“Wow, this is fun. I feel like a kid,” said my artist friend Paolo, who, in his vintage rockstar ensemble, looked completely out of place on the colorful quilted couch surrounded by country-style teacups, saucers and pots. It was like watching a 7-year-old boy get lured into enjoying a tea party with the Barbie-totting girls next door.
That’s how it felt like when Paolo and I visited the newest branch of Vanilla Cupcake Bakery in Alabang Town Center. We were kids all over again—choosing which of the colorful cupcakes looked the most tempting, and browsing through the menu of snacks, flavored tea, coffee, and other beverages. I seemed to blend in more with the café, given my love for kitschy things, unlike my artist friend who looked like he just came from an indie gig.
But cupcakes and downtime were our common agendas, which were exactly what we got—and more. We shared a pot of chamomile tea, a coffee walnut salted caramel cupcake, and an orange strawberry cupcake.
“My cupcake is better than yours!” I declared, sounding more like a 7-year-old brat with each bite of salted caramel icing. There was something about the ambience of the place that allowed me to regress without any hint of embarrassment. Perhaps it was the thrill of pouring hot tea into my floral teacup that made me believe I was indeed playing tea party.
Like most dessert shops in town, their menu is a hit or miss. One cupcake (mine) outdid the other in terms of flavor and consistency. But hey, that’s how the cupcake business crumbles! That won’t stop me from coming back for more tea time in this grown-up version of a playhouse that even angst-driven artists wouldn’t mind hanging out in.
After a night of tea, cupcakes, and grownup topics of business and travel, we skipped out of the pastel pink door. “Now that was fun,” I said. “Yes,” Paolo agreed, still reeling from the sugar rush.
Vanilla Cupcake Bakery (Philippines) in located at the following branches:
U/GF Corte De Las Palmas, Alabang Town Center, Alabang-Zapote Road, Muntilupa City
2/F TriNoMa Mall, North Ave. corner Mindanao Ave. Santo Cristo, Quezon City
2/F Glorietta 4, East Drive Ayala Center, Makati City
Coming soon: Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, and Glorietta 3, Makati
May 5, 2013