These days, the food and beverages (F&B) industry seems to be so hot with several food fads, and patrons are always on the lookout for something new to invigorate their palates. Joining other bloggers, I had my fair share of these “lookout” occasions. The most recent one happened last Saturday after we had lunch at Sentro 1771, Serendra. We asked around for directions and finally were led to the famous Wildflour Cafe + Bakery in Bonifacio Global City.
Why did we choose this place? Well, Wildflour Cafe + Bakery’s cronuts are believed to be the tastiest cronuts, or at least one of the most-craved treats, in the country right now. Also, the Wildflour Bakery + Cafe in Bonifacio Global City was the first in the Philippines to recreate its own version of the “ingenious hybrid between a croissant and donut.”
The response at the founding bakery which opened last year was apparently so overwhelming that up to now, customers are still advised to queue outside several minutes before they take out the cronuts from the kitchen. Find out more as you read the text below:
Review of Wildflour Cafe + Bakery (Bonifacio Global City)
Ambiance: ★★★☆☆
Standing at the corner of 26th street, Fort Bonifacio almost across The Fort Strip, this branch of Wildflour Cafe + Bakery looked like a good chill-out or hang-out venue for friends and small families. The place was incredibly busy, with dining customers flowing in and out endlessly.
Glass panes and high ceilings were a plus, giving the impression of a classy urban ambiance. Wordy instructions for “cronut customers” were posted on the wall that appears like a blackboard. The square art paintings and a heap of baked goodies displayed on the adjacent walls did a good job at popping some color and bringing out an accentuated design for its theme.
Seeing a counter full of alcoholic drinks near the aisle going to the kitchen, I thought Wildflour should not only call itself a cafe and bakery but a bar as well.
Service: ★★★☆☆
Determined to land our hands on some cronuts, we had our fair share of experience waiting in line to get a table inside the cafe. In an attempt to accommodate us, the staff offered us to be seated outside, but we begged off simply because we preferred coziness over mediocre ambiance.
The staff then showed us their restaurant seating layout and pointed that they were expecting a number of guests who called for reservations earlier, so we had less chances to get a table indoors. Shortly after, she agreed to forgo a table and allowed us to dine in until the intended customers arrive.
Once settled, we were handed the menu which appeared to be pretty straightforward. Immediately I saw that the croissant-doughnut flavors were not listed on their menu. The staff confirmed that they don’t put the flavors out there for some unknown reason. Instead, they have another piece of paper for the cronuts.
Next thing that struck us was that the cronuts are limited to only two pieces per table, as the management wants everyone (every table) to have a chance to taste these beautiful goodies. We were five. The cafe manager gently talked to us, explaining why production could not be scaled to match demand. Then we learned that they make the cronuts manually by hand and they undergo a quite complicated process.
Moreover, he had us noted that cronuts are released to be available ONLY at these times: 9:30AM-10AM; 12:30PM-1:00PM; 2:30PM-3:00PM; and 3:30PM-4:00PM, or until stocks last.
The same policy applies to people who’d take the cronuts to go. To sum, each table (dine-in) or person (dine-out) can be allocated with two cronuts and can only get more when there are extra/s left. We were lucky to have five of the “leftover” cronuts in different flavors as desired.
Another important thing to note is that they don’t have food delivery service. Customers who are ordering a maximum of six cronuts can contact Wildflour via phone 1-2 days prior to pickup and arrive at the specified window time. A 30-minute time allotment is given for the pickup. Beyond that, the pre-ordered croissant-doughnuts may be sold to other customers. For greater quantities, full payment is required, so customers have to physically be in Wildflour Cafe + Bakery to pay and place the reservation.
Food: ★★★☆☆
A loaf of complementary baguette with butter and glasses of water were served, as we waited for the cronuts we ordered: Chocolate (PHp 120), Dulce Leche (PHp 150), Mixed Berries (PHp 120), Hazelnut (PHp 150) and Tiramisu (PHp 150).
Rolled in sugar, all cronuts had the same custard cream filling which tasted light and was evenly distributed among the flaky layers; only the glaze/frosting was different according to the specified flavor. The surface of the fried croissant dough was perfectly crisp, which allowed for a satisfying bite, and the entire thing was hefty, airy and chewy. The cronuts were a little bigger than the average-sized donuts but with much more volume, so expect to get a mouthful in each bite (if you don’t cut it into manageable bite-size portions).
I liked the Tiramisu flavor best as it tasted rich, dense and bitterly sweet. This cronut’s only remarkable flaw was the lack of the coffee or espresso flavor that standard tiramisu boasts. This could be remedied with sips of coffee that’s recommended by the cafe manager.
The rest of the cronuts were just too sweet for me.
Price for Value: ★★☆☆☆
Currently retailing in 400-500 pieces made in a day and prices ranging from PHp 120 to PHp 150, the Wildflour’s cronuts are quickly sold out as soon as the queue gets cleared. This is one indication that the fad had somewhat transformed into a craze where inquisitive foodies are willing to splurge.
Other branch: G/F The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Contact no.: (02) 571-8588
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Oh my! Cronuts! I am drooling right now! The Dulce Leche looks so appetizing! =) ♥
The Dulce de Lecehe was not exceptionally delicious. It was yummy but not worth waiting in line for long and certainly not worth my calories.
I like that they manually do their cronuts and limits it to ensure that they still come out with a quality product over the profits of producing too much.
Yes, croissant dough is actually very difficult to deep fry, as the delicate sheeted dough tends to separate instantly in hot oil. They can do it for a time like that but when demand increases, they should think of better ways to make cronuts faster. Efficient service = more profits.
I am such a sweet tooth – was drooling on the dessert!!
I’m satisfied with these pastries, but I’m just more determined to try cronuts from other shops. 😉
Oh cronuts. I still haven’t tasted them but when I get there in a couple of months, I’ll make sure to drop by Wildflour 🙂
Be sure to be there earlier than the times I’ve mentioned in the post. During peak hours, expect that the line would continue to snake down the block and around the corner. There’s only about 100 cronuts made per batch and each customer is allowed to buy a maximum of 2.
I’ve yet to try cronuts, it’s not yet available around here…or none that I know of…looks good! And bakery’s name is a good spinoff! lol
I actually once thought that the name was “Wildflower” and so I kept pronouncing it with “wer” instead of “our.” 😀
This is new to me… cronut. I am familiar with donut, but not croissant. I look for the meaning of croissant. What I got is that croissant is crescent shape. How come that particular foodie, they call it cronut, combination of croissant and donut, but it is a ring-shaped with a hole at the center. I am confused. Anyway that is their way of innovating things.
Haha yeah it’s quite new to me to, since I’ve only learned about it this year. Cronuts have become available to us last year. This goodie has all the hallmarks of being a pastry diva: you can only get it in certain limited donuts shops and bakeries now and prices are expensive.
Oh medyo pricey pala ng cronut but for sure it’s worth it! Makes me hungry! haha
Yup. But buying one won’t hurt your wallet. 😀 It was a nice try!
Looks like anew famous cafe in town. Love to try their blueberry corn muffin.
I have visited other blogs and found that this bakery offers delightful presentations of food with good tastes however the only thing that discourages me is the price.
people really tend buy newly available goods (food, in this case) in the market… even if it’s not cheap, though the taste still matters para umulit. sample naman… LOL. Yahweh bless.
Sample? Nyahaha. 😛 I hope they offer discount vouchers through online deal sites soon.
I’ve been to Wild Flour only during the BGC eats and I liked their food.haven’t tried the cronuts,though.
Oh. We’ll drop by there next time to try other dishes on the menu. 🙂
[…] lunch with friends last Saturday at Casa Marcos Restobar, we walked into Da.U.De Tea Lounge (near Wildflour Cafe + Bakery) to continue our girl talk and get our tea fix. 😀 There was no way we could resist after it […]