Monday, March 31, 2014

Sweet Ecstasy: A Fruit of Love



The guy's from California and she's from New York, what crossed their path is their love for food, the outcome is now a destination area for shakes and burgers inspired out of US' In n Out Burger joint.

What used to be a milk and cookie bar, evolved into a good menu for the out of the ordinary, mouth-watering array of comfort food.  Monica Fran and Al, are couples who own Sweet Ecstasy whom we all owe these drool-worthy feature to.  Fran is the balancing figure while Al is the genius behind the menu.  Fran's family background with food and her view of Al's vision cradled the business into what it is today.  On he other hand, you'll be surprised to see this hunk of guy (who by the way teaches yoga classes) in apron baking sweets, experimenting burger options and mixing things up for a divine mix of shake.
Aside from coming up with the menu, he is also responsible for the vintage-looking posters on their up-stairs venue.

The menu basically have changed several times to cater to what diners often order, but now that they were able to lock down all the recipes, and have decided on the final menu, which comprises of all the stuff they love to have, they can say that they are ready to capture the foodie market.  The plan of branching out in Makati is now in the making.

When you go there, you will not only be inspired by the couple's love story, you will be completely enamored by Al's sumptuous creation (or is it his experiments).

From what began with fresh milk from Batangas, have developed into milkshakes that would leave you craving for more from the classic vanilla and chocolate shakes to these cool babies namely...

Salted Caramel with Fudge Brownies

Red Velvet

Coffee Oreo 

 Black Bear 

I chose to have Salted Caramel with Fudge Brownies to really see how well they have fared mixing up the said components.  It would be a  strange choice for many but I had faith in them, hearing they have labored so much to have those concoctions on there.  And OMG!  It was the most awesome shake I have ever had in my entire life.  With exaggerations and all.  Like Happy Barn Milkshake Factory, they use ice cream as their base for the shakes, no ice, not even milk.  So, you will definitely differentiate it from other milkshakes.  The texture is very rich, creamy and dense but smoothly sips through the straw.  I love that it's not overly sweetened, just the right blend of sweetness, and a kick of saltiness, oooh, bravo!  It was also chocolatey from the brownie bits that had permeated through the ice cream.

I was able to taste my friend's Red Velvet inspired shake.  The subtle cocoa taste from the red velvet batter can be hinted making you feel like having a cake except it's cold and served in a tall glass.

The last from the roster above is the black bear, another unique and outrageous take at that.  It's categorized under adult shake for it consists of peanut butter, chocolate ice cream, kahlua and vodka.

Here is their menu, bwt.


Of course, there is nothing like enjoying your milkshakes on a hot and humid day with something filling to go with it.  For us, it was milkshake, fries, burger and wings night.

A typical milkshake/burger combo works for me already but I was not able to help myself not giving in to the sumptuous spread that was upon us.

We began munching on Kamote Fries with Sriracha sauce, Ecstasy Fries and Fantastic Fries (from left to right).  The camote fries and the plain French fries are just the regulars.  However, the Ecstasy Fries won me over.  I love dipping my fries on Heinz and mayo, but occasionally I like to play with other sauces, in this case, the ecstasy sauce - a cheesy, tangy and creamy combination.


Since Cubao X is far from were we usually hang out, it might take me a long while to come back here so when I heard they also serve chicken wings, I have to say yes, albeit I'll be loosening up my belt to allow more  tummy space to be filled up.  
From bottom to top, they are Buffalo, Honey BBQ, Choco Cola and Soy Honey wings.  The Buffalo really stings so have your shake nearby.  My fave is the choco cola, sans the choco flavor.  I love the simple taste of it, perhaps the wings were marinated with Coke or some colas.  The soy honey is their newest flavor which is Asian in taste.  Well, every wings have a distinct character to it, but what I love more is how they were still crunchy after they have been glazed. For a mere price of  P 200 for half a dozen and P 320 for 1 dozen, they are really worth it, so move along Bonchon.


Now on to their pride and glory.  The burger.


Have I mentioned Al, did not have any culinary training at all?  It's all from Google, self-learned baking and experimenting.  But I guess, he probably is the "Jughead" (of Archie Comic Strip) in the flesh, for his undying affinity with burgers.  The story was, Al found this deconstructed recipe of an In n Out Burger and he took it upon himself, until he found the right blend, the one they love, though he did not want to deviate from the original recipe, as told by Fran.

This Cheese Burger (P 170) on the photo is a stunner.  I guess he was able to figure out what the customers like as well in their burgers.  But what stands out in the sandwich is the beef patty, thick, yet grilled to perfection.  It's savory without being salty, succulent in every bite with added crisp from the fresh tomatoes and lettuce.  It also boasts of the secret ingredient, the ecstasy sauce. To be honest, I've never tried an In n Out burger and I have yet to sink my teeth on Cali Burgers (said to be the pseudo In n Out burger) but what I can tell you is that this burger really gives them the pride. So make sure to come at Sweet Ecstasy hungry and have your fill of one of the tastiest burger in town and its partner in crime, the milkshake.



Sweet Ecstasy
Cubao Expo, Quezon City
Contact Number: 0916 594 1229
Like Sweet Ecstasy on Facebook
Follow Sweet X Manila on Twitter

2 comments:

  1. First if all many congratulations to Monica Fran and Al for their new venture, Sweet Ecstasy. I have checked out there fb page and man I was literally drooling over each and every cuisine.

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