banana bread – Jellybeans in the City

How do you like to start your day, foodies?

Before I begin my workday, either back when I was in the office, or these days working from home, I like to take a quick coffee break and munch on some yummy baked goods.

My go-to orders from the panaderia near the office are cheese pan de sal and Spanish bread.

Pan de sal, the most common bread roll in the Philippines, is made with flour, yeast, sugar, eggs and water, a staple many breakfast tables.

Its softer, longer and more buttery and sugary version, on the other hand, is called Spanish bread.

These classic breads and my morning coffee have sustained me through many tedious reports, near-interminable meetings and more.

Now that I’m working from home (and I can’t go out to buy breads on a whim), jumpstarting my workday the way I like it has gotten a bit harder.

Thankfully, there’s a way for me to get my morning breads before I start my day working from home. Plus, they come with a colorful and flavorful twist, thanks to Tita She’s Bakery.

This new online store came about when twenty-four-year-old Kim Nunez was faced with slowed down projects as an events photographer and wanted a new source of income.

Chancing upon an article on Facebook about an online seller making Php7,000 a day from making and selling ube cheese pan de sal, Kim decided to try her hand at it as well.

With her mom’s help, she started baking the trending food item and started selling two days later.

She didn’t stop there.

Integrating her love for cakes and recognizing that Pinoys would love a new twist to their faves, she also came out with breads with popular cake flavors.

Pan de Sal flavors include ube, cheese, ube cheese, ube choco, choco cheese, choco hazelnut, banana cake, banana hazelnut and carrot cake.

These pan de sal are priced at Php5 to Php10 per piece for regular (65g) and Php7 to Php12 per piece for overloaded (90g with twice the filling as regular).

Spanish bread variants, on the other hand, include classic, ube, cheese, ube cheese, choco and choco hazelnut.

These Spanish breads are priced at Php8 to Php12 per piece for regular (65g) and Php12 to Php16 per piece for overloaded (90g with twice the filling as regular).

To get these yummy and freshly baked breads delivered to your doorstep, call +63 932 6032354 or +63 967 7613909 (cashless payments via BDO, BPI and GCash accepted) have them picked up at Lores, Antipolo City via Lalamove (pin “Tita She’s Bakery”). You can also check out Tita She’s Bakery on Facebook and Instagram.

Don’t worry about ordering a lot of these breads. Just store the leftover breads in the ref and reheat by microwave or oven toaster (two minutes at 150 deg C). They are still fluffy and soft after reheating, even if they’ve been in the ref for three days!

So, foodies, get ready to have a wonderful start to your workday with these flavored breads!

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Craving for a sweet treat? Need to bring something to the office potluck? Or want to send a thoughtful and delicious gift?

Well, Chef Sammy’s cookin’ up something absolutely amazing for you!

Chef Sammy Isidro, the singing chef who masterminds the kitchen of Sammy’s Restaurant in Cainta, also whips up yummy desserts under the brand Sammy’s Cookin‘.

Chef Sammy developed his culinary chops in between singing gigs at the Hotel Mulia, a five-star hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he and his wife Dorothy worked as professional singers for over 17 years.

Upon their return to the Philippines, they put up their own restaurant – Sammy’s in Cainta – where they serve up tasty Indonesian-inspired dishes as well as serenade guests with a song or two after every meal.

Chef Sammy also set up another line of business – Sammy’s Cookin’ – to provide catering services as well as deliver cakes, pastries and other sweets to foodies within Metro Manila.

This also extends the reach of his cuisine well beyond the vicinity and operating hours of his restaurant.

Here is a sampling of the treats you can order from Sammy’s Cookin.’

Banana Bread (Php300/loaf). This seems to be a staple among bakers, professional or otherwise. Chef Sammy, of course, goes well beyond the rudimentary bread and gives you a loaf of pure scrumptiousness. Unpack and slice it and the smell of banana and vanilla will waft to your nostrils. Bite into the moist bread and you will taste the burst of sweet banana flavor in your mouth. Truth be told, I can finish the entire loaf by myself in one seating. (My daughter #ExhibitA would insist on helping me in this endeavor. Quite unnecessarily, I might add.) Still, in the off- off-chance, this banana bread doesn’t get wolfed down as soon as it reaches you, it keeps for seven days at room temperature and for three months in the freezer. (Why keep it in the freezer, though? Banana Bread, get into mah belly!)

Coffee Choco Brownies (Php420/ 16 squares). Anybody who knows me knows I’m mad for coffee and chocolates. Imagine my joy whenever I have an opportunity to enjoy both! These brownies exude a mild aroma of coffee, just enough to perk up the attention of a true blue coffee lover. There’s an ultra-thin crusty topmost layer that, when bitten into, gives way to a chewy chocolatey brownie with chocolate nuggets here and there adding some texture to every bite. I shared some squares with Hubby and these yummies definitely have his vote. Similar to the banana bread, this keeps at room temperature for seven days and in the freezer for three months.

Choco Cheese Martabak Manis (Php355/order). I’m really having trouble describing this because I can’t quite grasp how intensely it appeals to me. Another food obsession of mine is cheese, and guess what: this dish has cheese. The cheese that adds a salty dimension to an otherwise sweet stuffed pancake flavored by chocolate, crushed peanuts and condensed milk. I had my first taste of this dessert at Sammy’s Restaurant and I have not forgotten it. You would be hard-pressed to stop at just one or two pieces (or three or four or ten!). Other variants of martabak manis available are Chocolate-Only (Php205/order) and Cheese-Only (Php245/order). This keeps at room temperature for two to three days, but, personally, it won’t last that long in my home. Even my picky eater son likes this!

There are lots more available to order at Sammy’s Cookin.’ To get your hands on these desserts and delicacies, just call +63 939 1483960 or course your orders through its Facebook or Instagram pages at least two days before you need them.

Sammy’s Cookin’ accepts payments via BPI or BDO and can deliver to anywhere in the metro via Grab or Lalamove (delivery fee to be shouldered by the customer).

You may also opt to pick your orders up at Sammy’s Restaurant from 10am to 5pm. It is located at 14 Raspberry Bend Street, Valley View Executive Subdivision Phase 3, San Juan, Cainta.

So the next time you want to treat yourself, or your nears-and-dears, to something sweet and delish, do check out what Sammy’s Cookin.’

Many thanks to Chef Sammy and Dorothy for these yummy treats.