Items Selected:
Almond Croissant…read moreVegan Banana Bread
Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Mixed Nut Cookie
Pastéis de Nata
Tarta de Manzana
Poppyseed Bread
Carrot Bread
Located in Polanco, the small floorplan, limited offerings and higher prices said by some to be secondary to a better product than other Bakeries in town, Panaderia da Silva was selected as an early morning breakfast prior to a trip out the Pyramids, the results hit and miss, at best, though a few items manage to stand out.
Now serving the denizens of Mexico City for over fifteen years, the kitchen's promotion of European traditions proudly stated in their literature, it was just after opening that the small shop was approached, the lone sever a helpful young man who spoke limited English, his descriptions of a few products such as the Tarta doing well in selling the products that were subsequently bagged and taken on the road.
Happy to see several personal favorites offered, items such as the Mille-feuille and Éclairs omitted due to questions of whether they would withstand a hike, it was with high hopes that first bites were taken of an Almond Croissant that featured good lamination and an interior studded with ground Nuts as opposed to Frangipane, a good first impression quickly erased by Vegan Banana Bread that had a high degree of elasticity and not a whole lot of sweetness to taste.
Taking a look at a few more Mexican Cookies, the thick Nut Cookie clearly cut from a roll performing better than the others thanks to better moisture content, da Silva's Pastéis de Nata seemed to be the bakery's answer to Cubilete de Queso offered elsewhere, the Portuguese Egg Custard Tart offering a crisp Shell and eggy center that was just set beneath a gently caramelized top.
Fairly impressed to this point, the price for the lot more than double that at Suiza or Ideal but still low by American standards, an Apple Pie with Streusel top and a buttery shell proved to be the highlight of the morning as the Fruit had been rendered down into a thick Jam that acted to moisten the dry ingredients while the Poppyseed and Carrot loaves were each far more 'heavy' than they were flavorful, the latter particularly disappointing as the spice profile was mute in a base that was mostly Butter and Flour.
