GOOD news for the sweet tooth: Sugar Factory, the American brasserie and retail store offering signature confections and merchandise, is now in the Philippines. It arrives on Philippine shores seven years after it made its debut on the Las Vegas Strip in 2009. Its first Philippine store soft-opened at Shangri-La The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, just last month (September 2016).
Sugar Factory, which has stores in the most cosmopolitan cities in the world (New York City, Bahrain, Chicago and Miami), is best known for its celebrity-endorsed Couture Pops, which have turned sweets into the latest designer accessory. Celebrities who have endorsed or been spotted with the sparkly lollipops include Britney Spears, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Kardashian, Drake, Carmen Electra, Eva Longoria and Rupert Grint.
These Couture Pops can be found at Sugar Factory’s first Philippine store, which also offers a full menu of pancakes and waffles (which come with a choice of Dark, Milk or White Chocolate), French toasts and crepes (classic dessert variations also served with a choice of Dark, Milk or White Chocolate; or savory crepes for light meals), eggs and omelets, appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches and burgers, monster burgers, entrées, steak frites, pastas, desserts, gourmet ice cream sandwiches, premium chocolate fondues, old-fashioned milkshakes, insane milkshakes, old-fashioned sundaes, and martinis, cocktails and chocolate martinis, all with alcohol. Sugar Factory also offers its signature 36-ounce alcohol-infused smoking candy goblets.
Some of the must-tries at Sugar Factory:
Red Velvet Pancakes (Php400) is a stack of three fluffy pancakes, with white chocolate chunks, orange zest, whipped cream and warm maple syrup.
Banana Split Waffles (Php420) consists of two warm waffles topped with fresh bananas, strawberries, melted chocolate sauce and chocolate crunchies, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
Bruschetta (Php280) is classic grilled baguette drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with fresh tomato slices, basil and Parmesan cheese.
Sampler Platter (Php820) combines four types of appetizers available at Sugar Factory—Buttermik Onion Rings (served with Chipotle Ranch Dressing), Crispy Chicken Fingers (served with classic Ranch Sauce), Buffalo Wings (crispy fried chicken wings drenched in Buffalo Sauce), and Mac & Cheese Pops (homemade Macaroni and Cheese, battered and deep-fried then served with Creamy Tomato-Herb Sauce). With so many interesting appetizers on the menu, diners who want to taste a little of at least four appetizers opt for the Sampler Platter.
Chinese Chicken Salad (Php440) is a top salad choice with its generous helping of mixed salad greens, shredded cabbage and crispy wontons, julienned carrots, water chestnuts, green onion, basil, toasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro with Ginger Sesame Dressing. The combination of ingredients works like magic, as it puts together varying textures, flavors and colors.
The Big Cheesey Burger (Php695) is one of Sugar Factory’s best-selling Monster Burgers. It’s a huge Angus Beef Burger topped with melted white Cheddar cheese, creamy Mac & Cheese, plus bacon, served with BBQ Sauce on a toasted potato bun. This is sure to satisfy the biggest craving and the ‘growly-est’ tummy!
Chicken Parmesan (Php420) happens to be one of the top-selling entrées at Sugar Factory. It’s a big piece of chicken breast that’s seasoned, breaded and cooked, then served with the restaurant’s special tomato sauce, melted Mozzarella cheese and rigatoni pasta.
White Chocolate Cheesecake (Php415) makes a good meal-ender. It’s a slice of heavenly cheesecake with white chocolate incorporated into the cream cheese, topped with fresh strawberries and garnished with cookie crumbs.
Dulce de Leche Milkshake (Php830) is probably one of the most ‘insane mikshakes’ the Sugar Factory can come up with. Vanilla ice cream is blended with Dulce de Leche and topped with whipped cream, waffle cone, Unicorn Pop, and sprinkles in a chocolate-covered mug dressed up with popcorn.
Nutella and Banana Milkshake (Php890) is another ‘insane milkshake’ diners are going crazy about. It’s also vanilla ice cream, but is blended with banana and Nutella hazelnut spread, and topped with whipped cream, banana dipped in chocolate, Unicorn Pop, Candy Necklace and sprinkles in a chocolate-covered mug dressed in sprinkles.
How far will you go with your sundae? Well, at Sugar Factory, there are regular sundaes for two, alright, but it would go as far as creating a huge sundae that even big groups can share. The World Famous Sugar Factory King Kong Sundae (Php2,900) consists of 24 scoops of ice cream covered with Hot Fudge, Caramel and Strawberry Sauce, sliced bananas, toasted marshmallows, Reeses’ Pieces, chocolate chip cookies, crushed waffle cones, Gummi Bears, white chocolate, strawberry shavings and toasted walnuts with whipped cream, giant lollipops and, yes, sparklers on top. Light it up and you’ve got one grand showcase of a dessert.
Lollipop Passion (Php1,600) proves that candies and alcoholic drink do mix. Sugar Factory’s Goblet (with Alcohol) offering, Lollipop Passion is a wonderful mix of melon, coconut and pineapple garnished with the sweetness of lollipops.
Ocean Blue (Php900) reminds diners that the world is one big ocean of living creatures. Sharks are swimming in this Hpnotiq cocktail.
Passion Punch (Php800) is another alcoholic cocktail drink in a goblet. It’s a unique mix of blood orange and passion fruit that diners can enjoy with passion.
Mai Tai (Php700) is another cocktail drink in a goblet that’s worth considering. It combines fresh orange and pineapple juices, which are blended to perfection with coconut and light rum, then topped with a float of Dark Myers rum.
Martinis with alcohol, anyone? Enjoy Sugar Factory’s Sour Apple Lolly (Php475) and Hubba Bubba Gum (Php320). The former is a liquefied sour apple lollipop rimmed with Bubble Gum Pop Rocks in a martini, and the latter is a Bubble Gum cocktail garnished with bubble tape.
What about chocolate martinis? Yes, alcohol and chocolate can mix very well together in Sugar Factory’s S’mores (Php380), which is a perfect marriage between marshmallow and chocolate with a graham cracker rim.
Grape Crush (Php350) is a cocktail drink with alcohol that blends the goodness of grape with classic Grape Crush soda pop.
Created by a team of world-class chefs, the signature menu of Sugar Factory proves that candies appeal not just to children but also adults and that candies can be used to spike a number of menu items and not just desserts.
(Sugar Factory American Brasserie can be found at CFS Ground Floor, Shangri-La The Fort, 3rd Ave. corner 30th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.)
