This is such a cute, homestyle-looking bakery - just like a bakery from your old country (whichever one you may have been from). Some people have criticized the lack of flashy decor, but I am fine with that, if the product is good. It shows that they focus on their baking. Easy to find, and plenty of parking, tucked away in a local mall, but straight run on port union and 2 minutes from the highway. There is no seating, so it is strictly take out.
As I walked in, I noticed a few things. $7 pies (Ok, this is a really great price; I remember that they had cherry, but I don't recall the other flavours); $1 each butter tarts, if you buy half a dozen; "day old" shelves with several intriguing bags of day-old bakery goods.
Staff was very friendly and welcoming. They have beef, chicken, spinach, tuna and pineapple empanadas. I wanted to sample each of the empanadas, but they only had chicken and pineapple left. So I got 4 chicken and 2 pineapple. Get there early, if you want to get the full range! We also got some chocolate chip cookies, some of the cheese and ube pandesal; and a few day-old shakoy (twisted, sugared donut) and took all the foods home to taste.
People have remarked that they wished that the pastries had been warm. Well, you can fix that yourself! Heat them for a few minutes in a low (195-200 degree) oven. Or a few seconds blast in the microwave, but that can wreck the texture of crust if you do it for too long.
Slightly warmed, the chicken empanada were delicious; very crispy and flaky pastry, with a hint of sweetness. The filling complemented, rather than overpowered the tasty crust. Pineapple epanadas were refreshing little handpies, with the same flaky crust and a sweet filling. My daughter would have preferred a sweeter filling, but I don't have a huge sweet tooth. The chocolate chip cookies had that real home-made taste, buttery, crispy yet also chewy, like a classic "toll house" chocolate chip cookie. They were delightful.
The shakoy were awesome. I remember my grandmother made twisted donuts like this (although she was not Filipino, Eastern Europe also has a donut tradition). A nice, rich, fluffy dough, and braided in a two strand braid (more like a twist). Covered with a simple dip in sugar, rather than a glaze, these were not overly sweet, so that the flavour of the dough really shone! I heated them briefly as described above, and the slight crispiness of the exterior really enhanced the flavour.
After all this, I was too stuffed to try the pandesal, but later my appetite revived, so I upwrapped one of the pandesal. Intriging purple in colour, these pandesal tasted a bit sweet, like a brioche. I heated mine in the microwave for about 10 seconds and that did the trick. Nice sweet dough, but i just wish that there had been a bit more cheese. My daughter enjoyed as is, especially the sweet, purplish filling inside. These are really interesting: I'd love to make them, and try to add a bit more of the salty, aged cheese vibe to a very sweet bun. However, this was really pleasant to eat.
I plan to return soon, to check out the very well priced pies, butter tarts and the other flavours of empanada. I'd like to give the bread a try, but it seemed that it could be a bit dense (I'll probably try it anyway). My daughter was gazing wistfully at the chocolate and the maple doughnuts, so I should get a few of those as well.
I did return, and we tried the doughnuts. They are really good, and I can see why this bakery is known for the doughnuts. I highly recommend the Boston Cream, and I don't usually like doughnuts.
If you are passing Port Union or in the area, it's a quick stop, near the highway and Kingston Road, and gives you a taste of the unique and delicious Filipino baking tradition, as well as contemporary, Canadian favourites. Also, if you haven't had Ube Pandesal before, the color will amuse and impress you!! So you really should try to check it out! read more