Dear Croissant

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. I thought I should tell you before I go on. 

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. When having a sandwich, I put on a thick layer of spread the and use as little bread as possible, preferrably on a 1:1 ratio. 

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. When having a burger, I throw away one of the two buns before proceeding to eat it.

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. On pizzas, I only get thin crust ones. If they don't have it, I don't eat pizza.

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. But that was before I met you. Or actually, before I lived in a country where you're available in all shapes, sizes, and flavors in all patisseries.

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. But the many layers of thin dough fused together by a healthy amount of butter ends up in a flaky, delicious puff pastry that is impossible to resist.

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. But you're so tasty and irrestable, even to the pickiest of bread eaters. 

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. But when I get a waft of the aroma of a freshly baked you through the open doors of the nearest boulangerie, all resolve to keep a diet is nixed. 

Dear croissant, I'm not very fond of breads. But I love you, like I've never loved a bread before.

Bread & Bean PWNS All Other Coffeeshops

Happy almost-Easter everybody! This is probably my favorite holiday of the year (well, next to Christmas). One of the best things about it is that because everyone's out of town to enjoy the long weekend, the city streets are clear as day and I can drive from Alabang to Quezon City with no sweat. Which brings me to today's topic.

Bread & Bean is coffeeshop, bakeshop, and restaurant all in one.

Living in the South, I am usually hesitant to travel further than Makati for recreation (by that I mean eating out). Ortigas, San Juan, and Quezon City are places I usually pass up because of the hellish amount of traffic that can be expected along EDSA. To make things easier, I just stay within fifteen kilometers of my house.

But there are some exceptions. Bread & Bean is one of the few (another one is Everything at Steak). This little coffeeshop along Jose Abad Santos street in San Juan is of those places that I'd gladly and willingly go back to, traffic or no traffic.

L-R: Classic Hot Chocolate (p80), Choco Peppermint Fredoccino (p100),
Capuccino (p80), Dark Choco Fredoccino (p100)

Even though there are so many coffee shop chains close the South, Bread & Bean gives you a different experience. The area is laid back, with warm wood decor and, comfy chairs, and friendly personnel. But those just the extras. Besides the general homey feel, they also serve excellent coffee, breads and cakes.

My all time favorite is the Choco Peppermint Fredoccino, a cool and refreshing frappuccino blended in with minty chocolate bits and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

The mango cake slice is lovely.

They also have a selection of mouth-watering cakes (pictures as proof!), all reasonably priced at 60-80 per slice. Another Bread & Bean feature is that their breads are baked fresh daily. The very tasty (and my favorite) ham and cheese loaf is a treat. Sorry, I don't have a photo of the bread section, just head over and try their fresh breads yourself. You won't be disappointed.

FACEBOOK PROMO:

Look at what I saw posted on their wall-

Like and share the Bread & Bean fanpage (link below) and get a cake when you visit, absoulutely free. Just tell them your name when you get there (won't hurt to tell them you heard about them from BaconTunaMelt).  Pretty sweet deal, imo.

Bread & Bean Cafe

Location: Unit 3, Citiplace Building Jose Abad Santos Street, San Juan

Other info: Bread & Bean Cafe Facebook Page

Map:

View Larger Map

Christmas in October at Cinnabon

Hello guys and gals! The past weekend was pretty hectic for me, with no time to sit back, relax, and watch the world zoom by. I'm glad that's over and done with, today is the start of another exciting workweek (yay?). Anyway, I checked the calendar today and saw that Christmas is only 74 days away. That's too soon! I have much love for the coming holidays but I can't say I'm excited for the hustle and bustle that usually comes with it. I'm getting a headache just thinking about the packed stores and the insanely long queues.

Before you think that I'm such a Scrooge (I'm not, I promise I'm not!), let me say that while I am dreading the Christmas rush, I am looking forward to all the glorious Christmas nomz! When it gets frantic, if there's one thing that can make me stop grumbling, it's Christmas nomz. One of the smells that I associate with Santa season is the smell of cinnamon. Along with chestnuts, fruitcake, turkey, and leche flan, the smell of cinnamon always cheers me up and takes me to happyland.

Cinnabon Classic (p90)