What's New with the Croissant Lady? Take A Peek. And A Bite...

The recent opening of the new showroom for ChefWorks Philippines and the kitchen of Croissant Lady in one cool spot has become a culinary laboratory of sorts for some of the best croissants and more in the metro (for more on the new showroom and kitchen of ChefWorks Philippines and Croissant Lady, see my post Hot Off The Oven: ChefWorks Philippines and Croissant Lady Inaugurates New Home). 

With her unrestrained, no borders approach to classic French viennoiserie, the Croissant Lady not only offers traditional Croissants and Pain Au Chocolat but surprisingly inventive patisserie creations (for more on the Croissant Lady and her innovative creations, see my posts, ECQ Eats: Inventive Spins with Croissaymada by the Croissant Lady and Empanaditas by the Empanada Lady on her unique croissant slash ensaymada offering, Croissant Meets Bao and Dumplings: When It's National Croissant Day and Chinese New Year, Bring Out The Croibao and Croimplings by the Croissant Lady on her seasonal creations, The Lady Bakes Too. Fresh Baked Croissants and Pain Au Chocolat Delivered to Your Doorstep by the Croissant Lady from last year and Have It All with the Croissant Lady Product Sampler also from last year).  

A showroom for ChefWorks Philippines and a kitchen and cafe by Croissant Lady, it's one of the unique shopping and dining spots in Makati. Starting October, the Croissant Lady will be offering a Tasting Menu for a minimum of two and maximum of ten per group at P 1,250 per diner. The Tasting Menu will include the following:

Kimchi

Laing Lava

Kimcheese

The Black Pie

CroiBonara

Croissaymada

CroiFFogato (croissant affogato with Danish apricot)

Pain Au Chocolaymada (pain au chocolat ensaymada)

Coffee or Tea.

The Tasting Menu by the Croissant Lady represent the next phase in the creative process after mastering the traditional soft, buttery and flaky croissant...

...with bold hints of butter with each bite perfect when paired with coffee. The Mini Butter Croissants are best warmed in the oven for that fragrant aroma and delicately crisp layered texture. It was during the height of the pandemic when I first sampled the now famous croissants and other fresh-baked treats of the Croissant Lady, and she's been baking away since then with a solid delivery system in place. Donatella Chua's home-based food business now has a new home inside the ChefWorks Philippines showroom along Arnaiz Avenue, and you know you're near when you catch a whiff of the buttery aroma up the flight of stairs.  

The Mini Pain Au Chocolat adds the deep, nutty richness of chocolate for an indulgent finish, with that same laminated layered texture. But the Croissant Lady is constantly pushing the envelope with non-traditional flavor combinations with her surprising and tasty twists.

Back in her kitchen, the Croissant Lady prepares some of her featured creations from the Tasting Menu...

...starting with the trio of savory pies, the Laing Lava, Kimcheese and the Black Pie. Off the bat, you know these are not your usual savory pies and that's no surprise at all. It's just something you'd expect from the lady that created the Croissaymada, the Croimpling and the Croibao.

That day, the Croissant Lady offered some artisan beer on tap from Crazy Carabao Craft Beer. Can't say no to good ice-cold beer, right? And just in time too, as the Croissant Lady served the first savory pie hot off the oven...

The Kimcheese is a soft and lightly crisp flaky pastry generously filled with kimchi and creamy cheese delivering fresh and bold notes smoothened by the cheese for perfectly balanced flavors. The buttery dough completes the flavors. The play on contrasting flavors and textures will have you going for another bite, guaranteed.

The flavor combination is unexpected yet surprisingly works delivering layers of contrasting notes from the sharpness of the kimchi to the creamy cheese and the buttery pastry shell enjoyed with each bite. And it all comes together in a balanced and seamless blend. This unique east-west blend of rich notes is a refreshingly new flavor experience that can only come from the Croissant Lady. And there's more...  

The Laing Lava is another flavor-filled creation with the deep, creamy and nutty hints of local taro leaves pairing well with the lightly crisp pastry. One bite brings comfortingly familiar flavors to the palate yet it definitely feels like the first time with the Laing Lava by the Croissant Lava. 

The flavors of the Laing Lava are much milder than the Kimcheese variant, but the flavors are just as bold with its rich and savory notes. One more bite and the distinct notes of the local laing drapes the palate with its creamy and nutty richness followed by the buttery finish of the crisp pastry.

The laminated dough is a versatile vessel for a variety of sweet and savory fillings. Just let the Croissant Lady show you the many ways for a taste of interesting and playfully inventive combos.

The Black Pie with its pork dinuguan filling rounds out the savory pies by the Croissant Lady, highlighting the unique flavor profile of the local pork blood stew. And just like the other savory pies, it just works with the flaky pastry. The blend of local flavors finished with the masterful execution of laminated and layered pastry combines for an experience like no other.

For the main dish, the Croissant Lady serves up another savory combo... 

The CroiBonara is a sumptuous meal in itself, with the Croissant Lady's specialty Croissant slathered in pasta. The Carbonara by the Croissant Lady gets the creative treatment as well, with the addition of Chinese sausages adding a sweet and savory finish to the pasta dish for a flavorful punch. 

The sharp notes of the cheese, sweet and savory Chinese sausages and buttery croissant combine for a unique play of flavors and textures. The Croissant Lady draws inspiration from comfortingly familiar flavors then creatively transforms it into an entirely new and refreshing flavor experience. 

Back in the kitchen, the Croissant Lady pulls out another batch of freshly baked Croissants and Pain Au Chocolat for dessert...

...with the famous Croissaymada (for more on the Croissaymada, see my post ECQ Eats: Inventive Spins with the Croissaymada by The Croissant Lady and Empanaditas by The Empanada Lady). Soft, flaky and lightly crisp layered pastry draped in melted butter sprinkled with sugar and cheese, the Croissaymada is just pure indulgence. 

The classic Pain Au Chocolat gets the same wicked spin by the Croissant Lady, transformed to the Pain Au Chocolaymada. The addition of butter, cheese and sugar makes the already indulgent pastry so much more sinful and yes, you'll want another.

For the Tasting Menu, guests and diners can expect even more tasty and indulgent surprises from the Croissant Lady like the new CroiFFogato with ice cream, espresso and Danish apricot. The Croissant Lady has another winner with this one.

Meanwhile, the Croissant Lady was busy packing up boxes for pick-up and delivery. With the Croissaymada...

...and the new Pain Au Chocolaymada in her growing inventory of baked offerings, things are definitely looking good for the Croissant Lady. It's also an inspiring story for a home-based food business that began during the quarantine experience. 

Shop for your kitchen essentials and apparel at ChefWorks Philippines and enjoy a relaxing and hearty bite with the tasty offerings from the Croissant Lady paired with a soothing cup of coffee. And take home a box or two. 

What's new with the Croissant Lady? A whole lot, and you can expect to hear even more soon. Visit the Croissant Lady at the ChefWorks Philippines showroom, now open for coffee, croissants, good company and good vibes and more...