Kohikan Café, Diamond Hotel

Call me "cake crazy", but I am the type of person who would shell out serious money just to add a couple of layers to a wedding cake. I have also traveled far just to get a pastry chef to bake me a Frog Prince fondant cake while following my very specific instructions from the cake's flavor down to the color of each decor.

Our wedding cake, June 2005.

My son's birthday cake, October 2010.

Cake is simply my favorite celebration centerpiece for by being able to recall its unique design brings me closer to the good times associated with each cake. I'm all for memories and if it takes a lifetime of cakes to mark all the special occasions in my life, than so be it.:)

My birthday cake, November 2011.

Last Mother's Day, I decided to try the supremely artisanal handiwork of Diamond Hotel's Kohikan Café. Admiring the meticulous craftsmanship of each French-inspired piece, I would say the 6 cakes in the box looked downright irresistible.

Supermoist Chocolate Cake, Php 250. The design is truly basic but the cake was nothing short of amazing. The chocolate frosting was perfect, not too sweet, and the cake was unbelievably moist.

Supermoist Chocolate Cake

Baked Cheesecake, Php 250. The texture was amazing, very creamy and rich, but I have had better.

Baked Cheesecake

Ispahan (A tangy mix of Raspberries, Lychee and Rose Essence), Php 250. My favorite among the 6. The delicate rose macarons were perfectly crisp and chewy. The fresh raspberries and lychee complemented each other to create one decadent masterpiece.

Ispahan

Vanessa (Fresh Strawberries and Cream flanked between Pistachio-Flavored Macarons), Php 250.  Pales  in comparison to Ispahan. I don't understand how the pistachio macarons' texture can be so different from the rose macarons of Ispahan. The pistachio meringue was too dry and crunchy. What's worse was that the strawberries didn't look fresh and tasted a bit sour. It left a sharp acidic aftertaste in my mouth when it combined with the cream. Yikes!

Vanessa

Mont Blanc (Chestnut Paste, Chantilly Cream and Prunes soaked in Dark Rum Almond Tart), Php 250. The taste of sweet chestnut paste just wasn't for me, but I can only imagine what sort of hard work it entails to turn this hard-shelled nut into a fluffy cream. While the addition of rum and prunes enriched its flavor and evoked a taste reminiscent of my favorite Christmas Fruit Cake , it's still not enough to strike my fancy.

Mont Blanc

St. Honore (Puff Pastry, Pâte à Choux and Purple Yam Ganache), Php 250. This one looked splendid but the melting pile of gooey ube (purple yam) ganache destroyed the cake even before it reached the party. Still, it was such a hit with my pamangkins (nephew and niece) who were big fans of ube ice cream. They gobbled up the poor thing before my husband was able to take a close-up shot. It's a miracle I even managed to get a bite out of the puff pastry that looked more like tiny donut munchkins topped with ube icing. Nothing so special, but lavish enough to pique the interest of our little guests.

A cake can be shared by 2-3 persons as a dessert. But for a snack, a piece would barely make a dent on your appetite.

And even though some of their creations weren't able to successfully satisfy my taste buds, the overall appeal of each one was enough to wow this cake connoisseur. If only for the "Ispahan", I would say Kohikan Café has turned me into one loyal customer.

Mother's Day, 2012.

Kohikan Café 
Ground Floor, Diamond Hotel
Roxas Boulevard cor. Dr. J. Quintos St.
Manila, Philippines
Tel. +63 2 528 3000

MassKara Festival, A Celebration of Life

I have always been fascinated with masks since I was a child. I am especially fond of masquerade masks, just like the ones they wore in "The Phantom of the Opera". In fact, I used to beg my mom to buy me one every single Halloween. But she would refuse because my other sisters were afraid of it.

Here's a picture of me at a Venetian masks souvenir shop in Las Vegas, 2009.

It's no wonder I immediately got excited when I first heard about the MassKara Festival of Bacolod. This festival sounds like fun. With all the dancing and intricate costumes, this could well be the most colorful fiesta in the country.

I had a lot of friends who hailed from Bacolod. My mom herself was an Ilongga from the nearby province of Antique. According to my mom, the smiling masks worn by the streetdancers were a symbol of the locals' happy spirit. Their ability to smile in the face of poverty, brought about by periodic instability in the sugar industry. Which is by the way, the town's main source of livelihood.

The smiling masks at the MassKara Festival in Bacolod.

Bacolod is definitely going right on the top of my list of places to see. I want to witness the colorfully-masked dancers and be a part of the MassKara Festival. I want a taste of the native Ilonggo cuisine at the food festival. I want to explore the history and culture of the area. I want to connect with the place by getting to know the locals.

The MassKara Festival is for everyone anyway. A celebration of our triumph over trials, of abundance over poverty, of victory over tragedy.  After all, life itself is one big celebration.

"Experience MassKara Festival, Hermosa Festival and Lanzones Festival this October. Airphil Express flies daily to BACOLOD, ZAMBOANGA and CAGAYAN DE ORO from Cebu and Manila. Visit www.airphilexpress.com to book!"