M Bakery: New York's Finest Opens at One Bonifacio High Street Mall

Maybe it's the subtle pastel hues of the cakes and cupcakes following precise Pantone specifications. Or being chosen as one of Zagat's 9 Game-Changing Desserts To Try Around The US. Or the scene with Carrie and Miranda enjoying vanilla cupcakes topped with pink vanilla buttercream adorned with a sugar daisy at Magnolia Bakery's Bleecker Street location in Sex And The City. Whatever it is, Magnolia Bakery, or simply M Bakery, has become a global phenomenon and one of New York's finest. And it's now here...

Now an original New York institution, M Bakery brings its renowned cupcakes with its first ever branch in Manila, opening on August 22 at One Bonifacio High Street Mall. Just a little than than a two weeks away, you can soon enjoy the indulgent temptations from one of the world's most recognized bakeries. Just ask Carrie and Miranda... 

Magnolia Bakery, or M Bakery, is much more than just a bakery. It's a unique experience with that distinct and honest yet flamboyant flair straight from The Big Apple. Since it opened in New York's West Village in 1996, Magnolia Bakery has always been known for its classic American baked goods with its rustic vintage decor. 

The love for cupcakes knows no borders, and now Magnolia Bakery can be found not only in New York City where its sweet and inspiring story started, but in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. And M Bakery goes global, with stores in Seoul, Mexico City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, Riyadh, Amman and Doha. And now, M Bakery opens in Manila. Simultaneous to the scheduled opening of its first ever branch in Manila, the final touches are being laid on the opening of new stores in Washington D.C., Sao Paulo, and Istanbul. Now that's quite a success story, any way you look at it. And it all began with their signature cupcakes back in 1996 with its original location in Bleecker Street in New York's West Village. Just what is it about M Bakery's legendary cupcakes? To start with, each one is meticulously handmade using the finest and freshest ingredients, absolutely no short cuts. There's a whole lot of love that goes with each of M Bakery's impressive handmade menu items, nearly 250 decadent creations in all. There's just nothing like the comforting aroma of fresh baked treats, and you can experience it yourself as M Bakery hand makes each tempting dessert on premise every day. Just take a peek behind the glass walls and you'll find M Bakery's team of dedicated artisans intricately layering and frosting each cupcake with rich and velvety smooth buttercream. Everyday. You've experienced that kid in a toy store feeling, this is so much better.

But there's more to M Bakery than just cupcakes. There's elegant cakes, sumptuous pies and tasty cookies baked in small batches and made fresh from scratch every single day. Then, there's the famous Banana Pudding, firmly establishing M Bakery as the much loved and cherished dessert destination it is today. Just ask Zagat. Or Carrie and Miranda...

And why not. The Banana Pudding is the stuff dessert dreams are made of, with layers of vanilla wafers topped with fresh and sweet bananas crowned with creamy vanilla pudding. Each spoonful coats the palate with its smooth and decadent richness, making you dig deeper for another bite. The signature Banana Pudding also comes in a chocolate version with layers of OREO wafers, chocolate pudding and chocolate shavings for that winning chocolate trifecta. 

During the exclusive media preview, The entire team prepped the day's batch of fresh cupcakes, cheesecakes and their Icebox Desserts. Under the supervision of M Bakery's corporate chefs straight from New York, there was an infectious and pervading sense of positive good vibes all around. It's definitely the cupcakes.  

Dessert just isn't complete without coffee. Pair your dessert with M Bakery's selection of premium brews and soothing teas, like Espresso, Cappuccino, Americano, Latte, Caffe Mocha, Chai Latte and Hot Tea. Craving for some chocolate love? M Bakery's Hot Cocoa or the local Tsokolate Tablea should do the trick. 

A quick scan inside M Bakery's charming vintage-style interiors revealed more of their classic yet elegant approach to desserts, like the captivating Swiped Pearl with its delicate buttercream pattern in subdued pastel shades... 

...or the Flowers, Leaves & Vines with its nostalgic yet playful design. M Bakery also offers cakes for all celebrations like Carrot, Coconut, Devil's Food, German Chocolate, Hummingbird, and Red Velvet in 6" and 9" sizes. More intricate cakes requiring advance orders include the Confetti, Banana, Caramel, Flourless Chocolate, and Lemon. Whatever the occasion, big or small, M Bakery's got the perfect cake for it. Just pick your cake, design theme and Pantone color preference, and leave it to M Bakery to create a memorable cake.

Then there's the cupcakes that has since been a New York favorite. And yours too. With a variety of flavors and colors and infinite toppings, having a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery just makes any day so much better.

Further down, the rustic Blueberry Jamboree caught my eye. This one's a personal favorite from Magnolia Bakery's Icebox Desserts with its pecan shortbread crust topped with whipped cream and cheese filling capped by tart and sweet blueberries. The Icebox Desserts come in bars, mini pies and 9" cakes, perfect for the local weather. It's desserts like these, from the homestyle pies that evoke pure nostalgic Americana to the elaborate cakes that make M Bakery special.

But it's seeing how each of these desserts are made that made the experience at M Bakery even better. Make that sweeter. Magnolia Bakery's Chef Joely Anderson showed how it's done with buttercream in just a few amazing minutes.

The elaborate floral patterns are executed with both speed and precision, and Chef Joely Anderson makes it look easy. The Production Manager for Magnolia Bakery's Chicago location, Chef Joely brings with her a wealth of experience and this is evident from the get-go as she piped the finishing touches on the cake.

All it took was a few minutes for Chef Joely Anderson to transform the cake in that classic Magnolia Bakery style. That's buttercream love right there.

Magnolia Bakery's best-selling cupcakes can easily be identified with their trademark swirl of rich buttercream. But Chef Joely Anderson demonstrated even more elaborate patterns inspired by a floral theme created with buttercream. 

In swift motions, the cupcake is given the signature Magnolia Bakery touch...

...just like that. It's this handmade quality of each dessert made at Magnolia Bakery that makes it truly shine. As with all Magnolia Bakery locations, the vintage style interiors include a semi-open kitchen layout where pastry chefs can be seen decorating cupcakes and cakes in full view.

A new pastry piping bag with buttercream in a different color is used for another design, just as complex as the first. Two designs done, and a third on the way, Chef Joely Anderson caps each cupcake with her artistic style, literally "icing on the cake."

Rose, Daisy or Petals, you can have your cupcake in any flavor or design to fit your mood. Fans of Sex And The City will be happy to know that M Bakery will be offering the Carrie Cupcake in Manila. Who can forget the memorable vanilla cupcake topped with pink vanilla buttercream finished with that Magnolia Bakery buttercream swirl? But there's so much more to choose from, simply take a look at the glass chillers and check out the day's fresh-baked batch. And you can expect even more exciting flavors as M Bakery plans to roll out desserts unique to the market using local ingredients. I'm told M Bakery is doing some exciting things with the local calamansi.

Managing Partner Stewart Lee Ong (L) and Magnolia Bakery Director of Franchise Operations, Erick Larios (R) shared their stories on the Brand's journey to Manila. It all began with Stewart's countless visits to the bakery as a frequent customer during his trips to New York. He just had to bring back the experience to Manila.

The market and timing seems right. Manila's culinary scene is emerging, with many of the world's best and widely known brands making its mark among local consumers. The world, it seems, is going to Manila. And there's definitely room for another, with its own unique and special story. The team then served their freshly baked treats including cookies like the Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies...

...and my personal favorite, the Blueberry Jamboree in bite-sized sampling portions. 

And, yes, cupcakes too in all colors and flavors. From the popular Red Velvet with Whipped Vanilla or Cream Cheese icing to the rich Vanilla or moist and velvety Chocolate and some seasonal flavors too. And each one is delicately handcrafted to perfection adding to the rustic charm of M Bakery. Made with the finest ingredients, many from the US, the quality of Magnolia Bakery is faithfully recreated at M Bakery. 

From Peanut Butter to Key Lime, Banana Cream Pie and another favorite, the Snickers (R) with chocolate wafer crust layered with peanut butter, cream cheese and whipped cream filling topped with Snickers from Magnolia Bakery's extensive Icebox Desserts, the preview showcased the bakery's most popular and finest menu items.

Everyone had their own Banana Pudding too to complete the Magnolia Bakery experience. Stewart Lee Ong, Phil Jacobe Ventures Inc. Managing Director for the local franchise, recalled how he would have this every single day during his frequent trips to New York. With its fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding on vanilla wafers, it's easy to fall in love with Magnolia Bakery's best-selling Banana Cream. And so will you. But don't forget their equally popular Cheesecake, in Key Lime or Red Velvet on a cookie crumb crust.

And when you start your morning with desserts like these, the rest of the day just becomes so much better.

Handcrafted excellence and outstanding customer service, experience M Bakery opening soon at BGC. The team at M Bakery is all set and ready to welcome you on August 22 at One Bonifacio High Street Mall, and to make things even more special, treats will be given to the first 100 customers in line. The first five customers will be given a year's supply of their famous Banana Pudding, that's one large Banana Pudding per month for the lucky five. The succeeding 95 customers will receive a complimentary small Banana Pudding for a minimum order of P 500. How's that for a grand opening? Doors open at exactly 2:00 pm on August 22, but since the word is already out, come early for a shot at the first 100 in line. Or aim higher for the first five position. A year's supply of Banana Pudding is well worth the shot.

After the media preview, each guest received a box of M Bakery's signature desserts, a taste of New York to bring home including one Large and one Small Banana Pudding and one Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookie...

...and two of their specialty cupcakes, the Carrie Cupcake and Red Velvet with Vanilla Cream icing. Beyond its selection in Zagat's 9 Game-Changing Desserts To Try Around The US and Carrie's chat with Miranda on the bench outside its Bleecker Street store with the now iconic Vanilla Cupcake with pink vanilla buttercream, M Bakery is an experience not to be missed. And it's now here...

M Bakery is located at Unit 23, Lower Ground Level, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 5th Avenue corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City or call (02) 847-9829 for inquiries. You can also check out their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/mbakeryph/ for more updates.

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