Bake My Day: Coffee Project's Little Sister

People close to me know how much I love bread. I always find myself inside a bakeshop, checking every display and savoring the fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. Lately, I am addicted to coffee bun and I accidentally discovered a new favorite. 

Hello, Bake My Day.

Bake My Day is All Home's in-house bakeshop. It would be hard to miss this shop with the mouthwatering smell of baked goodies.

Its shop is not as dainty or picturesque as its sister brand Coffee Project; but it has the same warm ambiance to it.

Now in Manila: New York's Magnolia Bakery (M Bakery)

Magnolia Bakery has been one of the well-loved iconic establishments in New York that stood the test of time. Established in 1996, it has delighted New Yorkers since and it has been one of the hottest must-visit brands when visiting the city. With long queues to greet you, one would wonder what made this bakery great. And to be honest, it was not exactly love at first bite for me. But having it the second time around sure won me over!

Hello, M Bakery. 

The world-famous Magnolia Bakery is finally in Manila as M Bakery. 

When in Cebu: La Vie Parisienne

Cebu is slowly turning into a foodie paradise with new restaurants opening here and there. One of the restaurants that captured my interest is La Vie Parisienne. It is not particularly new but it has a romantic ambiance and I figured that it’s a great place to spend a night with R for his post birthday celebration. 

Hello, La Vie Parisienne!

I am aware that this place is more of a bakery than a restaurant but I didn’t know that they have quite a limited selection in terms of heavier, dinner appropriate dishes. 

First Bite: Kumori Cheese Tarts

Kumori has been a favorite of the foodie community ever since it opened its first store in Manila. With its mouthwatering cheesecakes and other delectable baked goods, it’s not surprising that many went crazy and got hooked. I have to admit, I’m one of them. Though pricey for a small cheesecake, I’d find myself buying a few to satisfy my moist cheesecake cravings. And when a fellow foodie recommended Kumori’s cheese tarts, I just have to try it if it is at par with Hajuku Kobo. 

Hello again, Kumori!

After doing some errands, I went straight to the Kumori kiosk in Landmark’s food court and ordered three cheese tarts to go. For PHP60 per piece, I find it a bit steep for a small tart. But if it’s as good as they claim, then I’d definitely get my money’s worth. 

I decided to get three tarts that day and ate one as soon as I paid for it.

Restaurant Love: Passion by Gérard Dubois

Passion (or Passioni as how I first read it) by Gérard Dubois is now one of my favorite dessert places in Fort Bonifacio. Its beautiful interiors and mouthwatering display of pastries never fail to lure me inside the store whenever I pass by it.

Hello again, Passion!

After dinner, I headed to this Instagram friendly store for some pastries to go. I was looking around when the server told me about their Buy 2, Get 1 Free (where the free item is the one with the lowest price) promo which starts at 9 p.m. daily. Woohoo! A deal!

I circled around and looked for pastries with the same prices and spotted some fruit tarts all priced at PHP108. I went for Strawberry Danish, Mixed Fruit Danish and Mixed Fruit Tunnel. 

I had the pastries to go but was worried that its beauty will be squished. I told the server my concern and he assured me that they pack it well. 

I headed home and hurriedly unpacked some of the pastries and… it was slightly squished but still quite good looking. 

Restaurant Love Revisited: Wildflour

There are so many new restaurants in Bonifacio Global City and I always get overwhelmed when someone asks me where to eat. With hundreds of options, how can I choose just one? A few weekends ago, I met up with some of R’s friends from his Shanghai group and since we were running late, his friends made the decision to have dinner at Wildflour.

Hello, Wildflour.

This restaurant never lost its charm. The place was packed on a Saturday night and shortage of parking space did not seem to bother the diners (unless they live around the area).  

Since R and I were quite famished, we quickly ordered Kimchi Fried Rice (PHP495) and Mac n' Cheese (PHP310). R also ordered one Baked Escargot (PHP75). 

While waiting for our orders, we munched on the complimentary bread and chitchatted with R’s friends who were exhausted from braving the sun to walk around Fort Santiago. 

After a couple of minutes, our Mac n' Cheese arrived. 

R found the baked pasta a bit bland so I asked for parmesan cheese. But apparently, there is an extra charge for it. (WHAT THE?!) 

Love at First Bite: Balai Pandesal

I love pandesal. It is one of the reasons why I’m a morning person. Nothing beats enjoying freshly baked pandesal in the morning paired with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. I am perfectly happy with Pan de Manila or Pan de Amerikana. There is also this bakeshop in Manila (as in Lungsod ng Maynila) that serves pretty good mini pandesal which I really love. It has this nice faint sweet taste that is simply addicting. But I only get to enjoy it when my aunt visits; which is very seldom. Then I saw Balai Pandesal. 

Hello, Balai Pandesal!

I have been seeing a few reviews raving about this place. But the bakeshop locations I saw were not exactly near my area hence I was not really curious to try it. But it was fate for me to have this for breakfast when I saw it in San Juan during my food trip just last weekend.

I decided to buy a couple of Small Pandesal (PHP3.50 per piece while large ones are PHP7.00 per piece) and Toasted Siopao (PHP9.00 per piece). I didn’t buy much as I just bought a box of diced hopia from Baker’s Fair the day before. 

Sweet Stop: Paul Patisserie and Boulangerie

A meal is not a happy meal without dessert. I usually crave for sweets after a good meal. I just need to have my sweet ending (unless if I had a salmon sashimi overload for lunch or dinner). And last Friday, I had a good dinner but still had room for dessert so we went to SM Aura to visit…

Paul Patisserie and Boulangerie! It has been a while!

I still remember the sweet goodness I ordered last year and just thinking about it now makes me drool.

This time, J and I ordered the following: Tartelette Citron (PHP210), Éclair Chocolat (PHP160), Milleuille Mango (PHP150) and two Grand Café (PHP115/cup).

First served was the Milleuille Mango and it was pretty good. The lovely Napoleon was soft and creamy. The mango slices and puree made it even more delectable.

Love at First Bite: Dolce Latte

I find it fascinating how Manila became such an interesting place for foodies. Gone are the days where we’re stuck with just Jollibee, McDonald’s, Max’s, or Goldilocks as choices for afternoon snacks. Today, some people hate being asked, “Where do we eat?” as the choices are endless! (And foodies like me get grumpy when you choose an establishment I have already visited.) I am so fortunate though to live near some foodie hotspots. And with the malls bringing in more and more restaurants and whatnot, I get to try more dishes without traveling too far. And last weekend, I spotted Dolce Latte.

Hello, Dolce Latte!

I’ve heard of this place during the peak of the Cronut™ craze. I heard that Dolce Latte offers the best Cronuts™ in Manila (though some say that Wildflour deserves the title). However, I never got the chance to visit the place because the store’s located in Quezon City. It’s not exactly my territory and the only places I visit when I’m around the area are Teachers Village, Katipunan, UP, or White Plains. But here we are, a year later and I finally get to visit Dolce Latte. <3

Okay, I was originally planning to visit St. Marc Café but after staring at the Chococho, I backed out. It looked too sinful. Plus the place was packed. Not a single chair was vacant when I visited. So I went up with the intent to look for something less fattening. But I ended up buying the following: Valrhona Crunch Cronut™ (PHP120), Raspberry Cronut™ (PHP120) and Hot Chocolate Double Doughnut (PHP60). (What diet?!)

Restaurant Love: Harina Artisan Bakery Café

I get really giddy when I see new restaurants. As in crazy giddy! I’m just glad that my friends are very understanding with my low EQ when it comes to food. And I am so blessed to have N as a foodie friend! Just one message and she’s game! That’s my kind of girl!

After our successful Kapitolyo food trip, N and I decided to do a White Plains food trip. I was beyond amazed that there are almost as many restaurants in White Plains (or Katipunan Avenue) as in Kapitolyo. Our stops were very near each other that we hardly had the time to burn the calories. With just a few steps, we were at our next stop.

N and I learned our lesson last time when we met quite late and we both had lunch prior to the food trip. N had a burger while I had steak. This time around, we decided to meet at 10:30 a.m. and have brunch at Harina Artisan Bakery Café (our first stop).

We were famished when we arrived as we both skipped breakfast for this. So, after a quick look at the menu, we decided to go for the Biscuit and Gravy, a set with chicken fillet, bacon and baked tomatoes (PHP225) and Bloomin’ Bread (PHP320). 

N went for Tablea Hot Chocolate (PHP145) while I ordered Red Iced Tea (PHP125).