My son, Joaqui, was bugging us to visit the newest mall in town - the SM Aura Premier. He had seen and read the advertisement of this mall in a newspaper. He wanted to check for himself if it was really big and what it has to offer. Finally, we relented after two weeks of begging from him.
It was a moderately sized mall. It looks the same as SM Annex, but only taller, much more sophisticated, and has more stores. It was around in the afternoon when we got inside. It took us more than 45 minutes to park. Right away, we started to look for a cafe or restaurant where we can sit and order. Since it was a Sunday, almost all of the restaurants/stalls were full, and few were opened yet. We decided to try a new cafe that is located only in SM Aura Premier.
The Royal Touch Gourmet Cupcakes, situated in the Lower Ground Level, has a nice ambiance. It is very elegant. The interiors definitely caught our attention. The chairs are comfortable, inviting us to really lounge and stay there. We wanted to check their menu so we could decide what to order. But the manager explained that they're on a soft opening so they don't have yet a menu. So we just asked her recommendations, their best sellers. We ordered the Cappuccino and Blueberry Cupcake (one of their best sellers) for me and Chocolate Cupcake with Choco Ganache for Joaqui.
The cupcakes were served in elegant porcelain plates. It felt like we were really having an English tea party. It looked perfect. But the taste was a different matter. My son loves chocolate cupcakes, but was not able to finish this one. I tried it. The choco ganache icing was good, but the cupcake was not that moist. The former was not rich nor dense at all. It was more of a light choco cupcake. When I tried my order, I was really disappointed. It tasted more like a muffin for me. It did not have the sweetness of a cupcake. It had the texture more of a quick bread or muffin. It did not have the tender crumb that I was looking for. The presentation of the cupcakes was really cute, but they need to improve the taste of their cupcakes.
We were almost done with the cupcakes when my cappuccino arrived. It took two follow-ups before my coffee came. The manager took note of that and apologized for the late delivery and explained again that they're just on soft opening. I saw that the other and late coffee orders were made before mine. Finally, I had my coffee. It look like cappuccino, but upon scooping the foam. I realized that it was just a thin milk foam. It was more of a latte. I tasted it. It was a latte. A big let down. Having been a real coffee addict and with a barista training on hand, I told them that I was not happy with my cuppa, a cappuccino should have three layers: a shot of espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 foamed milk. In my cup, there was only a thin layer of foamed milk, about a tablespoon only. The manager apologized profusely and explained again that it was just on a soft opening.
It was just a nice place to sit. But will we go there again? Maybe when they have improved their cupcakes and coffee.
P.S.
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