pan de sal – Jellybeans in the City

The Jelly List: Merienda classics for your holiday snacking

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a certain sense of nostalgia for days gone by.

Some of my favorite childhood memories involve snacking on classic Pinoy delicacies for merienda during my holiday break.

Merienda, or sometimes called minindal, may refer to either the mid-morning or mid-afternoon light snack eaten to fill in the gap in-between meals.

Luckily, we Pinoys grew up with a myriad of food items that we enjoy for during this snack time. Some of the classic merienda fare may have been overshadowed by Western snacks over the years, but I’m glad to see that many are regaining popularity, spurred by the efforts of foodies and these food entrepreneurs.

Ferino’s Bibingka

Ferino’s Bibingka started in pre-war Tondo, Manila when Mang Ferino Francisco started selling kakanin outside his family’s home. While most of his stores closed with his passing, the Ferino’s Bibingka brand was revived by his grandson, Sonny Francisco, who began to operate bibingka dine-in and takeout stores in 2016.

Ferino’s version of bibingka, the Bibingka Extra Super, is made of pure galapong mixed with two fresh eggs, topped with salted eggs and kesong-puti.

Ferino’s Bibingka accepts orders via:

Phone: +63 2 76227104
Mobile: +63 917 6502331
Facebook Messenger
GrabFood

More deets on Ferino’s Bibingka here.

Ka Mely’s Bibingka, Atbp.

This Cainta-based food business got its start when the Alcantara family matriarch Amelia – also known as Ka Mely – decided to expand her Bibingka-selling business to include the production of native delicacies. Today, it is a well-established food manufacturer with three physical stores as well as regular resellers.

Ka Mely’s Bibingka is more of a rice cake made with sticky glutinous rice topped with caramelized sugar and coconut cream.

Ka Mely’s Bibingka, Atbp accepts orders via:

Phone: +63 2 85155467
Mobile: +63 917 8533766 and +63 908 8876992
Facebook
Instagram

More deets on Ka Mely’s Bibingka, Atbp here.

Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik

Foodpreneur Thirdee Duran turned her mom’s recipe for suman sa latik into a thriving food business during the quarantine.

A box of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik contains six pieces of banana leaf-wrapped suman and a generous helping of latik, more than enough to satisfy your suman craving.

Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik accepts orders via:

More deets on Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik here.

Bantay Bread

This Ilocos-based family business started out in 2010 as a local panaderia supplying morning pan de sal to its patrons. During quarantine, the family behind Bantay Bread set about pivoting their business to operate in their new business environment by expanding its product offers and its coverage areas to now include Metro Manila.

Its Pianono – named after Pope Pius IX also known as Pio Nono – is basically a sponge cake roll with a sweet buttercream filling

For more details on its product offerings and availability in your area, follow Bantay Bread on Facebook and Instagram.

More deets on Bantay Bread here.

Pampanga’s Cheesebread

The Metro Manila reseller of Pampanga landmark LBS Bakeshop, it has brought its famous Cheesebread to the metro.

These golden, cheesy and sweet balls of bread defies description. You simply have to taste it for yourself.

Pampanga’s Cheesebread accepts orders through its Metro Manila reseller – Pam via:

Facebook Messenger
Viber: +63 998 9694531

More deets on Pampanga’s Cheesebread here.

Tita She’s Bakery

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

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

Antipolo-based foodpreneur Tita She’s Bakery adds delicious and colorful twists to these classic breads by integrating cake flavors into them such as ube, cheese, ube cheese, ube choco, choco cheese, choco hazelnut, banana cake, banana hazelnut and carrot cake.

Tita She’s Bakery accepts orders via:

Mobile: +63 967 7613909
Facebook

As you can see, there’s quite a lot of options for merienda treats in the metro that will bring back pleasant childhood memories. Try them out and let me know what you think!

Dessert takeout from The French Baker

Back when I was in grade school, a French Baker branch opened in the only nearby shopping mall at the time and introduced me to the amazing pastry called the Danish.

The Danish is viennoiserie baked good which was among the pastries introduced by Austrian bakers hired to replace the bakers of Denmark who went on strike in 1850. After the labor disputes were ironed out and the Danish bakers went back to work, they adapted the Austrian Plundergeback pastry and made it their own by adjusting the amount of egg and fat, coming with what is now known as the Danish pastry.

The French Baker is said to have revitalized the breadmaking industry in the country, bringing to light various ways to enjoy breads and pastries with European origins – such as baguettes, scones, crepes, bagels, sourdough, ciabatta, and, of course, Danishes – which were unfamiliar to the Philippine mass market when the chain opened its first stores more than thirty years ago.

The French Baker’s version of the Danish Pastry consists of the layered and glazed pastry topped with a creamy custard and a fruit filling. My favorites since childhood are the Blueberry Danish (Php88) and the Peach Danish (Php88).

On my way to parking lot after running some errands, I espied a takeout counter at The French Baker branch inside the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall. I dropped by and picked up a few pieces of my favorite Danish variants as my pasalubong for the kiddos (and a treat for me!) as well as a bag of Crack Pan De Sal (Php102 for 10 pieces).

The pastries were a hit with the kids; we liked the sweet and flaky bread that frames the creamy custard and luscious fruit filling perfectly.

I saved the pan de sal for later when I prepared my midnight snack with Hubby. I heated a couple of pieces and filled them with shredded Purefoods Fiesta Ham. Oh my! Those fluffy pan de sal went so well with the ham and really sated my late night food cravings.

From my childhood to today, I continue to appreciate how The French Baker has expanded my foodie horizons.

Aside from dine-ins and takeouts, you can also enjoy The French Baker baked goods by having them delivered to your home. For inquiries, call +63 917 6353026 or +63 917 5423125. Order online or via GrabFood or FoodPanda.

Check out my reviews of other dessert shops in the metro:

Flavored breads from Tita She’s Bakery

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:

Chocoholics’ delight at Tsokolateria, Tomas Morato

Being a chocoholic, I get all excited whenever I see chocolate bars or chocolate-based desserts.

However, chocolate can be so much more than desserts.

At Tsokolateria, for example, chocolate in the form of tablea (cacao tablets) or variations thereof, infuses almost every dish from salads, soups, kakanin (local rice delicacies), breads and main dishes, as well as, of course, desserts.

The cacao or cocoa plant made its way to the Philippines from Mexico in the 1700s by way of the Galleon Trade. Today, the Philippines cocoa industry is the primary producer of cocoa beans in Southeast Asia and boasts of its own rich chocolate culinary traditions.

Here in my neck of the woods, the foodie-friendly Tomas Morato area, Tsokolateria co-locates within the same premises as Pamana and Hawaiian BBQ. All three restaurants are part of the Happy Concept Group, the company owned and operated by third-generation restaurateur Happy Ongpauco-Tiu.

At Tsokolateria, Ongpauco-Tiu showcases the versatility of native chocolate as it serves as a main ingredient or as an add-on to various dishes – whether sweet or savory – and drinks.

I’ve visited this branch twice this week in my eagerness to sample as much of its offerings as I can. Check out what I’ve been able to try so far:

Oh My Gulay (Php200). Tsokolateria’s Bruschetta Pan de Sal topped by mushrooms, cherry tomatoes,spinach and quezong puti crumbles served with sugared kamote (sweet potato) fries and flavorful bulalo broth which was the soup of the day. For me, this is already a complete – though relatively light – meal!

Tablea Champorado (Php220 for solo | Php395 for double). This is not your normal champorado from a store-bought box. Nope, this is made the old-fashioned way: using mountain rice cooked in native tablea and served simmering-hot with adobo flakes, chicharon and crispy fish chips on the side for interesting contrasts of tastes and textures.

Palitaw at Tablea Syrup (Php130). This flat rice cake made from ground malagkit rice got its name from the way it pops up (“litaw”) to the surface of the boiling water once it’s done cooking. The rich, dark chocolatey tablea syrup adds another dimension of taste to this classic Pinoy merienda dish.

Churros Waffles with Strawberry Overload (Php230, good for two). Waffles made from churros batter accompanied by strawberry halves, native honey and tablea syrup.

Tsokolate ah (Php190, good for two). Hand-made hot chocolate drink made from native tablea, diluted (the “ah” comes from “aguado” which means “watery or thin”) by the addition of water and milk.

Tsokolate eh (Php190, good for two). Rich hot chocolate also made from native tablea which, because it is undiluted, is thick (the “eh” comes from the Spanish word “espeso” which translates to “thick”), has an earthier and pleasantly bitter taste and is generally considered the more authentic iteration of the native hot chocolate when compared with tsokolate ah.

Tsokolateria Signature Mocha (Php150). Native chocolate with milk and a shot of native coffee and served with a Choc Nut candy for added sweetness.

Tsokolateria more than establishes its creativity in crafting a menu permeated with chocolate. I think there’s a lot more to discover here and I look forward to the opportunity to taste more of its dishes.

That said, the resto should work on its queuing: on my second visit, my orders took too long to be served that my lunch break was over by the time they reached me.

Tsokolateria is located along Mother Ignacia Avenue, Bgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 3743798.

Another branch is located at The Boutique Bed and Breakfast, 45 Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City, open daily from 9am to 9.30pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 46 4131798 or +63 46 4131885.