Sweets for your sweetie

Viva Big Boss Vic del Rosario Jr. fell madly in love with it at first bite.

“It has become a big part of my life since then,” Boss Vic told Funfare.

He was talking about Classic Mille Crepe, one of the 15-plus varieties created by Madame Kazuko Emy Wada, touted as Tokyo’s Grand Dame of Specialty Cakes, who owns and manages the Paper Moon Boutique & Café, with an outlet in Tokyo and Kyoto.

“Here, taste it,” Boss Vic offered Funfare a small slice from the tempting “guilty pleasure” which has, according to Madame Wada, “no less than 20 delicate, paper-thin hand-made crepes layered with heavenly light pastry cream, all topped with a golden, caramelized crust.” 

Hmmm, to die for, indeed!

Literally meaning “a thousand crepes” (but more popularly known as “Crepe Cake”), Mille Crepe has won the heart not only of Boss Vic but also people with sweet tooth (or even those without) not only in Japan but also in New York City where Madame Emy opened a café where her cakes are a huge hit, called by habitués as Lady M (for Emy), ordered for delivery in Manhattan. Before that, she supplied cakes to Dean & Deluca, Takashimaya and Neuman Marcus, also in New York City.

“Twinned with a branch in New York (Lady M Confections) but originating in Tokyo, Paper Moon is a swanky boutique café in Hiroo where cakes take pride of place. It’s a fine place to eat sweets with your sweetie,” according to CNN’s travel.cnn.com, with a follow-up review that read, “If the question is cake, the answer is mille feuille of Paper Moon. A work of art and a slice of deliciousness at Paper Moon.”

From New York Times: …It succeeds so splendidly not just because it’s wildly delicious but also because it’s a clever design…

So named because the Japanese are fond of the moon and paper art, Paper Moon (no reference to the movie starring the father-daughter tandem of Ryan O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal who went down in Oscar history as the youngest Best Supporting Actress winner) formally opened in 1985, long after Madame Emy began her career in the ‘70s as a cake supplier to seven out of the 10 best cafés in Tokyo.

“I learned how to make cakes and pastries from my Austrian mother-in-law,” Madame Emy told Funfare through an interpreter, although as a child she was already interested in the art of baking.

Boss Vic has been a long-time friend and business associate of Madame Emy’s husband whom Boss Vic knew during his frequent travels to Tokyo and New York. Famous for his “Midas Touch” in building superstars, Boss Vic has convinced Madame Emy to partner with him through Viva International Food & Restaurants, Inc., the food division of the Viva Group of Companies. Paper Moon Cake Boutique & Cafe will open first at the Trinoma on Aug. 6 and then at Glorietta 3 (Makati City) on Aug. 8.

Get set. The expected queue forms to your right.

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