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Remember eating warm pandesal cooked to
a crusty golden brown in brick ovens?
Chances are, probably not. In this day and age of fast food
restaurants and instant noodles, there’s just really no time
especially when you have a day or a night job waiting at the helm.
Yup, that is the reason for the existence of Pan de Manila.
And no, Pan de Manila is not the typical corner bakery selling
generic bread to be sold under a glass counter. One can actually see
the little lumps of dough rising in their trays before they are
expertly put into the brick oven by skilled hands. Bread is baked
almost every hour to ensure that customers get the best bread for
their money’s worth.
 Pan
de Manila’s specialty is the local pandesal, or salty bread. For
Filipinos who eat bread for breakfast, it is considered as a staple
on the table together with red salted eggs, daing or tuyo which are
both salted fish and a steaming cup of strong coffee to wake the
senses from sleep. Another way to savor a piece of hot pandesal is
to tear it in half, liberally spread butter or margarine on the
inside before sprinkling with sugar.
Pan de Manila has an “Old Manila” campaign which aims to celebrate
historical Manila, especially its landmarks. Their packaging brings
back the traditional brown paper bag, which should keep
environmentalists happy. On the plus side, the paper bags lets the
bread “breathe” more than the usual plastic ones so one can say
goodbye to soggy bread.
Pan de Manila may want to evoke memories of the past through the
picture on the packaging and the old-style firewood and brick oven
way of baking, but its menu sure does keep up with new items that
will keep people sampling and eating their bread no matter how busy
office or school schedules are.
For pandesal alone, one can have the choice of the classic white
bread or wheat for a fiber-enriched diet. Pan de Manila also has a
cheddar cheese version of the breakfast favorite that will make any
cheese lover drool for more. Not to forget that they also sell
American style loaves.
Cheese sticks are perfect for barkada or office snacking since they
don’t shed too many crumbs and are tasty enough to be eaten alone.
These foot-long soft breads are topped with melted cheese. Its pesto
version, however, is very reminiscent of the more expensive Italian
breads served alongside pasta dishes.
Speaking of Philippine history, Pan de Manila doesn’t forget old
favorites. One can easily go inside the store and remember childhood
memories of eating bread brought home by lola. However, it is not
surprising to find little tweaks and surprises on the classics.
For one thing, Spanish bread is given a twist by using ube instead
of just the original margarine and sugar filling. Ensaymada has not
only one or two types but three: the classic, cheese and monggo. And
for those who crave for coconut, there’s always a pan de coco or two
tucked away with other goodies such as the milk or coffee buns, huge
pieces of bread laced with milk or coffee for that subtle flavor and
aroma.
Finicky types who favor plain bread and their own choice of filling
do not have to worry since Pan de Manila has their own line of
spreads and other breakfast foods. Their spreads come in three
different sizes, with the smallest size packed in a mini clear
plastic cup portable and cute enough to display on the worktable.
The medium and large sizes however are packed in glass jars.
Pan de Manila has its own formulation of the crowd-favorite creamy
peanut butter. The more adventurous types who don’t mind the risk of
having bits of peanuts in their teeth can go for the crunchy
version. The cocojam has the right amount of sweetness with hints of
macapuno in it, the type one can dip a spoon into and lick the spoon
clean. Fruit jams come in two all-natural flavors namely mango and
guava. Making garlic toast is now made easy with their garlic butter
with parsley bits. Their line-up ends with herb cream cheese in herb
or sun-dried tomato flavors.
Pan de Manila also sells Spanish-style sardines in different oils,
based on how one likes the spiciness of their fish, and lo and
behold! Spanish-style bangus.
With this menu, one simply can’t resist breakfast.
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