Fresh Treats at Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe

I love to eat bread and sandwiches that I could replace rice meals with it. When I was invited to try the sample treats at Harina Artisan Bakery and Cafe, I get interested so I make a way to go there since the event is Saturday. Without a housemaid at home, I also brought my little boy while hubby drove because after the event we have plans to watch Frozen but unfortunately it did not happen. Cinemas were full already when we arrived.

We were there just in time. I took photos at the front view. You could see they have parking space and I think the space is just right for their customers. They have a friendly and auspicious design, glass windows are big enough for you to see what’s happening outside if you are in the cafe as it allows natural light to pass through.

At a glance, Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe logo looks like a crown of the queen to me. So, when did Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe open? Harina Artisan Bakery Café is still on soft opening. Operations started only last month, November, 2013. But the owners have been occupying the space along White Plains since November 2010, as Monsee’s. The owners decided to let Monsee’s focus on the institutional businesses, Harina will be its retail arm.

Why is it called Harina? They wanted a name that is closely associated with their product offerings and flour is a frequently-used ingredient in their recipes. I think the word Harina is very easy to remember, my son whom I brought there still knows their logo and their baked products as well.

No wonder why their breads, muffins, pastries are fresh everyday because the people behind Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe are a mix of foodies and professionally-trained and award-winning chefs who prefer to let the food, rather than the personalities, hog the spotlight.

 I stroll around and found an assortment of breads, including the breadsticks and Spanish bread which Monsee’s is widely known for.  They also have all-day breakfast fare which capitalizes on the core product of Harina, which is bread.

The ambiance at Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe was designed with a homey and cozy feel in mind. Customers will truly feel comfortable and relaxed during the visit. Since I brought my child there, I noticed that he feels like he is not away from home. Kids will have a blast with the decorate-your-own-treat (cupcakes or cookies) which is Harina’s alternative to the usual crayons-and-coloring book activity. Although my son didn’t tried this he enjoyed tasting the sample treats that were served.

Harina’s Bloomin’ Bread is the first that we’ve tasted. It is a crusty pull-apart Italian loaf with basil puree and an assortment of melted cheese. Served with a dip of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. This is Harina Specials good for sharing. It cost Php320. It taste delicious (hindi nakakaumay).

Chicken Caeasar Sandwich is grilled Cajun chicken and lettuce in Caesar dressing topped with poached egg, bacon and parmesan cheese on baguette. This one seems to be a complete meal and flavorsome. The lettuce that they’ve served are so fresh as you can see the vibrant color in the photo. It cost Php 220.

 

The Strawberry-cheesecake stuffed French Toast is a cheesecake-filled brioche topped with whipped cream and strawberry preserves. For me it is not that sweet and while you munch this make sure to include the strawberry preserves because it complements the taste. The texture is so soft. I think this is good to eat when you just wanted to relax and eat lightly. This cost Php 290.

Waldorf Sandwich is a flaky pastry with filling of chicken, red and green apples, celery and chopped walnuts in mayonaise. I love Waldorf salad so when I tasted this one, I like it much. I will surely go back here for this sandwich or if not (since we are far from here) I’ll request hubby to drop by and buy me. This cost Php 220.

Breakfast Tart is puff pastry shell filled with cream cheese, spinach, baked tomatoes, bacon and eggs. This is something so special to me- tasty, yummy, delightful and energizing. It will surely make your bright day as you will be energize with the ingredients. Love to see couples sharing this in the morning for breakfast.

 

Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Stuffed French Toast wheat honey French toast stuffed with creamy peanut butter, sliced bananas and chocolate spread. The bananas complements the taste. Honestly, I do not like mixing the taste of peanut butter and chocolate so I think I would go for Peanut butter and banana only or chocolate and banana only stuffed French toast. But, I would say it taste good. I like the stuffed French Toast. It cost Php 290.

Lastly, I’ve got a chance to taste harina’s Cronuts. I haven’t tasted cronuts since it started to become popular but I am speechless right after I tasted their Peanut butter Laminated Donuts-Cronuts. It was so mouth-watering, very enjoyable to munch, there is yumminess in the inside. Flavor sweet just right on your taste buds. This is introductory and the price range is about Php85 each. Love the taste.

Available flavours of breadsticks are Parmesan at Php 120, Onion and Sour Cream, Plain Cheese, Milk and Butter – Php 100. Their breadsticks are great to have for snack. My son likes the taste and you can dip it in creamcheese, chocolate or any dip you like. You will notice that the breadsticks comes in different sizes because they are hand-made.

What makes Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe special is that everything is a labor of love. The baking is done the traditional way, without shortcuts and chemical additives. Since chemical additives are not used, the flavors of each ingredient are fully developed. It wasn’t necessary to add chemicals to bread for centuries and Harina believes that it still isn’t. Nothing less than premium ingredients are used. The breads are hand rolled. They do not mass-produce their breads, they are baked in small batches rather than on a vast assembly line.

Their restroom has a cute and very neat design.

I will be uploading photos in my facebook page for other photos, and their pricing as well.

Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe is located at 118 Katipunan Avenue, White Plains, Quezon City with telephone number (02) 3526721

Store hours: Monday to Sunday, 6am to 9pm.

For more information, please visit their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/harinacafe.