Red Ribbon Bakery

You can clearly see the dense layers in the cake.

Let's talk quality and distribution. No, I'm not saying there are roaches in the soup or anything. I'm just a little bit baffled how a business issuing a promo for themselves and the merchandise they carry can sample out products which are not exactly up to par for distribution.  One situation happened today at Red Ribbon Bakery in the Kemps River section of Virginia Beach.  I had with a me a coupon to receive a free slice of cake with any store purchase. So I bought a cheese ensymada and received a mocha roll as my freebie. I've eaten mocha rolls before from different Filipino bakeries as well as growing up with the mocha rolls my mom used to make. Along with my experience as a home baker, it is common knowledge for me to see a well baked cake without even tasting it.  Well, let's talk about this mocha roll. As expected, I received a slice of rolled thin layer of sponge cake with a butter mocha flavored icing in between the layers.  Visually, it didn't look appealing. Here's why--- the cake was distinctively dense. Looked like someone forgot to use some baking powder and baking soda. It's no lie when they say you eat with your eyes first. I almost lost my appetite. You can take a look at the layers and before you even get that fork and slice into the piece, you can see the thick dense cake. Of course, I knew I still had to give the benefit of the doubt and taste the cake. The flavors were spot on. Nice mocha taste in the cake but it's the buttery mocha icing with the chocolate shavings that really take you to heaven. I'd rather have just a bowl of the icing.  The texture of the cake was of that to be expected. It was jelly-like and hard and minimized the flavor the cake had the potential to have.

      What bothered me more than the lack of quality in the cake was the fact that the slice of cake was even allowed to be given out to customers. What kind of business would intentionally continue the distribution of a product that is obviously not meeting the standards of the quality that, I am sure, would reflect back on the business itself? I'm confused!  If I had my own restaurant and I came across an item on my menu that just isn't up to the standards that my business should live by, it wouldn't even go out. Regardless if the product is free or not, it shouldn't go out!

     I took my thought processes even further and dissected how this cake was manufactured. I know how to make a mocha roll. You bake the cake first in a thin layer pan, then let it cool when it's completed. Once cooled, you apply a layer of mocha frosting then with the cake in a horizontal direction, roll it carefully starting from the bottom end until you reach the top. Common sense while you're doing this would let you know if the cake is soft and fluffy or if it's dense. Judging from the slice, it left the manufacturer as is. But what about when it got to the bakery itself? Wouldn't you know when you started slicing the cake that it's just a tad dense? And you still put it out to give out to the customers? Maybe I'm assuming this-- and I hate to assume-- but it sounds like someone is more concerned about saving money rather than putting forth good product. You might be saving money by using the bad roll but you just lost a 12.00 sale because I have no intentions of buying that cake anytime soon. And if I'm feeling that way, what about other customers who also received the mocha roll? It was their last chance to make a first impression and frankly, I'm leery about buying a full size mocha roll. With the economy being the way it is, I certainly will not afford 12.00 on mocha roll when I could buy 2 dozen warm doughnuts from Krispy Kreme for about the same price.

     Now I am going to be fair . I have tried other products this company sells and like most places, it has it's hits and misses. The hits-- the pastries like the sponge cake (mamon), the butter and cheese brioche (ensymada), the buttery chiffon cake (taison) and pretty much any of the shakes they offer. My favorite is the ube shake (purple yam shake). If you've never seen ube, it's purple. Almost like a grape color. It looks like it may taste like grape but the shake as well as the ube cake mimics the flavor of butter pecan. So if you like butter pecan, you'll love the ube shake and the ube cake. I also recommend the halo-halo, a cold beverage dessert with shaved ice, sweet fruit, and ice cream.   The misses-- the pan de sal. This traditional and popular sweet dinner roll comes in the original plain or wheat at Red Ribbon. I didn't care for either one. The fresh batch was already dry and it got even dryer as the days went on.  There are better places to buy pan de sal in this area.

      In addition to pastries and cakes, Red Ribbon also sells hot foods. I've tried their beef empanada, which looks more like a beef filled pop tart than a savory turnover. It's seasoned fairly well, although you  would need to purchase these when they are freshly cooked. Sometimes the meat filling can be dry and chewy. The other hot foods I have not yet sampled. I'll be fair and wait and write a separate blog on that hopefully delectable experience.

http://redribbonbakeshop.us