Calea: Ice Cream Cake Anyone?

Calea Pastry Shop

Just this May, my family and I attended a family reunion in my mother’s hometown in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. On our first night, after gorging on a sumptuous Chinese food dinner, we chanced upon a daintly pastry shop just across our hotel (L’Fisher Hotel along Lacson Street) – Calea. One of my uncles whose a native of the city advised us to try the ice cream cakes, as these are not common sights in pastry shops in Manila (to my knowledge only Dairy Queen serves ice cream cakes nowadays). Armed with that recommendation from my uncle, and our natural sweet tooth, we entered the pastry shop and was immediately mesmerized by the homely ambiance.

My family sat in a corner table near the transparent freezer which stores and displays the wide array of ice cream cakes. After staring and drooling for about 1-2 minutes, asking the food server which are their best

The Transparent Freezer –  the Altar of Ice Cream Cakes

sellers, what’s this and that cake made of, we have finally made up our minds and decided on what to order. We ordered several ice cream cake slices, most of which are the shops’ bestsellers.

One of our favorites was the Chocolate Mudpie ice cream cake. The base ice cream cake is made of rich chocolate ice cream. This base chocolate ice cream cake appears to be rolled on grounded choco cookies (i.e. the likes of grounded oreo cookies) , and what appears like frozen chocolate syrup seem to top the cake. Bits of walnuts are then sprinkled on top of the cake.

Another sinful favorite of ours (most especially yours truly) was Calea’s version of the Chocolate Mousse. If the Chocolate Mudpie is too sweet for an ordinary tongue, then the Chocolate Mousse is a very good alternative. Calea’s version of the Chocolate Mousse is also made up of 3 layers. The bottom-most layer is made up of crushed choco cookies (i.e. the likes of oreo choco cookies again). The second layer is made of rich and oh-so-yummy chocolate ice cream. The topmost layer is made up of a pudding-like white mousse with chocolate stripes. The great thing about Calea’s chocolate mouse is that the three layers complement each other. If the two bottom layers are sweet, the topmost layer is not at all sweet despite the chocolate stripes it has. This is the reason why the Chocolate Mousse is not “nakakaumay”, and one can eat it even without a glass of water on the side.

Chocolate Mudpie – Back View

Chocolate Mousse – Top on the Side

Chocolate Mousse Top Up View

Our other favorite ice cream cakes include the Vanilla ice cream cake for those who are not into chocolate (which was my Dad’s favorite) the Caramel-like ice cream cake which was delicious but was far too sweet for my palate. My Dad has another favorite – the simple yet appetizing chocolate-strawberry ice cream. The cake’s top and bottom layers are made up of the usual butter-chiffon cake. In between these chiffon cakes are one layer of chocolate and one layer of strawberry ice cream. Prior to serving, strawberry syrup is poured on top of the cake slice.

The Vanilla Ice Cream Cake – for the non-Choco Lover

The Caramel Ice Cream Cake

Chocolate and Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

After our hearty and satisfying round of sweet desserts, comes the bitter part of paying the bill. Due to the delectable flavors of our ordered cakes, we were expecting that our bill would also be that expensive (having experience with some of the special pastry shops here in Metro Manila). To our surprise, our bill didn’t reach PHP 1K.  It was only close to PHP 600. We were surprised to know that each of the cake slices we ordered were less than PHP 90 per slice. This is in sharp contrast to the specialty cakes which we usually buy from a nearby pastry shop here in our place in Quezon City.

So just in case you’ll ever get the chance to visit the City of Smiles (Bacolod), never ever forget to drop by Calea’s Pastry Shop (they do NOT have a branch yet in Manila). This is a must-try place for any Bacolod visitor and for anyone who has a sweet tooth. 🙂

Simple Nature Park in the Heart of the City

We have a notion that nature parks are always located somewhere in the province or mountain areas. A place where trees are free to grow, and there are no air pollution brought about by the roaring engines and honking horns of motor vehicles. And at the same time, a nature park is also a place where visitors can simply relax, spend time with their friends and family over a picnic, where kids can simply play on their bikes or mini-tykes.

Now can you imagine a place so relaxing like this to be found at the center of a bustling city? Well.. our very own Quezon City Memorial Circle is a good example of this. Located at the heart of the Elliptical Road, this national park serves a lot of purposes for its various visitors.

For one, it is a jogging site and “fitness center” for health buffs in the mornings, as ordinary joggers and amateur and professional athletes alike jog around this 4-5KM (circumference) park. Even my Dad and brother do their morning breeze walking and jogging here completing about 2-4 rounds of walking/running around the park!! From experience, it is nice to jog or do breeze walking here because there are still large trees planted within the park’s vicinity, which protects the joggers from the direct scorching heat of the morning sun. For those who are into dance and traditional exercises, there are some groups who hold free aerobic classes which are open to the public. There are more “specialized” dance classes like belly and ballroom dancing which charges a minimal amount to those who join, but since these classes are held in open halls, a fast-learner kibitzer would learn the dance by simply watching from the outside. For the more adventurous learners, there are also “poi” and hula-hoop classes that are being held during Saturdays.

The 3-wheeled Pedicab

For those who are more “mechanically-inclined”, the park has a separate biking circle (totally separate from the jogging lanes), matched with bikes for rent. These bikes come in makes which fit both old and young alike. In my family’s case, my brother and I ride the usual 2-wheeled BMX or mountain bikes – these bikes usually  require balancing and agility skills . We usually rent a smaller one for my son – one having 3rd and 4th smaller wheels known as “balancers”. My Mom and Dad, both being bike-haters during their younger days, had to be content with “pedicabs” – a bike that have “side cars/side seats” attached to its side, where a 2nd rider or passenger can sit comfortably while the 1st person does the pedal job. Rental fees range from 50-70 pesos an hour, depending on the bike being rented.

the Quezon Memorial Circle Bicycle Station – Bikes for Rent

For the sporty types, the park has basketball and volleyball courts. There are also open lawns for those who are fond of playing badminton or soccer. One advice though for those who will use those basketball and volleyball courts – try to arrive earlier, as the these courts are in-demand especially for those basketball addicts.

one of the less complicated “play areas” in the kids’ playground

Apart from these, the park also has a vast playground where kids (and sometimes kids-at-heart) can try out their muscular strength and stamina. Swings, seesaws, slides, ladders, mazes of various shapes, sizes, color, and difficulty (I believe some of the mazes and ladders are too complicated for 1-3 year olds). Play in these areas are free-of-charge. A bit of advice though for those who want to enjoy the playground – similar to the basketball and volleyball courts, try to arrive earlier especially during weekends to be able to  enjoy it better. Arriving a bit late may cause your kid  to enjoy the swing for shorter periods of time because another kid closely watches as he awaits his/her turn on the swing.

For the more adventurous and not budget-constrained kids, the park has the Circle of Fun. This mini theme park contains mechanical rides and even booths such as Caterpillar, Octopus, Carousel, and Horror House for the braver souls. These rides require the visitor to pay a specific fee in order to experience adrenaline rush onboard those rides. For those
who are looking for a higher-level

one of the more difficult “play areas” in the kids’ playground

adrenaline rush, the park nowadays offer also the zipline which costs about PHP 150 to 200 pesos per ride.

Shopaholics will not feel alienated here especially during weekends as bazaars selling different kinds of items and wares can be found – from fruits and vegetables, home plants, food items (snacks, meals, drinks, even organic stuff), to clothes, footwear, kids toys, and gift items. This is a good alternative to the usual mall shopping, as buyers will be able to save due to much lower prices while supporting the livelihood of local entrepreneurs. Bit of advice – try to haggle for the “last price”. Some sellers are open to giving discounts, especially if the buyer will make a large purchase.

Getting hungry inside the park will not be a problem. For the more resto-type people, there are various restaurants in the simple central food area within the park – there is the fastfood type Tropical Hut (similar to Mc Donalds and Jollibee), the more family-oriented Max’s and Serye, and even the specialized Bacolod Chicken Inasal. People who are on a tighter budget need not worry. There are food kiosks inside the park selling various food items – from street snacks such as lugaw (rice porridge), banana and camote-Q (deep fried banana and sweet potato in caramelized sugar), fishballs, squidballs, and tokneneng (deep fried quail eggs wrapped in a seasoned orange batter) to thirst quenchers such as coconut juice, sago’t gulaman, buco pandan, to the conventional softdrinks and bottled water.

If you are from Quezon City, and if you are tired of being a mall rat during sunny mornings or lazy late afternoons, try visiting Quezon Memorial Circle with the family or a set of good friends. Aside from the different relaxing feeling here, it gives one the chance of being a part of nature. 🙂