Pan de Manila's Pan de Sal

Manila

Pan de Manila SM Center Las Pinas Branch

My first encounter with Pan de Manila was at SM Southmall in Las Piñas City years ago. I was amused by the bakeshop’s interior that is patterned from an old Spanish structure. The walls are adorned with bricks and their shelves are being supported by decorative iron brackets. They also have this accent tiles used on their flooring similar to that of the Mallorca tiles.

Decorative iron bracket that supports the shelf

All their breads are baked in an old-style brick oven or pugon. The pugon reminds me of our neighbor’s bakeshop back in the province more than a decade ago. It was managed by an old couple, who, on one occasion, gave us the permission to peek inside their working area. Their pugon is shaped like a small hot air balloon and painted in white. But just before I left my hometown in late 1999, the bakeshop had closed down and never went back to its operation again.   

Brick oven or Pugon

What I like about Pan de Manila is that their breads don’t have preservatives and they always offer freshly baked breads on the shelves. They offer variety of breads too including an old time favorite ensaymada. That bread slathered with margarine on top and then sprinkled with white sugar.  

Ensaymada

I first sampled their pan de sal or Salt Bread and fell in love with it right away. It is soft and not too sweet. It does not harden immediately when left uncovered. Whenever I pass by Pan de Manila, I see to it that I must bring home pan de sal. To me, it is best served when still warm together with hot coffee, with or without the filling.

Pan de Sal or Salt Bread

No Need For Membership Card at S&R Cubao

Araneta Cubao, Quezon City

I was tagged along by my classmates after we enrolled in the Open University to go to Cubao to eat pizza. As if we are giving ourselves a treat after a horrible experience in the enrolment system that took us nearly half-day of patiently waiting for several hours just to have our subjects tagged in the registration area. Needless to say, an hour or so of bearing a pain in our limb from standing to almost static long lines in the cashier. That slow!  

Not knowing which pizza parlor we would go, I was thinking it would probably be in Pizza Hut or in Shakey's or in Yellow Cab or whichever the group would like to decide on. And then suddenly, I was surprised to see this S&R logo from afar and we are heading towards it.  As we all know, S&R is a membership shopping grocery warehouse that sell mostly imported goods. Then I asked a classmate who among them is a member of S&R, and the answer was not one of them. And I was told there is no need to present a membership card for this outlet to buy their pizza. 

Really now! Since I am not a member of S&R, I don’t need to ask favor from friends and officemates to borrow their S&R card. S&R membership card cost P700.00 and I only go there during storewide sale or if there is a promo, of course along with friends who carry the membership card. 

I was delighted, anytime I crave for S&R pizza or their so juicy burger, then off I go to S&R Araneta Cubao. It is located at the 2nd level of Puregold grocery, right in front of Abenson appliance store. They sell pizza, burger, salad, churros, Bunny ice cream, among others. And they have this combo of a huge pizza slice and large coke at Php 99.00 which is not available at their warehouse. The prices of their food items are just the same with that in S&R warehouses. The S&R Cubao is just a pizza outlet without the warehouse or the grocery. You can dine in or take out any food item. 

This S&R food outlet is located at the 2nd floor of Puregold in Araneta Cubao.

Their famous New York Style Pizza in variety of flavors.

Other food items to choose from.

Blue Bunny ice cream.

Now this is great!

And there's a long queue...

 I totally enjoyed this combo!