Disclaimer: I do not have a sweet tooth. (I’m more of a salt ‘n chips type of person – the saltier the better).
So if you managed to make me eat whatever sweet delicate thing you are offering, the quality must be really high.
The Quarantine Musical Chairs has made myself and my partner, Executive Editor Julius Mariveles the (un)official experts on cheap eats. And there are fewer delights in this world than to find really cheap food when you least expect it.
One such find is the delicate sweet offerings of Goy Ghoy Geolingo, who offers anything from revel bars to leche flan to lengua de gato.
We ordered the leche flan, and their chocolate-based Chantilly bars.
Let’s talk about the leche flan first. We know of substandard commercial ones that seems a bit firm and not at all custardly-soft, more like mushy bread pudding, with a paleness that suggests that a bit of egg whites might have been added. Another issue is the dried ones, sometimes full of holes, probably from the over-steaming. Another issue is the overly-sweet base, or the crystallization of the sugar in the syrup. (READ: Mics to mixers: A broadcaster’s journey to pies and pastries)
Goy Ghoy’s flan has none of those issues. Besides that, it is positively velvety, the flan itself just sliding down your tongue like melted butter. And it is not overly sweet either (plus points: my partner, a diabetic, tried two spoonfuls. His blood sugar just budged very slightly – unlike other desserts he tried).
Goy Ghoy’s flan can compete, handily, with those sold in small cups in restaurants.
Next is the Chantilly cupcakes. I’m not a fan of flour-based desserts. I don’t like chocolate cakes, or any cake made from baked flour, period. But I can eat Goy Ghoy’s Chantilly cupcakes all day. THEY WERE THAT GOOD.
The cupcakes themselves were made from a dark chocolate mix, with a bit of butter within. The sweetness of the flour base is not-that-sweet (a good thing for weight-watchers). It is fudgy, with just the right amount of denseness, with the oatmeal taste balancing the sweetness of the cake. Heavenly.
For orders, just look for the Facebook account of Goy Ghoy Gidor Geolingo. He accepts orders, and deliveries.
Our third entry is Li’l Bella’s CinnaMin. The brand, created by ABS-CBN broadcaster-turned-baker Yasmin Pascual-Dormido, who found herself out of a job after her network folded shop. Now a full-time baker, she has plunged head-on in the baking biz, making cinnamon rolls (CinnaMin, a clever play between her name, and the product), and Chicken ala Queen.
The CinnaMin is something else, though. It is flaky, not doughy (plus points – she uses butter, not any other shortening, so the bread base’s texture is a cross between a good croissant, and white bread), and the cinnamon scent is just the right amount, and not that overpowering.
There is also none of the cloyingly sticky sweetness in commercial cinnamon breads as CinnaMin appeals to a more mature palate.
For orders, contact Yasmin Pascual Dormido in her Facebook page.
