Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me For your Valentine: The best sans rival in the world
Tue, February 14th of 2006
12:00 pm
Yeah, yeah, say what you want about Valentine’s Day, and hop onto the bandwagon of disillusioned (dare I say, jilted?) individuals who curse this red-letter day to the lowest hell. It really seems to be quite the trend to hate February 14. So, if you’re looking for more ‘misery loves company,’ then you’ve come to the wrong website – at least for today – because I love … no, I heart Valentine’s Day.
I love it because I just do. There are no flowers or chocolates or a fancy dinner date for me and my Bin. Heck, I don’t even get a gift, but I still love this day for what it is. Tonight I’m cooking a steak and pasta dinner for my Bin and Boo and I’ve prepared three kinds of desserts. Sweets for the sweet.
Speaking of sweet, if there’s one day in the year that you absolutely, unequivocally MUST have dessert, it’s on Valentine’s Day. Or your birthday. You choose. I choose to have it on both days. (As if that’s any surprise.)
Here’s an extraordinary gift to gift your Valentine – or yourself. It’s called a sansrival (sans-ree-VAL) or sans rival – with or without the space in between. Obviously meaning “without rival,” a sans rival is layers of crisp meringue filled and covered with buttercream. Cashews are the traditional choice, but I’ve seen macadamia sans rivals, and this here one is the pistachio version.
This sans rival (P730) is made by Jill Sandique, pastry chef extraordinaire. She and I met when I dined at Teak, where we talked exuberantly about desserts, and where she told me that the food shots on my business card were good enough to lick. A few days later, there was this sans rival waiting for me outside my front door.
I really like this photo: pistachios up close
Jill’s cakes are oval-shaped, her trademark. Cutting into it, I hear a perceptible crrrunch! I knew then that I wasn’t dealing with just any sans rival. Cutting cleanly, the slice sits temptingly on my plate, a glistening gem of green and cream. My fork slides through four layers of buttercream and then works its way through the crispy layers of meringue. My first swallow induces a lengthy interlude of silence. So delectable is this sans rival that I’ve lost my capacity to speak. I can feel the buttercream coating my tongue, the first bite of the meringue layers crackling in complaint, and then giving in to the persistence of my chew. Can you picture my mental and spiritual ecstasy?
gimme a hug
Partaking of this sans rival is a peak experience, a religious culinary moment brought on by the pastry’s high quality and the masterfulness with which it was made. Considering all the ersatz and inferior sans rivals around, it is crucial to eat the real thing every so often. And this is it.
This may just be the thing you need to believe in Valentine’s Day again.
Jill Sandique of Dèlize
33 Sunrise Drive, Cubao, Quezon City
721-7022, 497-8811, (0905) 252-2517, (0922) 826-2673
(ask for Lea, Mimi, or Vangie)
Allow a minimum of 2-3 days for your order(s).
Related post:
As Marketman found out when he attempted to make a sans rival, this is one dessert that is better bought than made yourself. He affirms, “It’s definitely not amateur-friendly…” Yes, the meringue layers have an irritating tendency to stick to the baking pans and to add insult to injury, they don’t stay crisp for very long.
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Hi! I love sans rival and I will definitely try this one. I just wonder if it the type that becomes chewy cuz that’s the way I like it, not crunchy the days pass–the old fashioned way.
Regards.
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Comment by Anonymous — February 14, 2006 @ 8:34 pm
As I wrote you before, I’m a late bloomer when it comes to Sans Rival (by the way, it’s more correctly ppronounced “sanh rival,” the second “s” is silent.
), due to all the — as you say — ersatz versions that I tasted growing up. But THIS one looks like I’d lovelovelove it! It’s crunchy, doesn’t use cashew, and best of all, has FOUR layers of THICK buttercream! Butter is my fat of choice; I can’t get enough of it! It definitely looks worth the price, since the Macadamia Sans Rival of Patty Loanzon that I told you about costs much more. Would you know if Jill Sandique (isn’t she the one who does the desserts of Cascada and Kulinarya?) delivers? I’m almost never in QC and I MUST have this cake!
If you like your Sans Rival crunchy and buttery, as I do, I urge you again to try the one from House of Sylvannas, in both the butter and chocolate (heavenly!) flavors.
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Comment by Katrina — February 14, 2006 @ 9:03 pm
hi! nice blog! just wanted to comment on teak. we ate there last week, and i must say their food was lousy! we ordered the lamb adobo which was this whole lamb shank cooked adobo style. the lamb was dry (as if it had been kept in the freezer for more than a few days). and when we told the waiter we were not happy, he just said he will tell the chef. I doubt if he did, no one offered their apologies or anything. obviously the positive write-ups on the paper means that the restaurant only prioritizes pr writers etc.
bad experience talaga.
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Comment by petunia — February 14, 2006 @ 11:09 pm
Hi Lori
delurking to say I really love sans rival and this is the best-looking I’ve seen so far 
yummy!
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Comment by Mik — February 15, 2006 @ 1:44 am
That cake looks and sounds so amazing. I’ve never seen it before! ARGH! HOW SHALL I EVER TRY THIS CAKE?!
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Comment by Robyn — February 15, 2006 @ 2:57 am
What a gorgeous cake!
I would gladly make that cake my Valentine!
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Comment by Ivonne — February 15, 2006 @ 8:25 am
Well, this just isn’t fair, Lori. I simply must have one of these. Fortunately, I don’t consider myself to be an amateur (not to sound too full of myself!) and though I am still meringue-challenged, I’ll have to give it a go myself soon. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Comment by Nic — February 15, 2006 @ 9:30 am
Oh yummy…
“Cutting cleanly, the slice sits temptingly on my plate, a glistening gem of green and cream. My fork slides through four layers of buttercream and then works its way through the crispy layers of meringue.”
That just sounds perfect to me. ( Your writing language is definitely the kind I like to read too… =) )
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Comment by Abster — February 15, 2006 @ 10:41 am
I have to have this soon! Will order it as soon as I get back into town!
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Comment by Marketmanila — February 16, 2006 @ 11:03 pm
you pic looks sooo good =) i was at the coffee bean last night and i saw the EXACT “looking” sans rival there too, could it be the same? i sis possible that miss sandique supplies the pistachio sans rival there?–just curious. unfortunately i was not able to try it ‘coz me and my friends dicided on sharing the dulce leche cheese cake(which was sooo good i might add)
love your blogs!!! =)
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Comment by Jen Tan — February 17, 2006 @ 10:46 am
oooppppsss sorry for the typos and mis-spelled words ;P i made mess there
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Comment by Jen Tan — February 17, 2006 @ 10:50 am
Thanks for this Lori, I’ve been looking for the best sans rival and I’ve thought the betty’s “chewy” sansrival is the best… but this looks alot better and crunchier…
Will try this out
thanks for the tip
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Comment by Anonymous — February 19, 2006 @ 9:13 pm
I did not mean the last comment to be an anonymous post.
Anton here
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Comment by anton — February 19, 2006 @ 9:14 pm
Hi Lori,
Being a lover of sans rival and sylvanas (my aunt is the woman behind House of Sylvanas in San Lo), your post had me drooling~~~! I remember how, during our summers in Dumaguete, we used to walk the 3 blocks to my aunt’s house where her little business started to savor a slice or two of those yummy things!
Sigh, I blame those days in Dumsville for the weight I started to pile on so fast later in life!
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Comment by christine — February 21, 2006 @ 12:06 pm
Jen Tan, I just called them and yes, they do supply coffee bean so it should be easier for people who don’t live in QC to try it. Any thoughts on jackfruit sansrival?
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Comment by Anonymous — February 21, 2006 @ 2:50 pm
Hi Lori,
I just try the Pistachio Sansrival in Kulinarya and yes it was really good. Although the stocks of Kulinarya were a bit old, since the meringue layers were so chewy and not crunchy or crispy at all. But I have to say that this is one of the best Sansrival in town.
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Comment by Anonymous — February 27, 2006 @ 5:45 pm
I am a French speaker and should say that the second “s” is indeed pronounced. In fact, it makes what is called a “liason” with the second word “rival”. When pronounced it sounds like one word, not two. I have searched high and low for a mention of a “gateau sans rival” on French websites and indeed it does exist. It is only in the Philippines that it has the popularity that it has as your average Frenchman has no idea what it is if asked. It would be interesting to figure out who brought the recipe to Manila in the first place. I have made a reasonable facsimile of it at home (Boston), believe it or not.
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Comment by Raul — April 7, 2006 @ 7:11 pm
I have tasted a lot of sans rival from a lot of different places, but this one literally “takes the cake”, i can describe it in so many ways, delicious, scrumptious, tasty, delectable, mouth-watering, etc etc etc…..but the best description for this creation would be “to die-for”, it gets chewy by the day…..sets it apart from all the others…..Even my 5-year old daughter loves this concoction…..Try this one out…….
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Comment by Lani — April 18, 2006 @ 5:05 pm
i’ve finally mastered sansrival just last night. i used the aluminum round cake pan (4) and greased them w/ canola oil and placed a round cut parchment paper and spread out the meringue, didn’t stick so much and so easy to peel off. cooked it for 1 1/2 hours at 250 deg F.
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Comment by mariles — August 18, 2006 @ 2:30 pm
Hi Lori! There is a verrry delish sansrival place in Dumagete (yeah I know; it’s quite far!) but it’s really worth tryin.. I think that bakery (SR’s, if i remember it correctly) is the talk of their town cause their desserts are simply DIVINE. Maybe if the owner fancies your blog, she’ll gladly send you samples of it.
I got mine through my mum, who had a lecture their, and I sinfully finished and entire box of sansrival and silvanas! And to think she had to fly like 5 different dessert boxes all the way to Manila! Yikes!=0
Katrina’s right; back in Maryknoll, we were corrected for pronouncing the 2nd “s” of this rich, luscious treat.
More power, Lori! Where can I read more of your articles?
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Comment by Anonymous — September 12, 2006 @ 5:37 pm
whoops! sorry for not editing my entry.. i meant there
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Comment by Anonymous — September 12, 2006 @ 5:39 pm
This is definitely the best sans rival in the world. When I tried calling Delize, they told me if I only want a few slices or can’t wait, that I can go to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. They supply the chain with their sans rival!
Isn’t that awesome? Now, whenever I have a craving I don’t have to wait 48 hours for a whole cake. I can just grab a slice at CBTL and down it with my favorite hot chai latte drink!
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Comment by Anonymous — October 21, 2006 @ 6:35 pm
A steaming cup of CBTL chai latte and Jill Sandique’s sans rival. What a combo!
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Comment by Anonymous — October 21, 2006 @ 6:37 pm
Hi Lori,
Have you heard of the coffee sans rival from San Pablo, Laguna and would you know the contact person and details? It’s different, not as sweet but very good.
Would you also have the contact number of Patty Loanzon of the Macadamia Sans Rival fame?
Thanks!
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Comment by Maria Paz — March 22, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
Hi. I’m going to Manila in June. Is this served in restaurants? If not, do you still take orders? Thanks.
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Comment by Ralph P. — April 9, 2008 @ 4:33 am
Finally tasted this sansrival, it’s so yummy.
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Comment by Jennifer — May 10, 2008 @ 10:27 pm
try the sansrival of JAVA MAN Coffee shop at Powerbooks Store
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Comment by dinna — February 13, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Yummy! This cake looks amazing…good photography.
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Comment by Jill — November 11, 2009 @ 5:05 am
I want some o’ that!!! (^_^)
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Comment by kimberley — December 30, 2010 @ 5:51 am
[...] at my party. Jill often says that she credits me for making her pistachio sansrival famous. “When you [first] wrote about it , the phone didn’t stop ringing for days!” She tells me in her characteristically high-pitched [...]
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