Savory Tarts, Buttery Croissants + More: All the Treats You Deserve Are at Melc Patisserie

Melc Patisserie
LG/F Ayala Triangle Gardens Tower 2, Makati City
Facebook: facebook.com/melcpatisserie/
Open Mondays to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Fridays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

(SPOT.ph) When we think of our friendly neighborhood bakeries and dessert spots, we don't immediately associate them with decadence. We often relegate baked goods as snacks, quick bites if you will, and not the main course. While that is true in some ways, viennoiseries, desserts, and baked treats deserve their time in the spotlight. Your typical baked goods can reach luxury status with the proper technique and ingredients. This is the exact principle Masterchef Singapore alum Melissa Lim hopes to imbibe in her latest venture in Manila—Melc Patisserie, where "the cheapest luxury goods lie within."

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Here's why this should be your go-to spot for pastries and baked treats:

Located in The Shops at Ayala Triangle, Melc Patisserie's ethos of their pastries being "The World's Most Affordable Luxury" is backed up by their equally premium address. As one of the first shops in the budding commercial complex, the glow of Melc's minimalist storefront is hard to miss. 

A passing glance at the shop window will delight any food-lover. You've got rows upon rows of delicate viennoiseries and pastries elegantly displayed, ready to be picked out and packed in their own Melc Patisserie box. 

Peel your eyes from the magnetic pull of the pastries, look around, and see Melc's minimalist space. No chairs and sit-down tables here. Just an elaborately designed multi-tier bleacher in front of the counter and a standing countertop. A deliberate choice in interiors fitting their target market of busy office workers, businessfolk, and Ayala busybodies.

Once you've caught your bearings, the real challenge begins—which pastry do you sink your teeth into first? You've got the classics,  Butter Croissants, Pain au Chocolate, and Strawberry Danishes.

There's also a selection of savory pies, quiche, and tarts. 

But the more you look into the shop's refrigeration units and display racks, the more eye-catching baked treats you'll find, complete with equally interesting names like the arguably coconut-looking Not a Coconut (P350) or the Tomato (P350), and Apple (P300), which look nothing like the fruits they are named after. 

So do you dare try the unusual or stick with what you know? The great thing about grabbing a bite at Melc Patisserie is that you'll leave full and happy regardless of your choice. All the baked goods here have been made with the most premium ingredients. A quick bite will easily tell you that. Beyond the quality of ingredients, you can also see that each creation has been given superb attention to detail and was carefully crafted using beautifully executed classic French techniques.

There are tons to eat at Melc Patisserie. Our favorite eats from the afternoon we spent dining there—yes, it took us half a day to go through everything—include both savory and sweet bites and, surprisingly, some beverages too. 

Start your meal at Melc Patisserie with the familiar flavors in Spinach (P300), comprised of layers of laminated pastry dough stuffed with garlic, spinach, artichoke, and cream cheese mixture. Lim says she took inspiration from a famous pizza combination when she was conceptualizing this dish, hoping to show diners that even the most common flavors can be treated and elevated to gourmet standards. 

Similarly, the Truffled Mushroom Quiche Tart (P300) is another savory eat we can't get out of our minds. Earthy, perfumy, and buttery rich, every bite of this quiche made with a trio of mushrooms highlights the flavor of a different fungi. In some bites, you get the subtle nutty undertones of the porcini. In others, you get the fragrant black truffle or the earthy flavors of the oyster mushroom. All this, delicately enveloped by the flakey, moist dough base made with the finest French AOP butter. 

But without a doubt, the one savory dish you must try here has got to be the Tomato. This dish calls to you thanks to its vibrant colors amidst the browns of other pastries. It's the perfect in-between before you leave the savory flavors behind and dive head-first into the sweet treats. Tomato brings together the subtle nutty notes of a Grana Padano sable mixed with mascarpone, the freshness of cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and the surprising addition of white chocolate. Despite seeming like a hodge podge of flavor profiles eating, the Tomato is cohesive. You get hints of pesto-like flavors cutting through white chocolate's creaminess and slight sweetness. It blurs the line between sweet and savory, and fans of not-so-sweet eats will go gaga. 

We recommend pairing these eats with Melc Patisserie's Uji Matcha Latte (P170/ regular, P190/large). Arguably one of the best matcha drinks out there today. This premium drink makes use of the finest green tea leaves sans artificial green tea flavorings and powders. It's a perfectly balanced, creamy yet earthy rendition of the classic matcha drinks which can satisfy both fans of matcha's earthy, often grassy aftertaste and those who prefer to have that flavor on the backseat to the milk. 

Diving into the sweeter side of the spectrum, fans of San Rival should not miss the Shine Muscat Dacquoise (P350), an homage to the shine muscat grape. Aside from the balanced sweetness and tartness from the seedless green grapes and ganache, you also have an interesting crunchy-chewy texture courtesy of the dill dacquoise with pili nuts. Definitely, a must-try if you're a hardcore Sans Rival fan. Oh, and did we mention it has edible gold on top?

But Melc being a patisserie and all that, we couldn't leave without trying out their croissants, and in our book, there's no better test of baking prowess than coming up with a perfectly airy and flaky classic butter Croissant (P160) and Pain Au Chocolat (P210). Both are made with cold AOP butter, left to ferment and laminate for over 72 hours and baked fresh daily. According to Lim, these pastries are best-sellers and crowd-favorites among the office workers in the area who often pair them with drinks like the Arabica Cold Brew with Valencia Orange (P160) or the Signature Milk Tea with cheese froth (P180/ regular, P200/large). Batches of the croissants often run out before midday, with advanced orders piling up faster than they can blink. 

Whether you're going to enjoy these treats at home, in your office, or in a picnic at the lush Ayala Triangle Gardens, there's no doubt splurging on "The World's Most Affordable Luxury" is worth it. A taste of Melc Patisserie's pastries and drinks will have you wanting more. They're very addictive. And if you're looking for a way to treat yourself after a hard week or reward yourself for a job well done, don't forget to consider popping by Melc Patisserie in Ayala. You deserve it. 

Check out this video showing our first-time trying Melc Patisserie's many eats and sweets:

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