Davao City: Sweet Sensation at Osvaldo's Cakes

I have always heard of Davao as a province with good discipline, fun leisure activities, and delightful treats for the tummy. For the most parts, I was glad to observe that there weren't much trash in public and that the smokers kept their activities in private. I wasn't able to try out any activity since my visit was more of work than relaxation. And on to the food, I'm glad to have discovered a great dessert place called Osvaldo's Cakes.

Tucked inside the compound where Legaspi Suites is located is Osvaldo's Cakes, an open-kitchen themed dessert place for every foodie with sweet tooth.

The store has a simple yet elegant structure where family and friends can stay in, share good stories while eating desserts and sipping a cup of coffee. I love the ambiance inside, as well as the refreshing sight outside when the sun is still out.

The store is owned by the baker himself, Joe Rodriguez who has revealed that Osvaldo's Cakes is a result of his passion for baking. I have to tell you that the desserts are very delicious, which is why it came as a surprise that Joe was a jack of many trades. He graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy, tried out being a flight attendant in Emirates, had a stint as a hotelier, and finally settling in Davao as a master baker.

At Osvaldo's Cakes, Joe bakes different kinds of desserts and pastries every day. If you're staying at the nearby hotel, you can request for a cake and he'll try to do it for you the next day. As a graduate Wilton, master baker Joe is really good at creating all types of cakes with very beautiful designs - by beautiful, I mean stunning, intricate, and awesome designs. Pictured above are some of the special cakes he has done.

My friends and I managed to try out several desserts while chitchatting and playing games inside Osvaldo's. (Look how full I am - I'm holding my tummy already, LOL!) Let me share them to all of you.

We started tasting the simplest of them all - Joe's own version of Brownies (Php75). Each serving is a square-sized pastry with a bit of nuts, which we finished very quickly. As a matter of fact, my friend wanted to share her brownies to me, but because it was very chewy and literally melts in the mouth, she told me to just buy a piece for myself. All of us who tried the brownies loved every bit of it!

Next up was the Carrot Cake with Himalayan crystal salt (Php165/slice or Php1,300 whole). I'm not fond of carrots, but cakes like this mean a different thing for me. For one, cakes are sweet unlike carrots. Another thing, they look better than real carrots! Hands down to this carrot cake, it wasn't too sweet nor bland - just a balance of everything. But just so we're assured not to feel to suya or umay (no exact translation for that in English), the Himalayan salt is meant to equalize our taste palettes. 

Red is for sexy and this Red Velvet Cake (Php105/slice and Php780 whole) just tastes sexy and delicious. Similar to the carrot cake, it was really moist, not too sweet nor bland, and very easy to chew. The presentation came with a dash of strawberry syrup to add sweetness in case you still want more. It was actually a good combination.

We also got to try the Apple Pie with warm vanilla sauce (Php150/slice). This dessert tasted very rich and full. It came with the usual apples and cinnamon, but the crust wasn't too thick that it was hard to slice. The vanilla sauce added flavor and richness as a whole. I love that it was sweet, yet not overly sweet as other apple pies would taste.

All of the desserts at Osvaldo's Cakes are simply satisfying. It gave us that sweet sensation we were looking for. To think that we ate one dessert after another, we still left the place not feeling overly full with sweets. Joe surely knows how to balance the sweetness level and at the same time maintains the quality of the pastry to be moist and chewy. 

When in Davao and searching for a great dessert place, I would highly suggest Osvaldo's Cakes. Master baker Joe Rodriguez also accepts orders for specialty cakes for weddings, birthdays, and just any occasion. 

Make sure to order 2-3 days in advance, so he can give you a great-looking cake depending on your proposed design and budget. At the onset, be willing to spend Php4,000 and up for Fondant Cakes, Php20,000 and up for Wedding Cakes, Php1,500 and up for a dozen of cupcakes with toppers. Of course, all these are negotiable.

While we're at Osvaldo's Cakes, I also recommend staying in Paseo De Lagaspi. It's a compound where the Legaspi Suites hotel is located alongside several restaurants like Kusina Selera. At night, the place turns into a light gimmick place, where friends can hang out without much of the lights and very loud music.

Photos taken by Raphael Torres using BlackBerry 9780.

Specialty Cake Photos by Joe Rodriguez

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Osvaldo's Cakes by Joe Rodriguez
Door 7, Paseo De Legaspi,
115 Pelayo Street, Davao City
Mobile: 09192915008
Open Mondays-Saturdays 9AM-10PM