Photos by Ian Esteves
Finally, a bakeshop for me!
As someone who hoards unicorn-related things whenever I can, I knew this was the bakeshop of my dreams the very moment my eyes saw the pointed unicorn horns on these adorable macarons. Complete with pearl dust and a sweet blush, these unicorn macarons are everything I’ll ever need in my life.
Each little unicorn is PHP 55
Blushing and bedazzled, they are as pleasing on the eye as they are tasty. With a perfectly airy wafer and delicious filling, they’re a dream in every sense of the word. They’re pillowy but still crisp without being too hard or brittle and the filling is just the right amount of sweetness for a pick-me-up.
I have to admit–they’re just as magical as they look!
“Try to eat the macarons when they’re not so cold,” advised Tata Lantin, the owner of Macarose (and its sister restaurant Rosemarie’s) said with a smile. “It’ll be a nice bite, good and chewy. And the ganache will be nice and soft. That’s the perfect bite.”
Mrs. Lantin received us very warmly in her colorful bakeshop cafe one afternoon. After listening to us gush about how cute the unicorns were, she let us taste them and they were like biting into little pillows of fairytale magic. When we asked her about how she came up with the designs, she grinned and launched into a story.
“One day I said, ‘I’m bored, I need to wake things up,'” she admitted to us, the light behind her casting a halo around her hair. “That’s when we started the rabbits and the unicorns–and sales jumped!”
Every single macaron in their shop is handmade. They don’t mass-produce them. But Mrs. Lantin and her team all have mastered the art of macaron-making. The piping, the decorating, every single step is something very intimately and personally carried out by each team member.
“My team mastered it all even if they didn’t have any culinary background,” she said, beaming proudly. “Sometimes I just join them and hand-decorate all the unicorns. They’ll tell me, ‘ate, pwede na makeupan ang unicorn (we can put makeup on the unicorns now).” Her laugh is infectious as she shows off the beautiful food-pen-drawn lashes of each unicorn and their colorful pearls.
Much like how the Europeans appreciate the crooked macaron because each piece is handmade, the Macarose team sees each macaron as the labor of their love. Mrs. Lantin even showed us all the macarons they were making for a wedding order–rows upon rows of pastels and pearls all just waiting to be eaten!
Mrs. Lantin mentions that she is driven primarily by passion. Anything handmade and colorful attracts her eye and her hands are drawn to creating things that will make people smile. Aside from macarons, Macarose (and Rosemarie’s) also sells brownies, crinkles, cakes, cupcakes, and so many other pastries. Our personal favorite–aside from these beautiful unicorns–is the rainbow cake.
Everything in this shop is as sweet and full of personality as the people who run it. We’re convinced that they’re real life unicorns–that’s why they’re so good at making the macarons! No wonder it’s all magical!
The humble bakeshop cafe is run by Mrs. Lantin and her team in such a personal, warm way that it feels like coming home With the cozy setting, the colorful lanterns, and the sweet smells from the kitchen, I felt like I was in a place that didn’t have to try hard to feel like home. It was my first time in their cafe but it felt like I’d been welcomed back to a familiar place–a place that was so inviting, that beckoned me over saying: “Come, stay here for a while.”
Macarose and Rosemarie’s
9 Katipunan Road, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
782-6172 / 0917-671-5832 (Best to order in advance!)
Facebook: facebook.com/macarose.phl
IG: iammacarose
