Whenever I find myself in Pampanga, I make sure to make a dessert stop at a La Creme. My first time…read morein this branch was a few years ago after coming from a beach trip in Zambales. Since then, it has become our "icing on the cake" whenever we're out north and on our way home.
While the bistro serves appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, pasta, rice meals and other dishes, what we really come here for is the dessert and coffee. It takes a few bites before finding the cake that's right for you because on my first try, I ordered a cake that was way too sweet.
However, on my second and third recent visits, I was pretty happy with the cakes, crepe and coffee I ordered. I tried their Mango Loco crepe, and then paired it with a tall glass of mocha coffee. The crepe is good for sharing and has just enough mango slices; while their coffee has Hershey's chocolate syrup at the bottom and topped with whipped cream. The iced coffee drink was enough to keep me awake to the drive back in Manila.
On my third and most recent visit however, I think I already found my go-to dessert and coffee orders. On my very first visit, I had the sinful chocolate cake - which was too sinful it was too sweet, so I avoided this. I ordered a slice of blueberry cheesecake which, thank heavens, was not too sweet and went well with the Cafe Mocha I ordered. Other cakes I've tried are the rocky road cake and Belgian chocolate cake. Among these two, I really liked the Belgian chocolate cake, which had this glossy coating and decorated with large dark chocolate buttons. It wasn't too sweet and large enough for sharing between two people.
While a La Creme has yet to open a branch in the Metro, I hope it stays this way - there's really something special about driving a few hours just for food. And after getting your sweet fix, you'll see that the travel is definitely worth it - and bring a friend or two to join in on your Pampanga a La Creme adventure.
