceived as less sweet. Then the calamansi tempers the meringue and yema layers. I should mention that I love a graham cracker crust on anything.

Verdict: I think it's a good idea for a shop that originally sells goods via kiosk and bazaar to have a home base where people can just sit down and eat at a leisurely pace, especially for those who want to enjoy an entire meal from appetizer to dessert. It shows that the culinary talent isn't limited to sweets. The Salad Caroline and Pasta con Sarde were the highlights. With the desserts, I strongly appreciate that extra Pinoy touch they give by adding distinctly Filipino ingredients like calamansi and mango. Furthermore, I like how controlled the sweetness on the desserts is. I doubt they'll be getting complaints of their best-sellers being too sweet.

 

*I went to this event/meet-up courtesy of Patisserie Caroline and Zomato. While I got to dine free-of-charge, opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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I love Patisserie Caroline's Calamansi Dacquoise.

Patisserie Caroline Bakery Cafe is a small bake shop started in 2008 by sisters. It's a cozy little cake shop that is filled with baked goodies!

Patisserie Caroline is more famous for its cakes, and particularly its bestseller, the Calamansi Dacquoise.

We tried the following dishes:

Salad Caroline (P215.00). OMG, I loved it! It was like all my favorite things put into one salad - I can taste creamy garlic, honey mustard, and on top, that's chicken sandwich filling! And mangoes! What's not to love? Yup. Totally love this salad!

Clubhouse Sandwich (P214). I never met a clubhouse sandwich that I didn't like. So I liked this one, too!

Patisserie Caroline also serves pasta, we tried the Pasta con Sarde (P160). It's spicy because of the Spanish sardines. I love Spanish sardines, but I just wasn't feeling their pasta. Best to stick with their salad & cakes :)

If there is one thing you should make the effort to go try, it is the Calamansi Dacquoise! (It's pronounced da-kwaz)

This is an original Patisserie Caroline creation. It's made of layers of crispy cashew meringue (also known as cashew dacquoise; it's the same thing used for sans rival), with a sweet, sour, tart calamansi curd type filling, and enveloped in whipped cream! Unlike sans rival, there is no butter filling, so people who don't like layers of pure butter won't have a problem.

The calamansi filling is what makes this cake unique! It's just sweet enough to let the sourness of the calamansi shine through. The whole cake is not too sweet - each bite is soft/crunchy meringue, sweet and tart calamansi curd, all mellowed by whipped cream. As you can see from the picture, the calamansi layers are thick - I like that they don't scrimp on the filling and put a lot in the cake!

The Bailey's Cheesecake (P195) is another one of their premium cakes. It's quite creamy and I could really taste the Bailey's. The cheesecake is topped with mini chocolate kisses.

Another of their specialty cakes is the Mango Sans Rival. Other people at the table loved it - it's not too sweet, and not oily (I know some people don't like super buttery sans rival).

We also tried the Frozen Calamansi Brazo (P450 per loaf). This is something that I liked too. Apparently, I like calamansi-flavored cakes!  Since the cake is cold and the calamansi refreshing, I think it's a great cake to order when summer is getting too hot!

SUMMARY:

If you are in the area, check out Patisserie Caroline. Their cakes are good - especially their specialty calamansi-flavored ones. If you like sweet & sour/tart flavor combinations, their calamansi cakes may just become your next favorite!

Please check out the blog for a more comprehensive review!

I recently got the opportunity to try this tiny pastry shop in San Juan. Funny thing is, although I usually pass by near their street, I never noticed there was a nice and quiet place there good for afternoon coffee.

The ambiance is very simple, but quite welcoming. Owner/s are present and take charge of service in a personal manner. 

Food is great! I was fortunate enough to able to try their pasta con sarde. It was quite different from my usual pasta dishes, the ones with cream and tomato sauce. This one really stood out.

Dessert was a nice slice of Calamansi Dacquoise. I don't really like sans rival as most are too sweet but this one is quite balanced. Not too sweet, a tiny hint of calamansi, seems to go very well with coffee.

Overall, good place, good food, maybe needs a bit more marketing and advertising.