M People

No, this post isn’t about the band.

Admittedly. Though, i’m A fan of that group and still play “Moving on up” on repeat.

So, what’s this “M”?

It’s the fact that Magnolia Bakery has finally opened near the office! They now have a stall in Megamall.

Of course, I had to drop by and get some banana pudding for dessert.

M so happy!

M so excited!

Magnolia Bakery came into my consciousness due to 2 things:

1. It's Julia Roberts' favourite bakery. And given how much I'm a big fan of hers, anything that the Jules loves is a huge hit for me.

2. The owner of Sonja's cupcakes worked at THE Magnolia Bakery in NYC. And in my mind, if her cupcakes are SO good, what more the original?

Since then, it was a goal to try their cupcakes. Even if I had to go to NYC to try it.

Luckily, though, they opened a branch in Omotesando in Tokyo.  It quickly became one of the go-to places that Mark and I frequented when we were there. 

Memories of relaxed afternoons, sitting in Magnolia with Mark, enjoying 2 or 3 types of cupcakes, a slice of cake, and beverages still make me smile. To. This. Date.

Eventually, Magnolia Bakery opened in the Philippines in 2018, in BGC. But due to the crazy lines and crowds, there was no rush to go there. After all, I've already had my Magnolia fix several times in JPN, and that was enough to keep the sweet cravings at bay.

While we had plans to try it out, it never really happened. Then, of course, 2020 happened, and that quashed the chances of trying Magnolia Bakery even more.

Until yesterday!

Thanks to Mamu Cecile who gave me this:

Yup, she got Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes and Muffins from M Bakery. (I'm assuming they couldn't use Magnolia here because of Magnolia Ice Cream.)

Biting into those heavenly cupcakes brought me back to those relaxed weekends in Omotesando with Mark. So, yes, it's as good as the one in JPN. Whether it's as good as the OG in NYC, that remains to be seen.

Now, I'm looking forward and excited to actually going there and trying out more cupcakes with Mark. 

MmmmmMagnolia!

When Mark told me that the famous NYC bakery - Magnolia - opened in Tokyo, I knew it was one of the places we had to go to.

So, on a cool and sunny Wednesday afternoon, we found ourselves in Omotesando to enjoy their signature cupcakes and cakes.

Red velvet cupcake is one of their specialties. But instead of going for the cupcake, we went big time and ordered the red velvet cake. Since we also wanted to sample their cupcakes, we got the caramel one, too.

The caramel cupcake was sublime! It had the right combination of density and fluff, plus there were chewy bits that added a layer of texture. The red velvet cake was just okay. I missed the cream cheese flavor in their icing.

There were 2 other cakes that we wanted to try but weren't able to. That's okay. I'm sure this won't be the last we'll see of Magnolia Bakery.