Cafe Ysabel’s carrot cake

March 24, 2005
Filed under Food trips & events

It is a carrot cake from Cafe Ysabel, a restaurant owned and operated by Filipino chef Gene Gonzalez. My husband bought it (the cake, not the restaurant) last Monday.

I was first introduced to GeneÕs cakes when I was a young lawyer working in an office along Timog Avenue in Quezon City. A friend, whose family owns a steak house in adjacent Tomas Morato Avenue, dropped by the office one day and told me about Cafe Gianina which Gene Gonzalez just opened on the third floor of the building right on the corner of Tomas Morato and Timog Avenues. She knew Gene personally and was recommending his carrot cake heartily. We went, had a blast andÉ what can I say? We became regulars. Eventually, Gene Gonzalez opened The Smiling Chef on the ground floor of the same building. It became our hangout. And since it was within walking distance from the office, we would often send our messenger to The Smiling Chef for take outs.

When I married and was pregnant with my firstborn, I was craving for GeneÕs chocolate obsession. My husband indulged me. His mother told him that if he didnÕt, our child would turn out ugly. Of course, it was just housewivesÕ tale but why should I contradict her when staying silent meant I could enjoy a steady supply of The Smiling ChefÔs cakes.

A few years later, The Smiling Chef moved to Tomas Morato Avenue. It was from this Smiling Chef branch that my husband and I introduced our kids to GeneÕs strawberry shortcake, tiramisu and crostata di ricotta. After a year or two, The Smiling Chef moved again to another part of Quezon City. Eventually, it closed down. The Smiling ChefÔs cakes became exclusively available at Cafe Ysabel along Wilson Street in Grennhills, San Juan, which also houses GeneÕs cooking school.

The bad news is that some cakes, including my beloved chocolate obsession, are now only available upon special order. The even worse news is that the carrot cake is no longer what it was. The light layer of cream cheese frosting has been substituted with a half-inch thick layer of boiled icing. Still good, though. But for someone like me who has been a regular patron for the past fifteen years, well, one notices the difference.

Perhaps, next time IÕm craving for carrot cake, IÕll make Ting AlingÕs carrot cake. IÕll add some walnuts though.

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