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| - I had heard of this bakery from a competitor who holds shop in Chandler. I have fond memories of delicious cakes from Red Ribbon from birthday parties of years past back home. Filipinos LOVE to throw a party, and I swear cakes from Red Ribbon were always present. You can imagine the nostalgia that swept over me, then, when I finally found this bakeshop situated near the food court in Arizona Mills.
The shop looked so pretty- all lit up and all these enticing baked goods wrapped in plastic/cellophane with candy-red printing. (Hmm... an alarm went off in my head after seeing them all wrapped up.) The shop looked very clean, with welcoming tables and chairs, and my, how lovely those cake rolls look in the case! Imagine, then, my disappointment upon reading the nutrition info on these plastic-wrapped goods to find that most, if not all, items are made with margarine, not butter. These baked goods failed the "farm vs. factory" test- ingredients listed sound more like they're mechanically-produced in a factory rather than being all-natural, such as "flour, eggs, butter, milk," etc. Before sampling what I must admit was a delicious morsel of mocha crunch cake, I asked if the frosting contained powdered sugar. The sales clerk looked at his coworker, whom I assumed is a manager, who looked at him, then looked at me, and then said "We think it's whipped cream." Think?? How can you not know what ingredients are used in the products you sell? I also inquired if any items are made on-site. No, he said. Everything is shipped/trucked in, and the only preparations done at the bakeshop are the frying- the FRYING- of the empanadas and the re-heating of the siopao and noodle dishes.
Sorry Red Ribbon, but this Filipina only wants goods baked with butter, not margarine. I said BAKED, not fried. With the exception of the pie shell used in the egg pie, all of the pastries served at Manila Bakery are made on-site, so you won't find preservatives listed in the ingredients, as well.
My fond memories of those cakes will have to be just that, memories. All the better when it comes to those twice-daily weigh-ins...
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