COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Dean Brettschneider and his recipe for amazing sourdough have arrived in the country.
The Kiwi baker is introducing two bakery concepts opening on Jan 11 at S Maison, Conrad Manila: Baker & Cook, and Plank Sourdough Pizza — located right next to each other!
Baker & Cook is best-known for bread, tarts and bombolinis (Italian custard-filled doughnuts). It started out as a small neighborhood cafe in Hilllcrest Avenue in Singapore in 2012, and has won the hearts of carb-lovers looking for thoughtfully-made products. The place offers a dizzying array of bread such as bagels (PHP 95-105), canelé (PHP85), and croissants (PHP120-190). It also offers all-day breakfast meals (aound PHP300 up).
Plank is a spin-off of the artisanal bakery. It has a basic menu of seven kinds of hand-crafted pizza. The most basic one is topped with tomato, mozzarella, caramelized garlic and basil (PHP 480).
For pizza toppings, Brettschneider puts emphasis on the use of fresh ingredients such as capers, rocket, and wild mushrooms. He also uses chorizo, shrimps, parma ham and pulled BBQ chicken.
Sourdough is in the DNA of both bakery concepts.
For Brettschneider, baking is surprisingly uncomplicated.
“Baking is all about your hands,” he said as he demonstrated how to make scones during the media preview attended by Coconuts Manila. “If you use a machine, there is no feeling,” he added.
The award-winning baker also highlighted the importance of using “honest and simple” ingredients like flour, eggs, and sugar. He emphasized that butter must be “nice and yellow.”
Brettschneider’s philosophy is simple: He sticks to the basics but he does them nicely. Sometimes, he adds his own twist.
With his new ideas and non-traditional approach to the kitchen, Bretschneider advocates what he calls “New world baking,” a style which he thinks appeals to the younger generation. He thinks that good bread should not be “engineered.”
“The young generation just want to eat honest food, good food. I’m not saying all-natural, but I’m thinking eggs, butter, sugar, flour… you know, nothing complicated,” he explained.
“Young people don’t need gels and pastes and things that made food glitter,” he added.
Brettschneider said that good food, good service, and comfy interiors keep his twentysomething clients in Singapore coming back for more — sometimes they go twice a day, sometimes they bring their parents and grandparents with them. He expects to see the same trend in Manila
Opening a pizza place next to his bakery is a logical business move for Brettschneider since “pizza is just bread with toppings.”
The pizza bases at Plank are lovingly hand-stretch to retain the puffiness. For the Filipino market, Brettschneider added another layer of cheese because that’s what the locals want. However, the flavor remains the same.
The crust may be the best I’ve tried in Manila. It is supposedly best enjoyed with chili or olive oil, but I thought it was wonderful on its own.
Plank also offers ribs and buffalo wings — but really, the highlight of the menu is the sourdough pizza.
With the current F&B trends in the country, Brettschneider is confident that even rice-loving Filipinos will find something to enjoy in Baker & Cook, and Plank.
He first visited Manila in 2013, but he felt that the Filipino market wasn’t ready for his concepts then. What difference three years makes.
Brettschneider credits social media for making diners more curious, and more interested in trying out different food items. He himself is a fan of Instagram as he likes taking photos of his bread and pastries and uploading them on the accounts of his stores.
“The younger generation… they are hungry for new things. They’ll eat rice sure, but they’ll also eat bombolinis and they’ll also eat quiche. They’re after an experience, they don’t come here for one thing,” he said.
Someday in the near future, he hopes to develop a Baker & Cook ensaimada, but he emphasized that he wants to do it with his Filipino team.
“I don’t know it intimately yet, but we’re going to do one for sure.” he said.
We are looking forward to that!
Opens Jan 11. G/F S Maison Conrad, Seaside Boulevard, Coral Way, Pasay; Facebook. Daily, 7am-10pm (Baker & Cook), 11am-10pm (Plank Sourdough Pizza)
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