A friend posted an Instagram story recently and it featured a box of pandesal. My friend is also in Singapore and it caught my attention. “Where did you order that?!”

A few days later I’m happily welcoming a box of pandesal and cheese bread at my doorstep. I also ordered a set of ensaymadas. It’s from Panrizal “Tinapay Therapy” which is a home-based bakery run from a house in Punggol. They bake Filipino classics like pandesal, cheese bread, ensaymada, and Spanish bread. The delivery fee from Punggol to Pasir Ris was $5 (yikes) but it was worth it. My housemates and I described it in one word: “legit”

I was quite pleased with the purchase. It did set me back $29 if you count the delivery fee. But it’s not everyday I get to enjoy “legit” Filipino-style bread. The pandesal was soft and fluffy. I asked my housemates (who are great at cooking) if they’ve tried making pandesal at home. Housemate D says it’s difficult and it ends up like monay bread (which is dense!). The cheese bread was also “legit” – soft and fluffy inside with a crunchy outer layer. I don’t know what makes it different from the cheese bread you can buy at a local Singaporean bakery lol – is it the extra appeal of being baked by our kababayan? The ensaymada was also good. Great for breakfast. I also miss the sugary-coated ensaymadas from Cavite.

You can visit Panrizal’s Facebook page here. Orders have to be placed via Facebook.