Located close to the Starbucks the bread shop offers a big selection of specialty buns and breads…read more Pick out all the breads you'd like and then they'll package them at the counter. They have pre-packaged loaves and rolls as well. I really enjoy the shop for having such extremely soft breads. Personal favorite is definitely the spicy tuna bun. Their selection does range from sweet to savory. I haven't really seen any pastry type items in their display, but maybe some cake. They do have rolls and all easy to grab and go breads on lock!

Oh yes.... Clydes' frappes makes me smile... the prep time might need improvements, still I would…read morego to Clydes in a heartbeat than SB.

BEST DESSERTS!!!…read more It's been 4 months since we last visited the Philippines and El Hubby and I are still talking about Conti's HALO-HALO and MANGO BRAVA CAKE. Their halo-halo was classic with the ube ice cream and flan on top and had enough beans and jelly on the bottom. It's crunchy, cold and so delicious. The Mango Brava Cake was memorable. It's a frozen cake with layers of cashew meringue wafers, chocolate mousse, cream and real mango chunks. It's sooo good! Besides dessert, they also serve Filipino, American and Italian food. I had LENGUA ESTOFADO and El Hubby had MUSSELS and MUSHROOM PASTA and they were all delish. Keep in mind that their portions are on the smaller side but you will still leave satisfied. I really miss Conti's. Wished we could've dined more than once.

Mango Bravo is superb!!!! Bravo!!! I would definitely come back here just for that. Their cheese…read morerolls are ok. I did like their lengua with mushroom sauce and the shrimps. Food was ok but the desserts divine!!!

When in Tagaytay, you have to get some Buko pie - hey that rhymes! No, I'm not in Marketing but I'm…read morereally into young coconut pie (Buko) which this place definitely knows how to make. After a day of site seeing, hiking, shopping or after a great meal, what a pleasant dessert to have and it's healthy for you. The area also produces great coffee and pineapple so you can pick up their other pies as well. Although I haven't tried any other pie, that'll give me something to come back for. This happens all the time - Expect to wait, when we got there, there were about 4 other parties waiting for their hot, fresh out of the oven pies. And speaking of hot, you can jump on the Skyway and be back in Alabang just in time to have them - still nice and hot. Now there are other wannabes but I caution you on buying their pies because of the lack of coconut meat. Take a look at my pics and you'll see the cascading goodness of layers upon layers of fresh coconut. This goes oh so well with the local barako coffee.

I have to admit I've kind of given up trying to visit the UPLB area of Laguna, unless I have some…read morefamily or friends to visit nearby or past the town of College. Luckily, I noticed recently that some food brands have been making their way to the "pasalubong centers" now sprouting all over the Santa Rosa road to Tagaytay Ridge. Original Buko Pie did one better and opened its own store/baking center here; when you queue (if you do), you can be sure the batches are freshly made. Turnover is seriously - and justifiably - high. The pie is flaky and buttery, but not too much so; the filling has a certain bite, and the right amount of young, sweet, chewy coconut to keep you going. I dare you to have only one slice, warmed gently in a toaster oven, a la mode, or with a sprinkling of cheese on top.

It was our first time visiting Good Shepherd Bahay Pastulan, home of the best ube jams. Our family…read moretook us here on the way home from our stay at Tagaytay. We've heard so much about this place. This place is ran by nuns and all sweets, pastries and goods are made by nuns. All proceeds and sales go to charity helping Catholic communities and families. They are also famous for the best ube jams that people buy and take back home with them as souvenirs. Their delicious and famous ube jam is what family and friends would bring us when they fly back home to the U.S. We bought several jars of ube jam for us to take back home to the U.S. Ube is real ube halaya from purple yam. This is rare as purple yam is originally only grown in the mountains of a specific province in the Philippines. Most of the ube jam sold back home in the U.S. is taro and not purple yam. They have a variety of other goods, sweets and pastries that are very affordable and priced reasonably for the quality Good Shepherd produces. We bought other treats and were so glad we did. Can't wait to come back to Good Shepherd Bahay Pastulan in a couple of months to get our next haul of the best ube jams in the world while helping give back to the organizations that help communities, women and children. Salamat po!

The nuns at the Good Shepherd Convent make THE BEST peanut brittles and ube jam in the Philippines…read more Whenever I people ask me what I want from the Philippines, I tell them to get me this peanut brittle. This was my first visit to the Good Shepherd store. It's got decent views of the surrounding farmland. The lady working the counter was very nice too, but unfortunately, they offer no samples. So if you wanna try ANYTHING, ya gotta buy it first. At least the majority of their items are cheap..

Micha's is a small-ish unassuming bakeshop tucked between a point-point (read: turo-turo) eatery…read moreand a petshop along Grove. I used to walk from campus to my then-apartment (which was a kilometer away) and pass by Micha's. The first thing that lured me in was the smell of cookies every afternoon. I think it awakened the cookie monster in me. I swear on Hitler's mustache, their chocolate chip cookies are divine. They're the perfect combination of chewy and crispy, of buttery and chocolatey, of cute and sexy.. Wait what? Point is, they set the bar way too high, so make sure you're ready for these life-changing cookies. Despite the lack of a comfortable dine-in space and AC, students flock to Micha's around three o'clock every weekday afternoon for a slice or two of their uber cheesy baked macaroni. At forty pesos per slice, it's a real bang for your buck, too.

I'm particularly fond of the setup of French Baker. Good hearty meals, some pasta, some cakes and a…read moreslew of pastries. These combinations never seem to fail. However, what I am not a fan of is the price, though. But, if you're looking at getting the same satisfaction without the disappointment of budget concerns, Micha's down at LB is definitely a good place to go. What to try? Well, how about we start off with chocolate chip, dark chocolate or chocolate crinkles being sold at 35 pesos per 100 grams? Or how about their crazy ,scrumptious servings of baked mac that you'll even eat right out of the foil? Or how about some eclairs or cream puffs without costing you an entire dollar? All of that, you'll get here. So hop on to LB as this little store's waiting for you!

Mernel's Bakeshop has officially become one of our top-of-the-list stopovers whenever we would…read morevisit Los Baños for other notable things like Milka Krem's Chocolate Milk at UPLB. The cake is perfectly sweet, good with black coffee in my opinion, and the icing is the best so share those cake corners! I also noticed the cake is best when it's super cold, and the icing just gets better even when days go by.

This is my favorite cake shop! My family buys me a birthday cake every year since I've had this…read moresince my 1st birthday. I also buy this for their birthday if I had the budget to buy. The taste of the chocolate icing and chocolate-flavored cake is just amazing! I don't think I've had a taste of a cake that is better than Mer-Nel's!

Double Chocolate Blueberry Ice Blended was too strong. The fruit syrup was too sweet and tasted…read moreartificial instead of fresh. Double Chocolate alone would've been the proper drink for me. Baristas smiled and two of them offered something to eat. The smiles were nice. Ambience is great! The view is simply relaxing and filled with good mixes of blues from the sky and greens from the plants. Seats are available outside but strictly no smoking.

Great coffee! My family and I came here after having dinner and wanted to have coffee and cake. We…read moreenjoyed every bite and coffee was on point. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

Now there's a tart that I wished was available in Manila, but don't be dismayed as this delicacy is…read morejust located in the nearby city of captivating views and sceneries, Tagaytay. Almira's Buko tart, simply has the amazing and delectable coconut tarts for me. They've mastered the creation of tarts as the saltiness and the crunchiness of the crust, together with the sweetness of the soft coconut, tastes heavenly and every single bite is addicting. Although the name says buko tart, they bake several luscious tarts such as Mango Cheese Tart, Banana Caramel Tart, Blueberry Cheese Tart, Cherry Cheese Tart , and my personal favorite; Fruity Tart . It's tangy and sweet and just sensational. Also available are the usual Pinoy delicacies such as Nilupak, barquillos, otap, and so much more. Be on the lookout though when going to Almira's Buco Tart Haus as you may drive past them, they're just a small store with teracotta roof and cute pink sign.