Avenida Pasteleria in Meycauayan, Bulacan is not strictly speaking a coffee shop, so I was reluctant to include it in the Spotlights.
But I was led to consider it by a message sent to the Coffee on My Mind Facebook page. The person (who shall remain anonymous, as I am not sure if they want their name revealed) recommended that I try out the coffee from that place, as it is supposedly special.
And what will I not do for special coffee? Soon after I received that message, an adventurous friend and I made plans to visit Avenida Pasteleria in Meycauayan, Bulacan.
It may seem difficult to get to, being located in a subdivision far from the larger highways…but if you’re coming from Quezon City, it’s not hard to get to at all.
Just take an FX going to St. Michael/SM Marilao from either SM North Edsa or Ayala Trinoma Mall. Tell the driver you’re getting off at “St. Michael,” keep an eye out as soon as you get out of Meycauayan exit, and you can alight in front of the shop itself.
My friend and I got there hungry, and without any idea what the menu was going to be like, we imagined there was going to be chicken. After all, the name was “pasteleria” – didn’t that hint at chicken pastel?
Nope. Not at all. As a matter of fact, “pasteleria” is Spanish for “confectionery” or “cake shop.”
As one could probably guess from the name alone, the shop makes old skool look cool. The decor sports a distinct Spanish-era motif. You see the bench in front of the shop? It’s an antique-style piece of wooden furniture called a “gallenera.” Neither my friend nor I knew this at the time.
Neither did we know that the name came from the word “gallina,” which is Spanish for chicken. Yep, this is a chicken-keeping device – that is, visitors who brought poultry would stash them inside these bits of furniture for safekeeping.
Inside, we got the opportunity to speak to the owners: Emman and Franz, who are the pastry geniuses behind Eggenflour. We learned a lot of interesting things about the shop, including the fact that some of their cutlery and decor are genuine antiques!
And indeed, one would see that many things about the shop appear old-fashioned. You have to admire how well the heirloom items, such as this lovely china plate, have been maintained.
On the right wall is a high shelf where they store gifts from friends. Sadly, I was not able to take a photo of that; it’s an interesting display, and I bet Emman could have told us a fun story or two about them.
Emman told us that Eggenflour used to supply cakes and pastries to other establishments, but then they realized their talents wouldn’t be recognized if they kept on supplying their wares anonymously.
And how lucky we are that they set up their own independent shop! If their bestselling black forest (P100 per slice, P760 for an entire cake) is representative of their baking prowess, their pastries are nothing short of divine.
They may specialize in cakes – their cheesecakes also come highly recommended – but they also offer perfectly delectable pasta and pizza, for hungry food trippers like my friend and I.
You read that right – even if there was no chicken pastel, we were not at all disappointed with the non-pastry dishes!
We got the Pasta al Pomodoro (P110)…
…and the Quattro Formaggi pizza (P200) and we did not regret it one bit. Both the pasta and pizza were very tasty and filling! Certainly well worth it, for the price.
Ah, but we couldn’t forget what we’d gone there for – the coffee!
You can get all their coffees hot or iced, and I got the hot americano (P60) while my friend got the iced americano (P70).
The coffee was really good – it had a strong, earthy aftertaste that went really well with the dark chocolate of the cake we were having. I don’t doubt it would go even better with less “dark” sweet flavors, such as fruit-based cheesecakes.
You could request for a small cup of steamed milk to go with your hot or iced coffee (they don’t serve cream), and Splenda if you’re not a big fan of sugar.
Emman revealed that their coffee was their own special blend, which they tested and finalized at their coffee supplier’s site. Thanks to Avenida Pasteleria in Meycauayan, Bulacan, I’ve come to think it’s important to have one’s own coffee blend if you want people to know that you take your desserts seriously… and Eggenflour clearly does!
A small sign on their front door says they deliver. When I asked Emman about it, he said they used a third party delivery service, and could only deliver to nearby areas.
So, sorry Manila folks – you’ll have to travel to Meycauayan for a taste of the awesome cakes. But trust me, it’s well worth the trip! You may even end up bringing a box or two home to your folks, so they can sample Eggenflour’s talents for themselves.
For good coffee, great food, a cozy, relaxing ambiance and outstanding cakes, come by Avenida Pasteleria in Meycauayan, Bulacan.
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Avenida Pasteleria
Unit I St. Michael Commercial Center
Zeus Corner Peso Streets, St. Michael Homes
Meycauayan, Bulacan
Open at 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM every day except Tuesdays
Tel: 0917 518 3628 (call this number for deliveries, or if you need directions) ; 044 693 3532
[Erratum: I’d misspelled the name of one of the proprietors, Mr. Emman Santos, as “Eman” earlier. This has been fixed!]