Date: First Quarter 2008
Publication: Current Magazine
Section and Page: Current Indulgence, pp27-29
Publisher: Finserve Corporation, Meralco
Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes
A fresh and alternative dessert haven in the metro
By Ana M. Gonzales
There are some things that are meant together.
Like the perfect blend of fine coffee beans and the
right aroma to concoct a perfect caffeine indulgence, the sufficient dose of sweetener to create the perfect dessert pleasurable to every scrutinizing palate, and the perfect tandem to join forces in building an 
alternative café-bakery in the metro for every group of friends and family, or the solo flights, who just had enough of commercialized coffee shops.
For the south people, going to Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes, and looking for the quaint new cake shop in Katipunan Avenue might be foreseen as challenging. Unexpectedly, though, the rising pastry shop will not give you a hard time as the place just pops from the rest of its neighboring store: with Banapple’s yellow exterior and bright red door, plus its cute and brilliant-colored logo that will no-fail magnetize any certified sweet tooth passing by.
The dessert place is right across Pan de Manila and Freska. Visiting Banapple can be a bit of a challenge for the commuters, and the parking area can also be a problem to the diners with vehicles, especially during the peak hours. But then, there are good reasons why people who live near or far find it worth the trouble to go through the Katipunan stretch whether in their car or not to the risk the parking problem. Maybe the hefty number of in-store diners and people who takes out the cakes and pies see these as minor annoyances that will all be compensated by what the quaint pastry parlor has to offer.
As you enter the café-bakeshop, the sweet-tooth will be pleasantly greeted by mouth-watering cakes of all sort seated behind the usual bakery display glass counter. The accommodating waitresses who welcome the visitor not only wear nicely matched uniforms, but also complimenting welcoming smiles and greetings that perfectly go well with the place’s good vibes. Upon further intrusion, the craving dessert-lover will notice a board overhead the counter which boasts not only of their variety of cakes, but of different selection of coffee as well.
The place is not big, but the space is just right. It can get crowded during the peak seasons, but the ambiance the little café projects is more of privacy and intimacy. The place’s interior is just lovely, with its rustic and earthenware accents, and for its bright and cheery colors. The dominating yellow and orange color combinations stimulate the pastry shop’s already homey appeal. The terra cotta-designed tables are around 5 to 6, and the corner wall farther from the counter is covered by piles of up-to-date magazines, perfect for the typical café and bakeshop goers while they wait and have their relaxing time.
Upon taking a seat, eyes will definitely be drawn to the other far end wall of the place. Opposite the magazine wallpapered corner, layers and layers of baskets of pies and cookies and other pastries are displayed as if you have entered a dessert showroom. You will find there the bestsellers Banana Nut Muffin (Php40), Creamy Chicken Pie (Php40), and other muffin, pies, and cookies at affordable rates and ample sizes. Atop the baskets of pastries are the packaging boxes for the cakes, which are both eye-catching and vibrant in design.
You simply cannot visit Banapple without devouring even a slice of its Banoffee Pie and the Apple Caramel Crumble Pie, the pastries that made their bakeshop popular more than the usual, and where the brand name was taken. The delightful Banoffee Pie, at Php65 per slice and Php480 for a whole cake, has a mouthwatering caramel layer for those who are craving for sweets, and has the right amount of banana filling to neutralize and compliment the sweet taste and texture of the pie. Topped with whipped cream, shards of dark chocolate, and its fine buttery graham cracker crust, Banapple’s Banoffee Pie is purely heavenly.
To complete the portmanteau of the brand name, the Apple Caramel Crumble Pie contends with the Banoffee with its cinnamon-crusted outside, and apple fillings that are not soggy but crisp and crunchy. At Php75 per slice, and Php560 for a whole pie, this warm and moist apple pie can be upgraded to ala mode with just an additional of Php35.
No wonder Banapple is fast building its loyal customer base, the cakes and pies are simply superb. The wide selection will make it difficult for you to order, and settling for one or two varieties for the day will make you vow that you will be back for the others some other time. Pia Dedace, a graduating Ateneo communication student and Banapple fan, testified that she definitely goes back “for the cozy place.” Moreover, she said that Banapple exudes a “perfect hangout after a tiring day at school, a great alternative for the usual coffee shops”, and that their Banoffee Pie is “like no other”.
Other than students, frequently sighted in the restaurant are doctors from the nearby hospital, call center agents, office workers, and even celebrities.
So what is the secret of this new café-bakery?
More than the perfect combination of banana and apple pastries, Banapple is also a product of a perfect tandem. A home-based business in 2000, the couple GJ and Maricel Jimenez used to only supply for restaurants and bakeshops. The business had a mini-expansion in the year 2004 with the investment of more equipment and hiring more people. The year 2007 marked the start of a dream come true for the baker Maricel, as she and her husband GJ, who is more on managing the business side of the bakery-café, opened their own brand of cakes and pies shop in Blue Ridge, Katipunan.
With the perfect combination of the pleasant ambiance, a dose of great food, and stirred with the most accommodating staff, a trip to Banapple will definitely be a sweet treat.
A fresh and alternative dessert haven in the metro
By Ana M. Gonzales
There are some things that are meant together.
Like the perfect blend of fine coffee beans and the
right aroma to concoct a perfect caffeine indulgence, the sufficient dose of sweetener to create the perfect dessert pleasurable to every scrutinizing palate, and the perfect tandem to join forces in building an 
alternative café-bakery in the metro for every group of friends and family, or the solo flights, who just had enough of commercialized coffee shops.For the south people, going to Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes, and looking for the quaint new cake shop in Katipunan Avenue might be foreseen as challenging. Unexpectedly, though, the rising pastry shop will not give you a hard time as the place just pops from the rest of its neighboring store: with Banapple’s yellow exterior and bright red door, plus its cute and brilliant-colored logo that will no-fail magnetize any certified sweet tooth passing by.
The dessert place is right across Pan de Manila and Freska. Visiting Banapple can be a bit of a challenge for the commuters, and the parking area can also be a problem to the diners with vehicles, especially during the peak hours. But then, there are good reasons why people who live near or far find it worth the trouble to go through the Katipunan stretch whether in their car or not to the risk the parking problem. Maybe the hefty number of in-store diners and people who takes out the cakes and pies see these as minor annoyances that will all be compensated by what the quaint pastry parlor has to offer.
As you enter the café-bakeshop, the sweet-tooth will be pleasantly greeted by mouth-watering cakes of all sort seated behind the usual bakery display glass counter. The accommodating waitresses who welcome the visitor not only wear nicely matched uniforms, but also complimenting welcoming smiles and greetings that perfectly go well with the place’s good vibes. Upon further intrusion, the craving dessert-lover will notice a board overhead the counter which boasts not only of their variety of cakes, but of different selection of coffee as well.
The place is not big, but the space is just right. It can get crowded during the peak seasons, but the ambiance the little café projects is more of privacy and intimacy. The place’s interior is just lovely, with its rustic and earthenware accents, and for its bright and cheery colors. The dominating yellow and orange color combinations stimulate the pastry shop’s already homey appeal. The terra cotta-designed tables are around 5 to 6, and the corner wall farther from the counter is covered by piles of up-to-date magazines, perfect for the typical café and bakeshop goers while they wait and have their relaxing time.
Upon taking a seat, eyes will definitely be drawn to the other far end wall of the place. Opposite the magazine wallpapered corner, layers and layers of baskets of pies and cookies and other pastries are displayed as if you have entered a dessert showroom. You will find there the bestsellers Banana Nut Muffin (Php40), Creamy Chicken Pie (Php40), and other muffin, pies, and cookies at affordable rates and ample sizes. Atop the baskets of pastries are the packaging boxes for the cakes, which are both eye-catching and vibrant in design.
You simply cannot visit Banapple without devouring even a slice of its Banoffee Pie and the Apple Caramel Crumble Pie, the pastries that made their bakeshop popular more than the usual, and where the brand name was taken. The delightful Banoffee Pie, at Php65 per slice and Php480 for a whole cake, has a mouthwatering caramel layer for those who are craving for sweets, and has the right amount of banana filling to neutralize and compliment the sweet taste and texture of the pie. Topped with whipped cream, shards of dark chocolate, and its fine buttery graham cracker crust, Banapple’s Banoffee Pie is purely heavenly.
To complete the portmanteau of the brand name, the Apple Caramel Crumble Pie contends with the Banoffee with its cinnamon-crusted outside, and apple fillings that are not soggy but crisp and crunchy. At Php75 per slice, and Php560 for a whole pie, this warm and moist apple pie can be upgraded to ala mode with just an additional of Php35.
No wonder Banapple is fast building its loyal customer base, the cakes and pies are simply superb. The wide selection will make it difficult for you to order, and settling for one or two varieties for the day will make you vow that you will be back for the others some other time. Pia Dedace, a graduating Ateneo communication student and Banapple fan, testified that she definitely goes back “for the cozy place.” Moreover, she said that Banapple exudes a “perfect hangout after a tiring day at school, a great alternative for the usual coffee shops”, and that their Banoffee Pie is “like no other”.
Other than students, frequently sighted in the restaurant are doctors from the nearby hospital, call center agents, office workers, and even celebrities.
So what is the secret of this new café-bakery?
More than the perfect combination of banana and apple pastries, Banapple is also a product of a perfect tandem. A home-based business in 2000, the couple GJ and Maricel Jimenez used to only supply for restaurants and bakeshops. The business had a mini-expansion in the year 2004 with the investment of more equipment and hiring more people. The year 2007 marked the start of a dream come true for the baker Maricel, as she and her husband GJ, who is more on managing the business side of the bakery-café, opened their own brand of cakes and pies shop in Blue Ridge, Katipunan.
With the perfect combination of the pleasant ambiance, a dose of great food, and stirred with the most accommodating staff, a trip to Banapple will definitely be a sweet treat.
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