Location:
A.S Fortuna
Mandaue, Cebu
(near Joven's Grill)

Specialty:
Cakes and Pastries

House Specialties:
Crab Hot & Spicy
Crab Chili-Garlic
Shrimp Hot & Spicy
Native Style Fried Chicken
Hong Kong Fried Chicken

Ratings:
Nyss - 4.5/5
Geus - 5/5

- - - -
FOOD:
Cream N' Bake is owned and managed by the child (I think it's his son - I stand corrected, it's the daughter) of the owner of Joven's Grill.  I asked the attendants how the owner was able to learn how to bake and how to cook.  They said that she studied Culinary Arts in California.  The food is still Filipino with just a little twist to make the taste and the presentation special.  And that's what makes the restaurant different.

We spent about 20 minutes ogling the desserts.  We think that the cakes are all perfectly made.  They even have kiwi in one of their cakes.  I mean, where can you find any cakeshop in Cebu that uses kiwi?  I love kiwi but I can't seem to find it in our supermarkets.  Kiwi was what made me realized that the owner does not scrimp on ingredients.  I think for her, baking cakes is an art.  It is about making delicious, original masterpieces and it shows in her creations. 

We ordered pork sisig.  It was too spicy for my taste but it was just right for G and our other male friend.  There was too much mayonnaise though and it kinda turned off my sister who does not like mayonnaise in her sisig.  But I guess next time we can ask the waitress to just take it easy on the mayonnaise and hot chili peppers.  They said that the sisig was just good for 2 but it can feed 4 people.  This just goes to show that they're not even scrimping on the serving.

We also ordered the Squid Sisig.  It was the first dish we finished.  The serving was smaller than the pork sisig but I understand that squid is expensive so I don't mind the small serving.  It tasted good, that is what matters more.

The Tangigue Steak was superb.  The fish was cooked just right and the sauce was not too creamy and not too bland (in short, just right for our taste).  I like the presentation.  I like how they put onions, tomatoes, and a stalk of parsley on the side.  They gave us a big cut of tangigue too.

And lastly, let's talk about the dessert.  We were so full after eating the 3 dishes I mentioned above but of course we cannot leave without tasting even just one mini-cake.  And so we did.  I was the one who chose what cake we would have.  I had a hard time choosing between the Three Stooges (3 different flavors of mousse:  the basic milk chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate) and the Tiramisu (the Japanese sounding cake that's actually Italian).  I opted for the Tiramisu since I thought that it would help keep us awake with its coffee, wine, and rum combination.  And who could resist the thin-chocolate-sheet-with-hearts-shaped-like-a-cup surrounding the cake?  It tasted heavenly. 

They do not have their own signature drink yet but I am hoping that they'll have it soon.  Their softdrink is still in can and the iced tea is still in a bottle.  Once they have their own drinks, everything would be perfect.

AMBIENCE/SERVICE:
The service is the best.  The attendants were all very attentive and they were smiling all the time.  They did not even mind all the questions I was asking them.  They did not mind all the ogling and ooh-ing and aah-ing we made.  I mistakenly ordered two pork sisig and it was only 10 minutes after I ordered when I had it changed to Squid sisig but they did not complain at all.  It's seldom you find service like that because in most restaurants, the waiters/waitresses feel that they're just doing their jobs.  In Cream N' Bake, the waitresses actually look like they are enjoying their job and I salute the owner for choosing the right people.

The restaurant is perfect for dates.  I hate restaurants which use flourescent lighting so I like how in this restaurant they use incandescent bulbs.  The temperature inside the room is a little bit cold but it's perfect for couples who'd like to cuddle or hold hands since it would give them an excuse =).  They have soft, huge couches and waterfall with blue lights that makes the restaurant picture perfect.  You can also opt to eat outside.  They have a trellis and a small pond - still perfect for a date. 

PRICE:
There were 4 of us and we paid Php 500 ++. 

Pork Sisig - Php 88
Squid Sisig - Php 110
Tangigue Steak - Php 90
Rice - Php 15
Drinks - Php 25
Tiramisu - Php 45

VERDICT:
Nyss - I'll be back.  Tomorrow.  I think I am going to try out all the desserts there.
Geus - Love the food, love the place. I'll definitely come back. Thanks ice, muer & cels!