Bar Dolci: Making Life Sweeter

It's been a while since I've last indulged in a good cup of Italian gelato. I have always planned to pay Gelatissimo and Cara Mia Gelateria a visit, but have been constantly failing due to a variety of reasons. However, luck was on my side as the next Eat's a Date event was held at Bar Dolci, a sweets café at Burgos Circle, The Fort.

Although Bar Dolci is barely a year old, this orange and white themed desserts wonder is already making a buzz in the market. And how can it not, the storefront is as inviting as an excitable kid having his first birthday party. It can also successfully distract a passerby since peaking outside its glass window and door is a view of Bar Dolci's delightful treats.

Entering the humble café made me really excited as a wide assortment of creamy goodness greeted us. The place was also filled with interesting scribbles of what seemed to be hand-written names. The windows and even the stair's glass railing were smothered with orange and yellow-colored writings. It turns out that these were written by Bar Dolci's customers, leaving written memorabilia of their visit and returns.

The café's second floor houses a long table with three LCD televisions for their customers' entertainment. They also have a lounge-y area with comfy seats for people who just want to chill while enjoying Bar Dolci's treats. I also noticed that there is a recurring use of framed monochrome photos with orange accents which added a chic yet homey feel to the place.

You are probably dying to read the part about the gelato, much like how I felt waiting to be served their Italian specialties. However, we didn't start with their famous cold concoctions. Instead, we were first served their savory appetizers.

We first had their Bacon and Cheese Bruschetta (P260) -- a delightful Italian antipasto with bacon and cheese toppings over seasoned focaccia bread.

This appetizer was well received by our group as it tasted like a hybrid of carbonara pasta and bacon and cheese pizza. My date had particularly expressed his fondness for this, although I somehow found it a little too salty for my taste.

We were then served with their Four Cheese Bruschetta (P260) -- a savory combination of gruyere, mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheeses over seasoned focaccia bread.

I'm a cheese lover so this was a hit for me. The cheeses gave a lovely blend of salty, sweet and of course, cheesy flavors. The focaccia bread was also very soft and slightly crunchy which made this appetizer highly satisfying.

After two antipasti, we thought we'd go over to the desserts already. However we were served another savory bruschetta appetizer, their Garlic and Mushroom Bruschetta (P260).

A slice of this goodie made both my date and I really happy. Although this was an item made for vegetarians, we were delighted as the bread carries two of our favorite food ingredients -- garlic and mushroom. The taste made us even happier as it had strong flavors.

We were also given their Gruyere Poufs with Marinara Dip (P150). However since I don't really eat a lot of cheese puffs, I cannot really tell if Bar Dolci's version was authentic. I can say though that the gruyere poufs were not taste-catching enough for me, although the marinara dip was quite good.

We have also tried their Beignets with Chocolate Espresso Dip (P130).

I'm not too big on deep-fried pastries so I can't really tell if these were at par with authentic beignets. However, I personally found the pastry just okay. The chocolate espresso dip on the other hand, was pretty interesting. It tasted like a deeper, richer and more bitter dark chocolate.

Bar Dolci may have been known for their gelato offerings. However, they also make and sell one of the best macarons in Manila. They have tons of flavors ranging from ordinary to some local favorites.

Dark Chocolate, Black Currant, Cafe, Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate Chip Caramel, Ferrero,
Minty Chocolate, Green Tea, Raspberry, Walnut Chocolate, Coco Pandan, Salted Caramel, Thai Tea, Pistachio

Each piece of Bar Dolci's macarons sell for P50 so we were really delighted to be given a chance to taste these divine sweet confectionery.

While my date got the bestselling macaron flavor Ferrero which tasted really good by the way, I on the other hand got the Coco Pandan.

My macaron was lovely. The meringue was delicately light and crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The ganache-filling also had a strong hint of coco and pandan. It was like eating a bowl of buko pandan in pastry form.

A piece of Bar Dolci's macaron is already enough to make me feel like I'm in pastry heaven, but we were very lucky as the generous manager even brought us another round.

After the savory appetizers and heavenly macarons, we finally got to taste Bar Dolci's gelato. There were tons of flavors and I'm glad I got to sample most of them.

Extra Dark Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, Raspberry Black Tea Sorbet, Manhattan Cheesecake
Banana with Caramelized White Chocolate, Eggnog (1% alcohol), Thai Tea, Limoncello Sorbet

White Chocolate Wasabi, Salted Caramel, Choco Chip Cookie, Bubblegum, Cappuccino,
Homemade Live Organic Yogurt with Blueberry, Straciatella, Pistachio, Ferrero, French Vanilla

This is not an exaggeration, but every flavor that I've tasted was good in it's own right. Light flavors such as the sorbets really tasted light and refreshing. The deeper flavors on the other hand, were truly rich. However although I would've loved to order my all-time favorite Pistachio and Ferrero combination, I deviated from my usual choice and went for a mix of the Bubblegum which tasted similar to Bazooka and that ice cream with the bubblegum at the bottom, and Mint Chocolate.

My date on the other hand, got himself a combination of Banana with Caramelized White Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookie.

After sampling almost all of Bar Dolci's scrumptious offerings, it was time to end the date. However, I would like to again thank OpenRice and Bar Dolci for the wonderful evening of sweet treats. Oh, and I'm looking forward to the next date.

PS: If you're wondering, my date was not in this photo. He's camera shy.

THE VERDICT

Although there are still Bar Dolci food items that we haven't tried (such as the cocktail gelato popsicles and scones), I'm fairly impressed with what we've sampled. The savories were satisfying, the macarons were heavenly, and the gelatos were addicting. The café is also a very nice place for a quick snack, or for hanging out with friends. The servers, although not the friendliest, were quite accommodating and alert. Mr. Ryan though, was especially very welcoming and nice.

Bar Dolci may be very far from my place. However if I'm around the area, or if traffic will not interfere, I will definitely pay this desserts gem a visit soon as it really made my life sweeter.

Taste - 4.5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Bar Dolci, Burgos Circle
F133 Forbeswood Heights cor. Burgos Circle,
Fort Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 846-8245
Official Website
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