I am utterly in love with Purple Oven. No, seriously! They're my favorite bakery as of the moment,…read moreand for good reason! I don't really like sweet stuff, honestly. But Purple Oven's decadent revel bars changed that opinion pretty quickly! When I moved to the area, I was happy to find out that it's just one tricycle ride away from my condo (and I've abused that ever since). It's always been my go-to bakery for special occasions. Of course, the revel bars are always a party hit, as well as their cakes. But I think their cookies are one of the best I've tasted! (And i've tried alot, mind you.) The chocolate macademia cookies don't scrimp on either, and is absolutely mouthwatering, especially when they're just fresh out of the oven! (You can cheat this by putting it in the oven really quickly, at the lowest setting so you won't burn anything.) Purple Oven doesn't just do desserts either! They've got a pretty good selection of bread and quiches! Perfect for a lazy brunch at home. Just pop em in the oven the next day, and they go so perfectly with some coffee or tea.

Being a cake-lover, my husband once gave me 3 cakes from Purple Oven as a birthday gift. Yes, they…read moreare that good. When they opened a branch in Makati, I just had to go. I love everything about that place, I could really spend hours just smelling their food and staring at their desserts. And it doesn't help that they actual load a new batch of goodies in the oven every hour (with a schedule posted on the chalkboard of what's cooking by what time), I think I sat there for half a day and didn't even notice I've been there that long. Whether you're in for a savory treat or a sweet-tooth satisfier, they have so much to choose from. My top picks are still Grandma's Chocolate Cake which has layers of caramel between moist, rich chocolate cake topped with chocolate ribbons and the Banoffee Pie which has a pie crust filled with banana, cream and butterscotch. If you want just a quick bite, then try their cookie selection. I love the chocolate macadamia, very chocolatey and chunky and not too sweet.

We ordered for the birthday cake last week, we drew the design and wrote down the dedication which…read morecost a total of P1,760 plus P440 deliver fee. The total is P2,200. Guess what was delivered to our place? An EMPTY birthday cake. It ruined our family celebration. (picture attached) We were truly unsatisfied with your service, uncooperative, and neglected communication. We asked for refund, however, you mentioned that you can refund the amount paid for flower decorations. We even asked to even add at least delivery charge to the refund.... But still, only P800 for your mistake??? We feel that it is very unfair that we spent a lot on it, ordered it 5 days in advance, called everyday for update if you got the design, did our best to make communication work out on our end, and in the end a disaster. How could you let this happen? How could you give an empty birthday cake when we paid extra for each flower and mentioned the dedication? We are very disappointed that our order wasn't taken seriously. We hope other customers won't experience the same situation.

Cakes from Costa Brava are always a hit for parties and celebrations! It is my top caramel cake…read moreever since my mom discovered it from an office party. This caramel cake is not too sweet and has a light and fluffy chiffon base so you'll want to have another slice :3 Their cakes and other baked goods need to be pre-ordered at least a day before and picked up at their lovely home along Polaris St. Bel-Air, Makati. It's not convenient, but it's super worth the travel! I love how the staff can be accommodating sometimes especially when we just ordered on the day of pick up (oops), and words on the cake can be personalized (without character limit!). My family's usual order is the 9x12-inch caramel cake that's worth P1000 (with free personal message on cake and 1 candle). Not a bad deal when we know how much dedication and quality this homemade goodness is done (and taste) over the years. Highly recommend this to those who want a light cake for family and friends. Kudos to Costa Brava! ;)

Such a unique find and conveniently located at the Lobby of Shangri-La BGC !! This amazing bakery /…read morecoffee shop has an amazing selection of both sweet and savory quick bites with flavors from France, Italy, Spain and Philippines !! The barista selection is also amazing and they make an incredible latté!! Even a few healthy options like vegetable juices for those wanting to boost their immune system as well as amazing freshly baked. Cookies my favorite was the "conscious" cookie healthy yet delicious !!!

While having a date night with my husband, we decided to order something different at M Bakery…read moreother than their famous traditional banana pudding. As we peeked thru the glass display, we saw blueberry jamboree bar and salted caramel tres leches. I melted from the first bite of blueberry jamboree bar, it had a thick layer of smooth flat cream, a layer of pecan crumbly pie at the bottom with juicy blueberries on top! Every layer had the perfect balance to the palate. We next opened the lid for salted caramel tres leches, it had a round sponge cake topped with whipped cream, drizzled with caramel syrup, soaked in evaporated milk like consistency. It had a pinch of salt that enhanced the dessert's flavor. Overall, it was a delightful experience!

Famous Magnolia Bakery has made its way to the Philippine shores and I could't be more excited…read more RIGHT. Who gets excited about cupcakes anymore? It's a has been trend. But since I've never been to the original one in NYC, I gotta check it out. Expect cuteness galore: the store is done in all pastel colors, staff wear dainty uniforms, there's even darling cake accessories and candles for sale at the counter. I gifted my friend several cupcakes and got one for myself. Red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing, vanilla with vanilla buttercream, PB & J cupcake, and a standard carrot cupcake. She was happy with my gifts and was sure it wouldn't last until the next day ;-) I like that their plain vanilla is really well made and not boring at all. The only thing I'm sad about is the NYC pricing has also landed in Manila. Expect to pay between P145 to P165 per cupcake.

There's one Japanese bakeshop that I recommend you try - Yamato Bakeshop! Located just beside…read moreMitsuyado Sei-Men along Jupiter Street in Makati, this goldmine of a bakery is enough to put your bread and pastries cravings to rest. I first came upon this bakery about a couple of years ago when I took my parents and a family friend to Mitsuyado. While I loved their ramen, I also loved the bread sold by Yamato! My favorite? Their chocolate croissant! Simply delectable, I had to take home about 3 pieces home for myself. I was actually already fascinated with chocolate croissants when I found these in Yamato. If you've watched Meryl Streep's movie It's Complicated, there was a scene she baked croissants together with Steve Martin in the wee hours of the morning. I thought that scene was so romantic and just watching her chip up those chocolate croissants left me drooling. I'm so happy I finally got to try those babies when I found them in Yamato! Yamato also serves coffee and other caffeinated drinks. Although I have not tried them, my sister who used to be a flight attendant and frequented Japan said that Yamato's coffee tasted just like the original Japanese coffee.

This widely-popular bread chain was first known for its Pan De Sal. The brand expanded with a…read morelarger selection of baked goods, spreads, and ice cream. The Avocado Popsicle is a personal favorite. It is creamy with the chunks of real fruit and there is a variety of other flavors to choose from.

As a chain, they are pretty much everywhere. Being next door to our building is a problem lol…read more Convenient to have one there but a problem at the same time. Every time we walk by, the smell of fresh pan de sal lure us in and then we have to force ourselves out because we have other meals to eat. The pan de sal is soft and airy...:def much lighter than the bagged versions back home and even the fresh ones from the local Flip bakeries. Ok, these are addicting!!! We have a container of butter and these are easy targets for quick snacks (merienda). We've tried the corned beef pan de sal and it was delicious.....just the right amount of meat /bread ratio. They have other pastries too and they are good but nothing beats the actual pan de sal!! I haven't tried the hot choco yet bc of the lactose intolerance but it maybe worth a few sips.

So good! The mango torte is as good as it was a decade ago. I remembered this cake, and brought it…read moreto my family and it was a hit! I'm glad I found it again after the years of mistakenly thinking that the business closed. Will try the other cakes soon!

There are several cakes in Manila that everybody knows by name. Yulo's strawberry cake, the San…read moreMarcos, 12-layer crepe cake, Estrelle's, Hizon's, etc. etc. There are probably so many more that I've yet to discover but thank God, the mango torte by Cuerva Bakeshop isn't one of those cakes. As a matter of fact, I am full-on acquainted with it. Ugh. Ang sarap nito. I have so many fond memories of eating this after dinner with my cousins and relatives and we couldn't stop laughing as we found ourselves walking back to the dessert table to get just one more slice after saying that we were done. LOL. That's how good it is. The slightly sour mangoes coupled with the irresistible torte is just heaven in disguise.

The pastries here are consistently delicious! My personal favorite is the lemon square--it's always…read morea treat. The cheese rolls are also wonderfully soft and fresh. Keep in mind that this is more of a grab-and-go spot, as there's no dine-in area. Parking can be a bit challenging, especially during busy times, but the pastries are well worth the stop.

Chocolate Crinkles. Brownies. Devil's Cake with succulent marshmallow frosting. These are enough to…read moretransform me into a melted puddle of drool. I grew up a few kms from this Becky's, and went to high school nearby. We sometimes would beg and plead with our bus driver (who shuttled kids to and from school like a regular dude) to stop by here before our trip home so we can buy some snacks. I'd like to think he did at one point but I don't think he ever did. haha. We did come by with my folks and ended up with some of their goodies. My mom likes anything with nuts (walnuts, pecans) , and naturally, I hated them. But anything Becky's Kitchen makes is rather sumptuous and I, uhh, pretty much devoured them all. I haven't been back to this location since coming back to the country, but I went to the Pasig one. I also have a birthday coming up, and I'm seriously thinking of a food trip pilgrimage which includes going to this bakery. See you soon Beckys!

Ordered Chocolate Campfire thru Lalamove. It was my first time to try their cakes. I called the…read morestore if the cake is available then booked it on Lalamove for pick up. It was then successfully delivered at home. Chocolate CampFire Cake is a must try cake, the chocolatier inside part blends with the sweet icing coating.

Right off, I need to tell you that I'm not a big dessert person. I am more into actual meals than…read morepastries, cakes or ice cream. And yes, I do get a lot of, "But whyyy?" reactions from people. That aside, I do get occasional cravings -- days when I just really need something sweet to cap off a big meal or a reward after a long day. Purple Oven is the perfect place to satisfy my dessert desires. I love the Chocolate Campfire cake, it's rich, moist, chocolate cake that topped with marshmallow icing. MARSHMALLOW ICING! I suppose you could take a slice and sandwich it between graham crackers and call it a smore. For days when you just need a little sweetness, try the double chocolate chip cookie, choclate macademia cookie or chocolate dipped cookie (where literally have the cookie is dipped in chocolate). They're pricey at P60/cookie but they're a little bigger than my palm and the chocolate chips ooze out when you bite into the cookie. There is no scrimping on ingredients in Purple Oven. The products here would also make great presents. They're hefty and have the wow factor because of their packaging. The chocolate crinkles, lemon squares, brownies and revel bars would be great to share at the office while the cakes would be awesome to bring home to family or to impress in-laws. Enjoy!

I've been coming to Habitual Coffee for years now, and it still feels like my little secret hideout…read morein the city. Walked in last weekend during a crazy downpour, dripping wet, and the barista just smiled, handed me a towel to dry off, and asked what I felt like without any rush. Ended up with their single-origin pour-over--Ethiopian this time--and it was bright, juicy, and perfectly balanced, like every sip reminded me why I fell in love with coffee in the first place. Sat by the window watching the rain hammer Pasong Tamo, worked on my laptop for hours with zero pressure to leave. The space is still that perfect mix of raw concrete and warm light, never too crowded, always calm. Staff remembered my usual order even though it's been months since I last dropped by. Five stars, easily--still one of the most consistently great coffee experiences in Manila.

There is a lot of third wave coffee in Manila. This is a huge win for us coffee lovers, but it also…read moreups the ante for the purveyors of the coffee as well. Fortunately, Habitual Coffee holds its own. Situated on a super industrial part of Pasong Tamo (though gentrification is very real and will probably make its way here very soon), it's kind of out of the way compared to most third wave coffee spots. This is a good thing though! I've never had a problem finding a seat there. The set up is great too. Very industrial. I like the large amount of natural light and sparse feeling of the place. There's a lot of exposed concrete and metal, making the place very Instagram worthy. There are also outlets, wifi, and pretty large tables so getting some work done here is definitely possible. I just wish the seats were more supportive. The coffee is amazing! I believe Yardstick sourced a lot of their coffee while I was there. Their mocha and Americano are great. Not too bitter. The only downside I have is the clientele was a little snooty. The staff, however, was great.