By Willeth L. Laus
 Tiramisu
 Mongolian
New York Cheesecake
While new things stir excitement, old ones exude inexplicable charm; just like the one precious discovery I had years back. It still never fails to enchant me. The homey ambiance, the heavenly cheesecake, the mouthwatering Mongolian rice bowls… These are the things that make me come back to Sweet Inspirations - again and again.
As you walk in through its quaint entrance door, immediately, the modern country air invites you in for a cozy dining experience. Sweet Inspirations is neither like the overly casual fast food most students and yuppies go to nor is it akin to the intimidating and stiff posh bistro frequented by the corporate-ish and high-society set. It’s a pleasant laid-back place where you can have comfort food and nice conversation.
Cheesecake, yema and cream puffs are its bakeshop’s specialty. It’s not difficult to be smitten by Sweet Inspirations’ cheesecake. I may just be a food lover and not a professional critic, but I bet – unless you simply don’t like cheesecake or you really have a weird taste – once you have tasted it, you would crave for more. Plus, its reasonable price of P60 per slice won’t hurt much your pocket.
As for the Mongolian rice bowl, owner Cristina Echevarria boasts of its tried-and-tested flavor. “Our secret is the sauce. Madali lang naman gayahin ang ingredients pero yung sauce, do’n nagkakatalo.”
“When we started, dalawa lang yung alam kong nag-se-serve ng Mongolian – ‘yung Mongolian Grill along Timog (avenue, Quezon City) - wala na siya ngayon - at kami. After we got featured on TV, biglang madaming nagsusulputan. People see that it’s working. Siguro akala nila kapag Mongolian click ‘yan. Pero siyempre depende sa taste,” she says.
And though it is tempting to compromise, Cristina is proud to say that they stick to quality. “We use the original ingredients, kahit magmahal hindi namin binabago,” she says.
Sweet Inspirations or SI for its regular patrons has long been standing along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. It’s been 13 years now since Cristina acquired SI from its original owners. That time, Katipunan was a far cry from what it is today – a busy and traffic-prone road strip. Most of the lots that are now occupied by commercial establishments were once covered by tall and bushy talahibs. Big names have come to this side of Quezon City but so far none of them has ever threatened SI’s existence. For a business that only relies on word-of-mouth as form of advertising, SI exceeded expectations.
Cristina admits, she’s been contemplating on putting up another branch but asserts none is concrete yet. Sure, if this plan materializes, many SI fans would be delighted. Meanwhile, let me have my fix of sweet inspiration with SI’s new cake offering – the cappuccino cheesecake.
You, too can have your slice (or bowl) of sweet inspiration. Click here for SI’s contact details. |
