CINDYS Raring To Expand Business on their 50th Year!

My memories of Cindys has always been awesome. With their foray into the fast food market (largely popular in the 80's), they've captured the hearts of Filipinos nationwide. I remember eating Chicken Barbecue and Palabok when Mom took me in Cubao when I was a kid. They've slowly gone in the shadows, but nope, contrary to rumors, they were never gone or closed business. They've concentrated their business in their core strength, their bakery and restaurant business which started in Tarlac City in 1972. Actually, I went there and I took home a lot of products home with me for pasalubong.

 

Yes folks, they are celebrating their 50th Year Anniversary! They made us feel we're part of the celebrations a few days ago, and memories came crashing back to me. This time, they're call is to "Savor Great Moments" as they begin expanding this year with branches in Luzon, Metro Manila . 

I am so happy they're donning the new look and I hope I would see them near my hood so I could enjoy the good baked and savory products served at their restaurant again. They may have been in the business for half a century, but they're just starting to put a foothold on the new market with these well loved items. If you're in Manila, they have one in Blumentritt and Karuhatan in Valenzuela City. You may visit their site CindysBakery.com and Facebook.com/CindysBakeryRestaurant if you want to know more where you can get those lovely ensaymadas, brownies and Taisan which I enjoyed last week. 

Here's a toast to a classic, congratulations to Cindys on your 50th year!

Four Basic Bakery Business Plans

There are a lot of people who are very adept at baking. They are the people who everyone calls when they need a cake for an anniversary, a going away party, or a retirement party. These are the individuals who make doughnuts that everyone could die for. Usually, when a person is good at baking, their friends are trying to encourage them to sell their baked goods for a profit. However, opening a successful bakery is a lot harder than it sounds. However, it can be done successfully with little skill and a little know-how.

When it comes to starting a successful bakery, the plan is everything. The first part of the plan must include deciding the type of bakery to open. In order to do this an individual must look at what their financial goals are with the bakery, what type of items they bake, and how much money they have at their disposal to start their bakery.

Armed with this information, a person will have to decide if they want to start one of the following four types of bakeries:

The first type is a bakery that operates primarily online. The benefit of this is that there is no storefront for the bakery. There is no rental of a bakery space. Starting on online with just a few pictures of the items you have baked on a website is a great way to start and run a bakery from home.

The second bakery option is a customer service bakery. Customers can come up to a bakery window, order what they want, and go about their day. However, this bakery does not have seats for the customers to sit in.

The third option is a specialty service. A specialty service is where you decide that you are only going to make a certain type of baked good, but you make it better than anyone else. These types of businesses can be run from home, or a person may opt to rent the space for their specialty bakery.

The final option is a sit down bakery. This is more complicated and it requires renting or buying baking equipment, including large ovens, bakery trays equipped with bakery casters, tables, chairs, and a whole host of other appliances that are needed to provide drinks and other services to your customers.

Being able to bake delicious food is a gift that not everyone has. This gift can be turned into a awesome business that can have a positive impact on a person’s life. All that it requires is a little fortitude and a good plan.

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Some Freshly Baked Breads from Kumori Japanese Bakery

I don't know if you've seen a Kumori branch near you, but I have been able to in SM North Edsa's The Block at the ground floor. It's a little shack with interiors that are a little woodsy, reminiscent of a log cabin with Japanese flare. It's a Japanese franchise and if you could see, they actually use imported ingredients so they can recreate the freshly baked goodies they're pretty much known for. I had a bite or two of it just to make sure it's fresh, I kinda wanted to be in their quality assurance team and chomp my way through it but that's a long shot I guess. Just note that it really smells so good when I was around their establishment, like freshly baked breads should be. Check out these items we took home from the store!

The Cranberry Yuzu - Sweet compact bread with dried cranberry fruit pieces folded in. You can have this sliced, have a few pieces over tea or coffee. It's filling and healthy, you'll probably get needed fiber requirements for the day and vitamin C :) it's lovely!

Ciabatta - If you're into something filling, this is their Ciabatta bread. I can imagine having this during dinner in lieu of dinner rolls so I can have it toasted lightly, sliced, then dipped into extra virgin olive oil with balsamic vinegar. Or just have it with cold unsalted butter, ahh I'm imagining things. You can make this a canvass and have it in any meal, be adventurous!

This is my personal favorite, the Custard Butter Bun. The bread is super soft and when you bite into it you'll get a cold explosion of the rich egg custard swirled with milky buttercream filling. You'll be closing your eyes while having it because it's so good.

For those who want something savory, Kumori also has this Crabstick Bun. It's your favorite Japanese maki ingredient on top of a soft baked bun plus creamy Japanese mayonnaise and corn. It's a lovely combination and you can have this during tea time or a pinoy merienda. It's JapaNICE, and I'm sure the kids will too. 

For those who want something tangy and sweet, Kumori wants you to experience this Apple and Cheese Danish. It's flaky home made filo dough baked til golden brown then Apple filling plus a small amount of cheese on the bottom. You'll get that sweet, tangy, salty kind of mix in the center and that lovely Apple flavor in the end. It's like having Apple Pie on a hot summer day. I'd love this with ice cream or a sundae, perhaps a bottle of ice cold Coke on the side. Although I'd recommend the tons of drinks that they also have inside the store which are a hit with those who have experienced it. I didn't take one home because it'll melt but you can check out their Facebook page if you want to see it.

Kumori does have really good  breads, and you just have to discover it. Visit their stores now at the Lower Ground Level of SM Makati, the Basement Level of Landmark Makati and the Ground Floor of SM North EDSA's The Block. They've got freshly baked breads, awesome drinks everyday!

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London Style Brew now in Manila: Costa Coffee

Great news for coffee lovers out there, there's a new brand in town and this really came in the right time when we're almost all bored about the usual coffee shop we see in major thoroughfares. London based Costa Coffee is now in the Philippines and they're gearing to put up more stores in the country soon.  Costa Coffee was founded in London by Bruno and Sergio Costa sparked by their love for premium quality coffee. They've got 40 years of experience to back that up and over 3,000 Costa stores around the world to prove it. Their goal is to be the worlds most loved coffee shop brand, a feat that they can well do in the next few years I bet.

The Interiors

The place has 2 floors and is pretty much reflected to be much like the streets of London inside complete with a red phone booth outside which you can take photos with. The interior's made of several brick walls, upholstered and regular seats that would gladly be reminiscent of an Austin Powers movie.

It's the London culture, the vibe, the colors that they would like you to see inside the store. There several corners in this place that I would have loved to reserve for myself when I get the chance to hang out in Eastwood, especially the window seats. Remember, the Brits are some of the worlds most demanding customers and if they want quality on their drinks or food, they need to get it and this is much of a standard thing in Costa Coffee shops I'm sure.

Special Mothers Day Cakes at Breadtalk Mall of Asia

When was the last time you had the chance to visit a Breadtalk branch near you? Well, this Mothers Day seems to be an opportune time to do it as our favorite bakery brings out the buns to make them the next destination for the most special person in your life, your Mom!

Breadtalk understands that in order to make them feel special, you've got to have the corresponding special cakes with it. They still make fresh bread everyday and they don't stop making them from morning, noon and night because sometimes they practically run out of it! 

The Interiors

The Mall of Asia branch is one of the oldest branches in the Philippines, actually they opened together with the mall. They an accommodate around 50-60 people in one go and several more if they chose to just stand outside and eat bread all day. Their breads are legendary. You can also see their kitchen/production area as they dish out these awesome breads one by one. They have a spotless store because they aim to have the same clean standards just like in Singapore where this brand originated. Then we went on tasting their super awesome cakes!

The Cakes

This is the Mamarvelous. They made this cake especially for Mothers day. One bite, and you'll feel it take you to heaven and back. It felt like I was biting into clouds since they used Vanilla Cream based frosting. It's hard to bake cakes like these, more so if you have to do those rosettes. They also infused purple yam on the cake's exterior hence the color. I loved it so much that I had to take some of it home for my Mom. For real.

This cake is what they call Mom and Me. It's dark chocolate cake covered with rich chocolate ganache. You also have almond sponge and brandy spiked ganache plus small crunchy caramel pearls. I involuntarily closed my eyes because it was that good. The layers had their own world and you can feel it stick to your teeth every spoonful. If you're a chocolate lover, this would be something worth a try but remember, this is for Mom so she takes first bite!

The Breads

Three breads, the Sisig Bun, Berries and Cream and Cheese Floss. These are some of Breadtalk's best sellers aside from the usual Pork Floss you get from their stores. Surprisingly, the Sisig Bun is very good, even if it's whimsical, it's flavor permeates throughout the whole bread. It's worth a try. The Berries and Cream on the other hand is sweet and tangy. I bet it comes from the fruit they used for the filling. The Cheese floss brings another layer of cheese outside your favorite pork floss, so in some sense, they just made it better! 

That's how they want you to experience Mothers Day in Breadtalk stores, to be treated special, to feel loved. Make sure to place your orders in advanced or visit the Mall of Asia Breadtalk branch if you're in the area. She deserves it right? Bring home a Mamarvelous cake or the Mom & Me cake today! This will only be available until Sunday, you know how that goes.

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Summer Lovin With J.CO's White Choco Frappes!

Visited J.CO in the Shopwise Cubao branch in Quezon City. I think it's the nearest one in my place and I miss it quite a lot. I used to have their donuts quite often and I'm not aaaaaaaaaaaareally choosy. Whatever they have on the counter, I can take it, especially the J.Club Cheezy Rich which I adore. My folks on the other hand dig the Al Capone, a pretty popular one with most J.CO patrons.

I think it's a little bigger now than when I first came to this store. I frequent the one in Eastwood City which I think is still their biggest one by far. I also dig their coffees so if I have a lot of time in my hands, I usually take a couple of hours and put my self in one of their comfy seats just to relax, listen to their mood music, and perhaps finish an article or two.

Since it's summer I opted for something frozen. There's something new in their J.COFFE section called White Choco Frappe. You can ask for it from your favorite J.CO barista and tell them how you want it. The White Choco Frappe would be the perfect drink for those who love Vanilla and White Chocolate as these are their ingredients.This thing is fused with Vanilla and mixed with white chocolate sauce and sprinkled with some white chocolate chunks and shavings. If you were braving the streets of Manila the whole day, taking a break at J.CO would be something that could extinguish the almost 40 degree weather. Enough of those hot things, it'll just make you perspire more.

After a few hours, I was getting a little sleepy. Although I needed coffee in my system, I didn't want hot ones, instead I ordered their new White Choco Espresso Frappe, which almost had the same ingredients with the earlier one but with the exception of a shot of espresso in it. They suggested that I also take this in with the Don Mochino, it's one of J.CO's best selling donuts that's got dark chocolate outside and a cream filling.

I think the next good thing to do is to come and visit the nearest J.CO branch nearest you. There's a couple more in Makati, Mandaluyong, Eastwood City, and the whole of Metro Manila (Even SM Malls have them!). You'll be glad to see them offer these two drinks that's available in stores until May 31st! Take a sip, relax and enjoy the summer with these new flavors from J.CO donuts and J.COFFEE. Visit their website www.jcodonuts.com for their latest offerings.

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Harina Artisan Bakery Café

There are many things that a blogger can do and one of them is eat. I don't just eat though, because I am very picky about breads. I mostly love those freshly baked ones in hotels because those are made by chef-artisans. I didn't know there was one quite near my neighborhood. This is Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe!

This quaint all day breakfast store in 118 Katipunan Avenue, White Plains in Quezon City (who has SUPERB bread sticks btw!) embraces the notion of selling only the best artisanal breads (no artificial flavors or preservatives) this side of the metro without holding back on the freshest ingredients... a word of warning, it shows on their products. We had the best ones from the menu and tried them out one quaint morning. It looked pretty good!

Brunch is special. The Iced Tea, ahm I've got to be honest. It wasn't a special brew but it was alright. It's not sweet, encourages you to eat a bit because you'll feel refreshed in a hot afternoon.

This is the Chicken Caesar Sandwich. Much like the salad dish that they wanted to emulate, it takes a whole different level if you put in on toasty, crunchy bread. That thing makes a whole lotta difference because its really good. It's not a run of the mill commercial bakeshop thing, it's all pure unadulterated bread, with all the nice greens, crispy bacon, runny egg and mouthwatering dressing.

 

This is Harina's Bloomin' Bread. I had tons of this. Imagine that fresh yeast smell pouring out on soft pillowy center and that crunch you get on the outer shell. Dip it in herbed balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Heavenly.

This is their Waldorf Salad Sandwich. Light, filling and very tasty. Bread is croissant like. I love this and imagine I could go out for brunch with a friend eating just this.

This is their Breakfast Tart. Imagine flaky puff pastry topped with cream cheese, spinach, baked tomatoes, bacon and eggs. I'd recommend this for two people but if you are a little hungry this would be so easy. 

This awesome PBB and Chocolate-Stuffed French Toast is highly recommended. It's comfort food that is contained in your dreams... then come to reality. The toasty whole wheat bread isn't bad either. For the price you pay for this breakfast, totally worth it!

Nice and light, Strawberry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast is just one of those dangerously looking calorie bombs that really isn't. We were surprised at how light and airy this was as compared to the other French Toast variant mentioned above. For health buffs, if you are to cheat... get this healthier alternative since its got fruit on it. But if an honest match goes, I'd rather choose the PBB Chocolate Stuffed French Toast because its more sinful.

Oh and if you are crazy with Cronuts, they've got their version too!

Sweet and flaky, you can get the Laminated Donuts in Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Blueberry Cheesecake variants. Good to take home.

Sweet and moist Chocolatey Brownie topped with Cream Cheese and Slivers of Fresh Strawberry and sides of sweet Red and Yellow Fruit Syrup. How can anyone say NO to this? Of course it's already gone after a few minutes!

DO NOT FORGET to take home a bunch of these scrumptious, sweet, decadent and wonderful Cinnamon Rolls. We can't have enough of this and it'll surely run out of the box in no time if you have kids or people like me looking at the box. Pretty good, another reason why you should make an effort to go and drop by the White Plains area. They are right in front of the row of the gardens on the side streets. Take my word for it and get the best artisan made products in a simple neighborhood store in Quezon City.

Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe is one place I could vouch for. For meetings, a small get together with friends and family, consider this a warning... if you don't try the place, you'll regret it.

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Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe