My Bittersweet Cafe: Cupcakes by Sonja

"Sonja" say it...sooooon-ja! Not son-ya, but son-JA, the same "JA" you would say when calling a janitor, or janitress, or jail guard, or Jane, or James...you get the idea. Now that you say it right, let's talk about it.

I've come to know about Sonja before the cupcake craze and I've vowed to make an article about it the moment I have a blog...which was six years later. The thing I wanted to talk about Sonja is the idea of sacrificing price for quality. It's one of those places wherein you look at the price and say, "WHAAAT? 45 Pesos for a cupcake!?" That was six years ago when I first saw their price tag, and now it's priced at P65.00 and I'm not complaining. It's one of those who cater to a very particular market niche and does things right to please them. That's why they still stand and continue to make hundreds of cupcakes a day and end up being sold-out at the end of it. I value the fact that they choose to higher the price and not fall on the traps of commercialization by changing the recipe to lower the cost. I am also grateful of how, despite their success, they choose to remain this quaint corner bakery rather than expand to multiple branches and ruin their reputation as a real artisan cupcake.

My favorite cupcake of the bunch, due to its simple yet nostalgic taste.

I love it because it's also the cheapest of the bunch.

You are guaranteed a fresh batch every day because every batch is sold-out every day. Sonja's not the kind to make one or two good flavors to keep their business running and the rest are just fillers that will look cute on their display rack but taste like crap. No, every cupcake or pastry is created in its most sinful form that you can feel the guilty pleasure in every bite.

This made my mouth foam up with their whipped frosting.

Chocolate Surprise

Berry Delight Strawberry Cheesecake

Sonja makes it a point that each cupcake compliments their designated frosting partner. An example would be their Vanilla Sunshine wherein the cake is a little more compact because the frosting is on the simpler side, while Chocolate Surprise has a much lighter-crumblier cake because the frosting has the tendency to be heavy on the taste and texture. It's little considerations like these, proper portions and proportions that make the big difference why I cannot say that one cupcake flavor can compensate for another because they taste close to identical despite having different colors. I kinda think that Sonja's scumming me because of this, I tend not to settle with a single purchase, instead I get two or three since I crave for two different tastes at one time. Grrrrr...is all I can say, still, can't stop myself from coming back for more.

Now, I initially didn't like the idea of eating Red Velvet because I was biased to their redness and assumed it would taste bitter as the hue suggests it contains a lot of food coloring. It was a acquired taste for me, the cake, not the frosting...but eventually, after my third or so red velvet, I got the idea why it's their best seller. Like the rest of their cupcakes, they made the affair between the cake and the frosting so intimate that one cannot stand alone without the other. Red velvets have an airy but compact cake that tastes a little bit on the flavoring side; but if you bite into it with its sweet and tangy yet slightly grainy cream cheese frosting, then you'll know what others say when they say Sonja has the best red velvet cupcakes around! They are notably known for disappearing within a short span of time, and I mean this based on the recurring experience I have when going there. The reds are one of those that have to be baked continuously throughout the day down to late at night as people have a notorious knack of buying them by the dozens when they see a fresh batch available. I remember waiting with my friend for the next batch to be served at 11pm...and we weren't the only ones eagerly waiting either. I do consider it really good, but not like others who take it as an obsession.

Besides their cupcakes, I like their branding...how they package your cupcake with care in these individual boxes, and just the whole air of being in this dainty vintage cupcake shop and choosing from a selection of colorful treats behind the glass display is just so...delightful. Their interiors are nostalgic with carefully selected old-charm furnishings, you'd easily mistake it as an old american bakery lost in Serendra if not for the reality that it is proudly owned by a local that makes it more appealing.