Calea at Balay Quince, Bacolod City

Updated from my previous blogsite:

One of the most hallowed institutions of gastronomic delights in this fair city is Calea. The place well-known to all and Red Ribbon (which is the darling among other provincial towns) will even attest to the prowess and sheer tenacity of this dessert place. Only during force majeure will Calea fall. (A matchstick and a can of petrol will do the trick!) In a nutshell, because of its strict quality and generous adequate quantity, Calea will forever increase the diabetic curve of local Negrenses. Pass me the insulin will you.

Calea, hopefully, will not be beholden to the Sodom & Gomorrah called Manila when it tries to tempt our cakeshop with the promise of hyperbolic profits. I'm glad that instead of taking the bait and let Manileños have their cake too, Calea is contented to sit and relax and see its three shops here churn centavos in profits. At least this will ultimately force Manileños to order stuff provincially rather than to have everything available at their beck and call.

Their main shop sits at the ground floor of Balay Quince (as in the number, not the fruit), a Mondrian-inspired arcade similar in structure and taste to Greenbelt albeit much much smaller. You can find it at the corner of 15th Street and Lacson, and any tourist will appreciate that it is in front of L'Fisher Hotel rather than on the ally of 14th street, its previous location. Other branches are inside Robinson's Mall and at Eastblock. They close until 10pm weekdays while 11pm weekends.

But the question remains, what makes Calea very special?

1. Even though they are located in the heart of this provincial nest of vipers, Calea is able to make cakes worthy of Nigella Lawson with its ingredients imported all the way from the cowtits of Bavaria. Take for instance their White Chocolate Cheesecake. It's rich and sinfully so. Its decadence is improved by a spoonful of tart raspberry puree. Where in Manila can you find such treat for only P60 P85? Even Sugarhouse cannot afford such luxury.

2. The cakes abound in such variety and uniqueness that each is worthy of a blog entry. (Only in Bacolod will you find the racist dessert called Black Sambo which is simply chocolate-vanilla layered pannacotta.) Calea is not stuck with the usual regimen of Chocolate cake and Chocolate Crinkles and Blueberry Cheesecake that beset Manila bakeshops. Each cake is filled with soul and people who have tasted Calea will always point out how "uncommercial" the taste is. For instance their Blueberry Cheesecake are like the ones being made in NYC (less gelatin) and the crust! the crust! How to describe it? A buttery concoction of oatmeal crunch granola instead of the usual graham crust being peddled in Starbucks and Cheesecake Factory. They even have a good selection of ice cream cakes like their orgasmic Marshmallow pie and their Vanilla ice cream pie that has a delicious peanut-butter granola base.

3. The ambience is full of muted sophistication. Minimal without being sterile, simple but full of joie de vivre. The beauty is in the details. Calea has the same fantastic interiors concept as any high-end pastry shop in New York. It tends to become the place to see and be seen. Unlike some metropolitan pastry shops that take their inspiration from a Grimm's Fairy Tale or others who espouse an American-style Starbucksy kind of interiors (totally uninspired), Calea is in a class of its own.

4. They serve fantastic coffee. I don't know what blend or what style (perhaps human kopi luwak?) but their White Chocolate Capuccino is far better than Starbucks'. And their milkshakes are pure ambrosia.

5. The price! Their most expensive cake would be around P60-65 P90. Most cheesecakes are in the P50s P80s range and the Butter pecan slice about P64 P90. After 10 years, I have seen their prices increased 100% but it is still relatively inexpensive when you compare it to similar cakes in Manila. Prices are updated to reflect 2011-13 cost of living.

Bon apetit!