I saw it coming. Playing the oldest albeit tried and tested trick on the book, chocolate cheesecake is after all a classic. But Indulgence by Irene knows better than to settle for the usual. Hence, Tsokolate Tablea Cheesecake was born and taken under her arsenal of well-loved line of cheesecakes. Opting for the local chocolate variant instead of hyped imported ones, Irene’s penchant for combining ingredients close to the hearts of many Filipino to her cheesecake made her products speak not only of talent but of passion and love.
Indulgence by Irene’s famous Queso de Bola Cheesecake that can rock anyone’s world, the Choc-Nut Cheesecake that tickles the kid in all of us, and the Ube Cheesecake that features a bond between two talented home bakers are all well worth celebrating for. Equally impressive is the Tablea Cheesecake, home baker Irene’s interpretation of the richest thing that resulted from marrying her preferred brand of cream cheese and the traditional Filipino cocoa.
In hindsight backed up with shameless honesty, excitement did not rear its head upon learning of this new variant. Jaded by encounters with various grades of mediocre tablea cheesecakes in the past, I knew I have had enough. So when I was handed this Tablea Cheesecake of Indulgence by Irene, it was a shame to admit that I was struggling to fend off the usual impulse to turn away from it.
There’s no reason for me to dislike tsokolate tablea, it was and still is a Filipino comfort food. But having it in a form of cheesecake, I was on a fence. Tablea is known for its robust flavor that can put any chocolate of weak flavor profile to shame. More often than not, its flavor would just mask the gentleness of the creamy cheese especially when executed poorly.
Tablea Cheesecake of Indulgence by Irene strikes a fine balance between chocolaty and cheesy.
Its color reeks of deception since its dark hue is suggestive of intense chocolate flavor, while the smell chains it to that notion. Yet, ever so shyly, in every bite, the creaminess of the cheese will slowly sashay into your palate, to cut through the intensity of the cocoa, leaving you with nothing but bliss.
The cocoa side of the spectrum speaks of comforting tradition, a reminder of happy days filled with cups of tablea shared with loved ones. It also echoes a noble pursuit of patriotic decision to make use of local ingredient rooted from our native land. A very apt representation since the tablea that Irene uses is a homemade variant sourced from Davao. The proverbial cheese on the other hand is a trusted brand boasting of unprecedented quality. The usual choice among serious cheesecake bakers. The marriage of the two is the kind you would wish to last a lifetime. I know I did.
The question thrown at me was that if this Tablea Cheesecake rocked my world the way Queso de Bolo variant did. It did not. But it sure changed my otherwise forever jaded perspective. Despite all the bad, there's a good one coming.
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Cheesecakes of Indulgence by Irene
Contact Nos.: + 63 922 830 3900, +63 917 622 5800
Facebook Page: /IndulgencebyIrene
Order at least 1 day in advance
Pick up in Ortigas
Meet up in Magallanes on weekday mornings and afternoons.
