Kim's Taste #1: Pecan Pie and Cheese Cakes of Calea Pastries and Coffee

[Prologue]

Welcome to the first chapter of the first variant of Kim's Quest!

I just made a decision to split my quests into different variants to keep my posts interesting. Kim's Quest will continue to be my travel posts, while other posts will have a different name depending on the category. Anything under food category will be under Kim's Taste.

I will be sharing everything that's related to my food escapades and I will make it exclusive for @tasteem. Anyway, so much for the introduction. Let's get down to business.

---

CALEA PASTRIES & COFFEE

---

Bacolod is known to be a haven for those who love to eat. What's interesting about the city is that most of the restaurants there are local, but world-class in terms of taste and service.

Calea Pastries & Coffee is another homegrown and local pastry shop that is known to be one of the best in Bacolod. People would say that you should try the cakes in Calea if you happen to be in Bacolod. That's what we did and I was literally speechless!

I will try to be fair and reasonable in my reviews so I will have to make the review in four (4) categories namely: Food, Ambience, Service, and Price. I will give ratings from 1 to 5 depending on my experience. Remember: If you happen to be in one of the restaurants in my review, we might have different preferences, as well as experiences, so our ratings might not be exactly the same.

As for Calea, let's dig in and digest!

FOOD - 4.8/5

As the title suggests, my favorite was the pecan pie! Also, their cheesecakes are to die for! Their best-sellers are pecan pies and cheesecakes.

The moment we reached the counter, we were literally confused on what to order! Cakes were everywhere! Almost all possible variants were available. The cakes inside the glass chillers were so many that we were overwhelmed. It was so difficult to choose that we had to ask one of the ladies what were their best-seller and we ordered those.

The pecan pie made an impression on me, so I chose that. We don't have pecans in the Philippines, so I wanted to taste that. Sugar is abundant in Negros Occidental, so it's evident in their desserts. The sweetness of caramelized sugar was balanced by the nutty flavor of pecan, while the pie crust provided that necessary texture. The vanilla ice cream on top provided smoothness to the whole ensemble. Since I'm just a moderate sweet-tooth (if that category exists), I ordered green tea to further balance the sweetness.

My friends ordered White Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce and Blueberry Cheesecake. Okay, to be honest, I'm biased when it comes to blueberries, so you know I'll eat all of them. As for the White Cheesecake, it melted in my mouth when I tried 1 scoop.

I gave it 4.8 out of 5 because I think the presentation could still be improved. The taste is already perfect, but there's still room for improvement when it comes to presentation.

AMBIENCE - 4.5/5

The whole area was well-lighted. Tables and chairs were within that chic and modern interior. The only downside was that it usually gets crowded at night. There were cases when the tables and chairs could not accommodate the number of people who ordered.

If you're planning to visit Calea, try to have it early in the afternoon to avoid the influx of people, both local and tourists. The whole pastry shop was spacious, but it couldn't accommodate the number of customers during peak hours.

SERVICE - 4.2/5

The staffs were friendly and accommodating. They answered all our questions regarding their cakes and creations. The downside was that they serve a little bit longer than expected. We thought that maybe because of the number of customers, but we were earlier than most of them so we expected that we will be served first.

There are a lot of negative reviews in their Facebook account regarding their service, but we didn't experience them. Sometimes the reviews are unrealistic. As for me, their cakes are accommodating enough.

PRICE - 4.8/5

For that taste, I would pay for the price as stated. I understand that the pecan pie was a little bit pricey, maybe because pecans were imported. As for the other cakes, the price ranges were just reasonable for me. Theirs are of the same rate as the desserts here in Cebu.

Their cakes ranges from Php 100 to Php 200 per slice. For that premium taste, I guess I'm willing to pay for it.

OVERALL - 4.575/5

I would really like to go back to Calea when I happen to be in Bacolod. Hopefully I can go there this summer. I would like to try their other cakes.

See you in my next taste and review!

Best Regards,
Kim

---

Restaurant Information

Calea Pastries & Coffee

1233 14th St, Bacolod, 6100 Negros Occidental, Philippines

---

Kim's Taste #1: Pecan Pie and Cheese Cakes of Calea Pastries and Coffee
This post participated in the Tasteem contest My favourite dessert

What is Tasteem?