According to Wikipedia, Fika is both a Swedish verb and noun (pronounced "fee-ka") that roughly means "to drink coffee, tea, or squash(?)" usually accompanied by something sweet. Located at the new Greenstreet Mall, the brainchild of Sweedish Head Chef, Mats Loo, Fika is both a cafe and a place for this students at the First Gourmet Academy to show off their pastry skills - and in the near future, their cooking skills.
After having a good go at all the delights of Greenstreet Mall's Dencio's, my sweet tooth got tired of all the salty heart stoppers and I found myself wanting to sink my teeth into something sweet. Which is where Fika comes in.
Fika is a coffee shop that serves cakes and pastries baked by the students at the First Gourmet Academy. Head Chef Mats Loo plans on slowly being developed into a restaurant for the students to be able to practice their skills they have learned over time after being enrolled at the school. And they make pretty superb cakes and pastries, too!
I waded into the shallow end of the cafe's menu first and started with Fika's Cappuccino. Check out the lovely frothy crema on that gorgeous cup!
I tried a bit of the Butter Rhum Cake (P70). Although on an ordinary day, this wouldn't be what I'd pair with a cup of coffee or tea, I loved how dense and moist this slice was. You can really taste the rum in this, so it is definitely not for kids!
A unique take on one of my favorite desserts, the Mango Cheesecake (P85) was simple yet delicious. I can appreciate how they incorporate the mango into the actual cheesecake and the whipped cream on top before placing a gooey dollop of mango puree to finish the whole thing off.
Then there was the classic Blueberry Cheesecake (P85) that was pretty good as is, but made even better after a scoop of blueberry preserves.
I took a bit of Carrot Cake (P65) and liked the nutty contrast with the nuttiness of the walnuts, the soft cake, and the sweet raisins in between. This would be lovely with a cup of tea.
My favorite was Fika's Chocolate Mousse Cake (P90). Big surprise, the chocoholic loved the chocolate cake! I still have vivid dreams doing very naughty things to this decadent slice. The ganache on top just gives way to the moist chocolate cake, that's nice and dense with a chocolate-y center. This was absolutely devilish. I wanted more.
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Images taken by Jericho San Miguel of The Pixel Project Manila
Fika
G/F Capitol Greenstreet Mall,
(formerly Capitol Hills Golf Clubhouse)
#1 Capitol Drive, Old Balara, Quezon City
Open Daily: 7am - 9:30pm
