Sometimes good things come in small packages, or shall we say small wrappers. Tart wrappers to be exact, though it’s like a cupcake wrapper, except that it holds another delicious treat. But why should we be preoccupied with wrappers? Because if we could only eat the wrappers, we would.

This is Rowena’s, with tarts as the centerpiece. Different flavors, all addictive, yummilicious. All in the heart of Tagaytay City.

The main branch of Rowena’s, at No. 152 San Francisco Road, is around five minutes from reaching the Tagaytay Ridge from Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It used to be a peaceful, not-too-crowded outlet that sells, well, we didn’t know at that time because we were not interested. We didn’t know about the tarts.

That area, with the expanded and bigger Rowena’s restaurant, is now crowded, one of the worse traffic bottlenecks when going to or from Tagaytay City. It’s a bend or two away from the fruit stands, another traffic buildup point. Maybe they’ll figure out a way to clear the traffic. Maybe they won’t.

Maybe that’s one reason not to visit that branch of Rowena’s, to send the message that we visitors of Tagaytay City do NOT appreciate the resulting traffic mess. We leave the Metro to get away from the congestion and traffic. We do not relish seeing the same thing in the place where we go to chill.

Good thing we have an option, still Rowena’s, at its branch at Magallanes Square, overlooking the Taal Volcano in front of the Rotunda. For a family business that started in the year 2000

The clear glass walls clearly show the dominant Rowena’s logo behind the counter, bathed by warm lights. We noticed the tables outside, and we would have preferred staying there to soak in the cool Tagaytay air and enjoy the view Taal Volcano (and the traffic building around the rotonda). We decided to stay in the airconditioned interior because, well, no one is using the tables. Most of the patrons hurry back to their cars and go after buying their favorite pasalubong.

We love the macapuno tart of Merced, we already said that before, though we’ll say now that the tarts of Rowena’s definitely tastes better.

The tart filling — whether buko, apple, mango, pineapple, ube, blueberry cheese, strawberry cheese, choco mousse, egg — is soft, moist and bite-perfect. The flavors are distinct, not overpowered by sweetness. ‘Di nakakaumay, ‘ika nga. The pleasant surprise is what lies on top of the tart.

We don’t what exactly it is called. Icing on a cake, if it were a cake, or the breading in fried chicken. Crumble or topping? It’s the crisp but soft, polvoron-like consistency that reminded us of PizzaHut’s apple cobbler. It adds texture and flavor to the bite. Nice. Try it next time you visit Tagaytay.