MANILA, Philippines – Looking for a new bakery-café to visit when in Makati City? Melc Patisserie opened its doors at the heart of Makati’s CBD in April, offering hotel-level pastries, French-inspired desserts, and coffee and tea-based beverages.

The small takeout-centric space is at the ground floor of Ayala Triangle Gardens’ newest commercial and office building. It was founded by Singapore-born Melissa Lim, hotelier of I’M Hotel, pastry chef, and MasterChef Singapore alum. After joining as a contestant in the second season of the reality cooking competition in 2021, Lim was able to connect with Michelin-starred pastry chefs in Singapore and France. She now brings her French-trained baking knowledge to the Philippines.

Melc’s menu is more on the “fancy” side (price-wise as well), and is not so much like the homemade comfort food treats you might typically crave. Each freshly-baked pastry is of lavish presentation, with each component meticulously arranged. Melc uses authentic ingredients like award-winning AOP butter from Échiré, real tea leaves, and fresh fruit purées. 

The standout pastry so far would be Melc’s multi-textural Crookie (P230), a soft, moist hazelnut cookie with silky hazelnut chocolate, wrapped in flaky, buttery laminated croissant dough made with AOP butter, beurre noisette (brown butter), and topped with actual caramelized hazelnuts. Every melt-in-your-mouth bite oozes rich sweetness from the decadent hazelnut and butter.

There’s also Pain Au Chocolat (P210), a chocolate croissant made with AOP butter and couverture chocolate.

A more unique offering – which is also a top pick of mine – is the beautiful Tomato Tart (P350), a balanced convergence of slightly sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. It’s a delicate, mostly savory pastry that combines white chocolate, salty Grana Padano sable, fromage blanc, creamy and sweet mascarpone, roasted pecans, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and parmesan, topped with a squeeze of extra virgin olive oil. It’s like a mini cheeseboard or pasta dish condensed into a compact tart!

Melc Patisserie serves its drinks in reusable bottles in regular or large sizes. I was wary at first, but the refreshing Arabica Cold Brew with Valencia Orange (P160) grew on me; it blends the robust flavor of coffee with freshly-squeezed sweet-sour citrus juice.

Even though the Uji Matcha Latte (P170 / P190) is the the only powder-based drink on the menu, it uses authentic matcha powder from the south coast of Japan and fresh milk, resulting in an earthy yet creamy and sweet beverage.

The bakery’s menu varies per day. They serve other baked items like Muscat Dacquoise (P350), Pina Colada Danish (P280), Tiramisu (P350), and savory options like the Truffled Mushroom Quiche Tart (P300) and Mentaiko Tart (P300), among many others.

Melc Patisserie is located at the lower ground floor of the Ayala Triangle Gardens Tower 2, Makati City. Just note that the small space only has a limited seating area that isn’t too comfortable or conducive for long stays or hangouts. They are open Mondays to Thursdays from 10 am to 8 pm, and on Fridays to Saturdays from 10 am to 9 pm. – Rappler.com