Joanie’s Cupcakes, Tomas Morato

I came upon this charming little cupcake shop by chance, while walking from school with my son. It’s called Joanie’s Cupcakes, and it serves decadent cupcakes and cakes at affordable prices. So I decided to drop by.

A good product is the foundation of a good business. Whatever it is you choose to sell, make sure it’s the best it can be.

As we stepped over the store’s threshold, we were greeted by a melange of mostly white wooden decor, punctuated with touches of pink, plus boxes, flowers, and a cupcake display. I felt like I was in a little princess’s bedroom.

Another thing that I instantly liked about the shop is the smell, a mix of treated wood and vanilla. It’s a place that’s good for curling up with a good book on a rainy afternoon, with a mug of hot cocoa and a cat.

Pastry chef Joan Lim, who is also the store owner, greeted us at the counter. She has a down-to-earth and friendly demeanor that I quickly took a liking to. Not all store owners would go so far as to greet their patrons personally, so this is a major plus point for her.

The store is still in its youth, so there were only a few wares available at the time — a chocolate cake, red velvet cake, chocolate cupcakes, a few teas. At least, those were what I noticed. There may have been other items that have escaped my attention, mostly because I had eyed the red velvet cake with gusto the moment I spotted it.

My son had the classic chocolate cupcake, while obviously, I got red velvet cake, plus tea.

It only took one bite of our respective cakes to fall in love with them. Despite my previous sojourn to Cafe Xocolat, I am not as fond of chocolate as an average chocolate-loving person is, so I didn’t try my son’s cupcake. But he is a rather picky eater who dislikes kiddie favorites like ice cream, cake, and spaghetti, so for him to like his cupcake says much.

As for my red velvet cake, it had that moist yet crumbly balance that I prefer in my cakes. And yes, it was delicious. The slightly tart and salty-sweet cream cheese icing perfectly complemented the gentle sweetness of the cake.

The only detractor in my meal was that the tea I had came from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, another of my favorite cafes. I felt that it was a slight cop-out in restocking the shop’s tea selection, but then again, it may have been an ad hoc alternative to not having anything to serve visitors. Besides, it’s still good tea, and the shop is about its cakes anyway.

Ms. Lim certainly produces good cakes, and I highly recommend this to cake lovers who happen to be in the area. We’ll definitely return — my son has already insisted on it — and I hope that she has restocked her fabulous cakes when we do.

Carmela