Quim’s Cake Bakeshop and Cafe was established in May 2010. Named after its owner and executive chef, Eliaquim Labang aka Chef Jack (yes, the chef from the ‘5M worth of cakes’ controversy), its signature Chocolate Cake was served in the small neighborhood of Roxas District in Quezon City. In November 2014, the business opened its commercial cafe and baking supplies flagship store in Kamuning.
In June 2015, Quim’s Cake moved to a better and bigger location in the heart of Tomas Morato in Quezon City. It’s a cozy place for sweet-tooths and foodies, serving not only cakes and pastries, but also all-day breakfast, pasta, sandwiches & burgers, mains and coffee.
The Bestsellers
Last week I was able to try the bestsellers from their menu, and to tell you honestly, there’s more to Quim’s Cake than just.. cake!
At Quim’s Cake, you can order breakfast anytime of the day. So whenever you feel like having breakfast during an afternoon break, I recommend the Pigtasilog. It is Pigar-pigar tapa with eggs, garlic fried rice, and atchara.
Pigar-pigar is a popular beef stir-fry dish in Dagupan City, Pangasinan. “Pigar” means to flip over or to turn over, so the dish got its name from the act of stirring food while cooking. The beef is tossed in white onion to allow the notably sweet flavor to blend through.
Pinoys love sinigang, and we cook at least 3 versions of it in the comfort of our homes. At Quim’s Cake, they serve this sinigang dish (with a twist!) — Sashimi Mango Sinigang. Although I’m used to eating Sinigang na Salmon, this dish is still unique on its own. The salmon is served raw (sashimi style), and gets cooked only when the broth is poured into the bowl. Sinigang is traditionally tamarind-based, but this soup dish uses green mango puree. It’s actually a first for me, and I love how everything in the plate tastes clean and balanced.
The Roasted Pork Belly in Choco-Bagoong Sauce is another crowd favorite. The crispy pork belly is roasted to perfection, then served with a special mix of chocolate and bagoong sauce. The bagoong, or fermented shrimp/fish paste, is from Chef Jhollow’s home province, Pangasinan. I tend to favor dishes on the salty side but Quim’s Cake’s Pork Belly in Choco-Bagoong Sauce has this sweet and savory goodness that I can’t resist! If you’re going to try this one, make sure to order an extra serving of rice.
I’m not fond of burgers because I don’t eat ketchup and mayo, but just recently when I started making sandwiches at home, I’ve learned that not all dressings/dips are the same. Some are surprisingly good, like Japanese mayo and dijon mustard.
This Pulled Pork BBQ Burger is jam-packed with intensely-flavored pork strips (with a specially made smoked BBQ sauce), grilled pineapple, onion, tomato, and lettuce. A single order is more than enough to fill your tummy, but I believe that a hungry eater can accommodate two. LOL.
Now this Red Hot Dory Burger with a red bun is stuffed with spicy and crispy dory wrapped in bacon. The dory is tossed in butter and hot sauce (yes, buffalo style), wrapped in crispy bacon, then topped with sriracha mayo. This burger has just the right amount of heat, making each bite more exciting to the palate.
I’m a self-confessed pastaholic and cream sauce is my choice when it comes to sauces. One of the bestsellers at Quim’s Cake is this carbonara-style Hondashi Pasta. Topped with bonito flakes, shrimp, nori, and black sesame seeds, the dish bursts with a medley of subtle seafood flavors. It’s a simple yet delicious fusion of Italian and Japanese cuisines.
The Heartbreaker Pasta is the perfect choice if you can’t decide between red and white sauce. It’s actually called ‘heartbreaker’ because the tomato and cream sauce combo is combined with crab paste (aligue). Eating this dish surely makes my cholesterol skyrocket to high levels, but do I really need to worry about it, when in front of me is a bed of rich and flavorful pasta, waiting to be devoured? And oh, the homemade focaccia bread is there to help me finish off every last bit of delicious, fatty cholesterol goodness.
Quim’s Cake is well-known for its “moistest” chocolate cake in town — a signature recipe of the owner and executive chef, Jack Labang. It all began as a simple childhood love for cakes, a dream to bake, and to serve extraordinary home-made-cakes to everyone.
True enough, Quim’s Cake Chocolate Cake is enticingly moist, and it’s definitely one of the yummiest chocolate cakes I’ve ever tasted. I’m not into sweets, but I really have a soft spot for a gooey, decadent slice of chocolate cake.
My husband loves the Chunky Carrot Cake. A light and classic carrot cake with grated carrots, topped with cream cheese frosting.
Chef Jack also has other cake creations that are made of the finest ingredients, baked with international quality and expertise served in a cozy setting – Cappuccino Crunch, Pistachio Mucho, Ube Royale, Red Velvet, Nelusko Choco, and Mango Loco.
Quim’s Cake also accepts orders for all-occasion concept cakes and party reservations; and offers catering services within Metro Manila.
The ‘5 Million Worth of Cakes’ Social Media Controversy’
The controversial post that earned Quim’s Cake its popularity is, believe it or not, a personal stand (and NOT a marketing strategy) by one of its owners, Chef Labang. But since the brand has been dragged along with the issue, the owners agreed to ‘sweeten’ the already sour situation by giving away cake samples to the public.
Keeping their promise that if Mayor Duterte wins the presidential elections, Quim’s Cake will give-away cake samples (slices) worth PhP 5 million. Free cakes shall be given in phases (every 1st and 15th day of the month) starting on July 1 for the first pre-registered 50 lucky individuals.
There is an ongoing event on Facebook about Quim’s Cake giving away cake samples on June 30, 2016. This is NOT TRUE. Free cakes will be given starting July 1, in phases or batches. Sampling will be done at 38 Tomas Morato QC. With the following schedules from 3-5pm only:
JULY 1 – First 50 pax to register
JULY 15 – First 50 pax to register
AUGUST 1 – First 50 pax to register
AUGUST 15 – First 50 pax to register
SEPTEMBER 1 – First 50 pax to register
SEPTEMBER 15 – First 50 pax to register
OCTOBER 1 – First 50 pax to register
OCTOBER 15 – First 50 pax to register
NOVEMBER 3 – First 50 pax to register
NOVEMBER 15 – First 50 pax to register
DECEMBER 1 – First 50 pax to register
Schedules to be continued in 2017…
For details, like their FB Page, Quim’s Cake Bakeshop and Café and follow registration instructions.
More about Quim’s Cake:
Quim’s Cake Bakeshop and Café is a corporation owned by pastry chef, Jack Labang, marketing & advertising practitioner, Anthony Haber; culinary chef Ruben “Jhollow” Ignacio, young entrepreneur, Mary Joy Rodriguez and a few investor-partners from different sectors.
Chef Jack Labang honed his skills and passion for baking in various international and world-renowned schools namely, University of Illinois in Chicago, University of West London, Westminster Kingsway College and Le Cordon Bleu. He constantly develops and creates cake-recipes while conducting baking workshops in his café and even in local TV shows.
Anthony Haber, is a communication arts graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and a 20-year marketing and advertising practitioner, spearheading communication campaign launches for Unilever, P&G, Shell and a plethora of both international and local brands. He is also a Managing Partner at the newly established advertising agency, The Black Market Creatives. He lends his expertise and experience in running the daily grind of the business.
Chef Jhollow is an expert in different cuisines, with special focus on Filipino and Asian-fusion dishes. A product of Senior Tesoro Culinary School, he started his career at Hotel Consuelo and Manna Restaurant & Catering Services before becoming a partner at Quim’s Cake Bakeshop and Cafe. He is an active member of The Philippine Chefs’ Society and a frequent guest chef in different TV shows.
For more information about their products and services, check out Quim’s Cake at #38 Tomas Morato, Q.C. Follow and like their FB Page at Quim’s Cake and Baking Supplies Online. For orders and inquiries, call: (+632)413-4018.
Published: 2016-05-26 17:31:25
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