Why You Should Eat In Jersey City - Philippine Bread House

I am sure there are other fine places to eat in Jersey City, but this post will focus solely on Filipino food.

I don't know what your level of familiarity is when it comes to Filipino food, but here are my suggestions if you want to get some snacking done. I can't report on the Filipino restaurants, because I tend to defer to my family's cooking.

L. to R. bicho-bicho, Maja Blanca, Pan de Sal

Philippine Bread House
530 Newark Ave
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 659-1753

Would I be exaggerating if I said that this was the Mecca of Philippine baked goods in the area? It can't be an exaggeration if these people share my sentiments on PBH. You can purchase pastries and order cakes for an event. I don't remember if they were the place to go to order lechon, but I wouldn't be surprised. They also have a little lunchonette side if you want something quick and other than sweets. I don't know if they're good, the last time I ate there was at least twelve years ago.

Dieting is not in the Philippine vocabulary. We love our fat, our fried, our sweet, and our carbs. We also love overindulgence- I don't go to PBH often, but when I do, I go all out. I stopped by on Monday and purchased the following:

Bicho-bicho - The Philippine take on donuts. These are more similar to the Western style donuts than the Chinese type (where they most likely got it from). Deep fried and coated with sugar. They are incredibly addictive, and currently going for 75 cents a piece.

Pan de Sal - The Philippine bread roll. Light, airy, sweet. Best eaten while still hot (I couldn't resist and had some in the parking lot) and a great accompaniment with your breakfast. During the holidays we pair it with ham and Queso de Bola. I like to stuff it with corned beef or sliced up longanisa/tocino. My grandma Nina used to slather them with tons of butter, dredge in sugar and fry for a great after school treat. You buy them by the dozen (I think) and they are under 2 bucks.

Maja Blanca - Corn pudding. Actually it's more like Coconut corn pudding. I've never had it, don't know if I ever will. I bought it for my dad, and he sure does like it. The crumbles on top are from cooking down coconut cream until a brown residue remains. Dry it out, crumble it on. Doesn't sound appealing? Well, I wasn't planning on eating it, so I wasn't going to make it sound all that great.

The following are not pictured... my dad got to them before I had the chance.

Ensaymada - A sweet bread that is an adaption of the Spanish ensaimada. The Philippine version is loaded up with butter, sugar, and grated cheese. There are different varieties of ensaymada, and they come in different sizes. Good for breakfast or as an afternoon snack (merienda).

Mamon - Philippine sponge cake. Comes in various flavors (I bought the Pandan one) and in different styles. You can buy the mini cakes or creme filled rolls. They are a little on the dry side (but what sponge cake isn't?) so best with a cup of coffee.

Kutsinta/Cuchinta - Steamed rice cakes. If you go to a Filipino party, guaranteed there will be large plate of these at the table. They come in various sizes and are always served with grated coconut.

It looks like I'll just turn this into a series. Studying for my second exam is really taking up all of my time and I'd hate to have all the drafted posts start to pile up. Next in the series, Red Ribbon and Fil-Am Grocery