Hizon’s Ensaymada at Za’s Restaurant & Coffee Shop

I grew up practically baking. My mom started a bakeshop which she called after her name, Sally’s Bake shop . I was around 9 years old when she officially started a bakery business in 1966. In those days, baked goodies were simple but tasty. Growing up in a bakery gave me the extra gift of knowing how good breads and cakes should taste like.

My husband and I went over for breakfast at Za’s Restaurant and coffee shop located at Bocobo street, Manila (the restaurant of Hizon’s) because I miss the traditional bakeries where breads and cakes were simple without so much fancy decorations. Hizon’s started in 1961 just a few years before my mom’s bakeshop started. I was also eager to taste their ensaimada.

I got the Quezo de bola ensaimada (at 120 pesos).

After I took the first bite, I knew right away, the ensaimada was old, like three days old. The texture felt dry and I could taste that it was just..well, old. I requested to have fresh ensaimada but the Quezo de bola was not available and instead the cheddar topped ensaimada was offered to me. Now that was really fresh. The texture was tender and I could taste the buttery flavors and it tasted good but definitely not the sixties version of the ensaymada.

I think the Hizon’s ensaimada evolved to today’s sophisticated taste because the 1950-1960′s ensaimada tasted differently.

Marketman’s sister describes it very well:

“What one considers a proper ensaimada depends on one’s frame of reference. If you were born pre-WW II chances are the taste you are looking for will be that of an ensaimada made with lard. Large and flat, single coil, very close to the Mallorcan original, formed freehand and baked on a sheet pan. The everyday ensaimada of Lola’s Bakery was made that way, without eggyolks, “espesyal” had added eggyolks, and sometimes raisins, and the grated cheese topping for “orders” or for our home consumption as well as for the holidays. It had a shelf life of several days, even without added preservatives. Fiesta versions were sometimes baked in a 6 inch tart pan lined with papel de japon for a perfectly round shape.

My mom’s ensaymada recipe was not the fluffy sweet commercial versions that you see for sale these days.

Anyway, Hizon’s had other goodies that are traditional such as the Cherry Pie.

and the lemon meringue pie that my daughter ordered.

I hope my children’s children will someday continue the old school baking tradition of my mom. Who knows?

Hizon’s has outlets at the food court in Landmark, a kiosk in the Mall of Asia and a bakeshop in the Promenade Mall in Greenhills

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