Rockin' n Rollin' in Boracay

Think of a dessert place and in an instant, images of crisp white and pink linens, doilies, and even a garden setting comes to mind. In the sandy beaches of Boracay though, a different dessert station in the form of Rock N Roll Crepe Station – complete with wall paintings of rock stars like Bono and Prince, disco lights, and back-lighted posters – stands out.

Established in January this year, Rock N Roll Crepes provides an antidote to the usual food fare in Boracay with its wide array of crepes to choose from, all named after world-renowned rock and roll artists such as U2, Led Zeppelin, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Cold Play, Bananarama, Vanilla Ice, and Cyndi Lauper

The most popular flavors include Bananarama, billed as a sunburst of bananas coupled with cream and caramel and the mango-flavored Cyndi Lauper.

Apart from the colors, what strikes onlookers like me is the floor to ceiling display window of Rock N Roll Crepes, complete with the names and pictures of artists they are named from. The crepe samples, imported from Japan, looked so real it can easily grab your attention and wonder why the ice cream on the crepes never melts under Boracay heat!

Being a Beatles fan, I tried their Beatles crepe, described as whipped cream with generous doses of caramel in a soft and creamy pancake while my friend tried Bananarama.

Although the concept really fascinated me, I must admit the crepes aren’t earthshaking at all. The pancake was soft and creamy all right, but the cream was almost watery in my Beatles crepe. My friend, on the other hand, had to ask for extra dose of caramel to actually taste it in her Bananarama.

Another drawback, however, is how small the place is. Since the crepe station is patterned after the Japanese take-out style on a paper crepe holder, the place is too small to accommodate dine-in customers.

In an interview with The LOBBYIST, Rock N Roll’s owner Joey Cruz Manalang said the crepe station has been receiving request for franchise all over the world because of his innovative concept. He said he’s also currently scouting for other locations to bring Rock N Roll crepe station.

Manalang said he has always been fond of sweets and all kinds of desserts in general, so when the opportunity to establish the crepe station with the help of his friend Toshinari Kittaka in Boracay, he immediately grabbed it.

Manalang is a Filipino IT specialist and acclaimed filmmaker in Japan who grew up in Kamuning, Quezon City. An Architecture graduate from the University of Sto. Tomas, he was a professional photographer in Manila credited for that famous photograph of the Marcoses in the balcony of the Malacañang Palace before their exile to the US. He worked in the IT industry for 10 years and went on to study Filmmaking in the US. He has worked on the sets of The Last Samurai, and Lost in Translation. He also currently shoots videos for Fashion TV Japan.

Manalang said Rock N roll is his little way of paying tribute to his favorite artists who shaped him to what he is right now.