#YKW and Meru's Matcha Latte Gets a Nostalgic Twist With Torched Polvoron

(SPOT.ph) I don't know how anyone keeps up with the matcha scene in Metro Manila. Small pop-ups and full-blown cafés (even international franchises) are opening left and right, each with its own tea concoctions—often involving banana pudding, tiramisu, dango, and whatever else complements matcha in taste and visuals.

But if you want to try something that isn’t one of the usual suspects when you’re matcha-hopping, swing by The Grid for a collaboration between #YKW (by EDSA BDG) and cream puff shop Meru. The highlight is the Polvoron Matcha Latte, along with new collab-exclusive cream puff flavors to go with it.

Right in the middle of The Grid at Power Plant Mall sits EDSA BDG’s #YKW (short for “You Know Who”). If you look a little closer, you’ll notice something unusual (for a coffee and cocktail bar, that is) on display: a row of cream puffs by Meru. They’re fake, by the way, so don’t try to take a bite. Tempting as they may look.

If you want the real thing, #YKW carries Meru's signature choux au craquelin, essentially cream puffs with a crisp, colorful, cookie-like crust. Go ahead, take your pick from flavors like Custard, Chocolate, and Salted Egg Cheesecake. The bigger reason the cream puffs are there? There's a special collaboration between the two brands that has birthed new exclusive cream puff flavors, a fruity cocktail, and a matcha latte.

Sure, we’re well past Christmas, but Meru’s new Puto Bumbong Cream Puff (P175 per piece) somehow still makes it work even if we're already tiptoeing into summer. The pastry is filled with purple rice cream and butter, then topped with torched grated cheese. The filling is good: nutty and sweet-but-not-too-sweet, but the real surprise here is the cheese. What looks like a small topping actually packs a deep, smoky punch that rounds out the sweet dessert.

The other collab-exclusive flavor is the Tiramisu Cream Puff (P175 per piece). Seemingly made for those who like their coffee bitten instead of sipped, this pastry is stuffed with a ladyfinger soaked in liquor then filled with coffee cream. There's enough caffeine in it to keep you alert for a few hours, but if you need more, that's where the matcha latte comes in.

Fun fact: the Polvoron Matcha Latte (P250) is the first matcha drink to ever land on the #YKW menu—so let's thank the Meru collaboration for it. This drink is a matcha latte topped with fluffy polvoron cream and finished with actual crumbled polvoron, torched to add a hint of smokiness. Since polvoron typically contains milk powder, it only makes the drink even richer and creamier, without completely overshadowing the matcha.

But if you’re looking for something stronger to “calm the nervous system," the Langka Highball (P400) will do the trick. This is a sweet, fruity whisky-based highball served with a skewered sheet of nori and a yellow mango, creating an unexpectedly good mix of umami, tart, and sweet.

There's no set date yet for when the Meru and #YKW collab-exclusive desserts and drinks will be taken off the menu. For now, they’re simply there for us to enjoy while the matcha trend shows no signs of slowing down and people continue to have a soft spot for inventive desserts.

For more information, check out Meru's Instagram page and #YKW's Instagram page.