The other day, I met Madam Kazuko Emy Wada for an afternoon of cake and coffee. It was an intimate gathering with a few other people.
Madam Emy is famous in the cake world for coming up with the crepe cake we all know. She is known for opening the acclaimed Lady M Cake Boutique in the Upper East Side in New York, and her signature creations, like the Original Mille Crepe and the mille feuille have earned non-stop raves from customers and critics.
Here in Manila, we know her as the lady behind Paper Moon Cake Boutique and Cafe.
Madam Emy seemed quite shy and conscious about her English, so her husband did most of the talking. She learned how to bake from her Austrian mother-in-law, and she even spent time in Europe learning more about her art.
She started supplying cakes to the top cafes in Tokyo in the 1970s and eventually opened her first specialty cake shop, Paper Moon Cake Boutique, in Tokyo. After working on her successful cake shop chain for many years, she retired in 2013, but was convinced by showbiz mogul Vicente “Boss Vic” del Rosario, Jr. of VIVA, to open Paper Moon here in Manila.
PAPER MOON CAKE BOUTIQUE AND CAFE
We had some of the cakes. My favorite is the Strawberry Shortcake (P325 for a slice). The chiffon is very light and fluffy, the cream has some tang to it, and it has enough strawberries. The strawberries are actually sweet, not sour, and in my opinion, they put enough strawberries to justify the price tag.
I also liked Paper Moon’s version of the Red Velvet Cake (P200) – moist, chocolatey, not too sweet.
As for the famous 20-layer Mille Crepes, they have an Ube version that is only available in the Philippines! P225 per slice.
All the recipes are approved by Madam Emy. All the cakes are light and not too sweet – French but with that Japanese delicateness and attention to detail. The cakes taste and look professionally made, but I can tell that they were made with quality ingredients and with no compromise – they use real ingredients, no fake stuff here. Some ingredients even need to be brought in from Japan. Madam Emy actually visits Manila every couple of months to check on her cakes and her branches here.
NEW OFFERINGS AND MOTHER’S DAY SET
Now, if you are only craving for a small bite for dessert, Paper Moon has some new products – Cookies & Bars that are P60 each.
- Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Chocolate Cheesecake Cookie
- Dark Chocolate Pistachio Brownie
- Blueberry Walnut Blondie
For Mother’s Day, they offer the Okaasan Box (P999) that includes 1 Mini Mango Mille Crepe, 6 pcs Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies, and 6 pcs Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies. You can pre-order until May 11, and pick it up on May 12-13.
Paper Moon currently has 16 branches in Manila: Glorietta, Trinoma, SM Megamall, SM Aura, Uptown Mall BGC, SM Mall of Asia, Eastwood Mall, UP Town Center, Robinsons Place Manila, Promenade Greenhills, Shangri-La Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, Robinsons Galleria, Evia Lifestyle Center, Vertis North, and SM North EDSA.
