Though it was raining awfully hard, the delivery man still came over with my box of baked goodies from Shawarma Gourmet. This shows true grit, and commitment in service. The structure of the boxed packaging was still in perfect shape, and when I opened the box, a pleasing aroma of cinnamon and sugar filled the air! When I reached for a piece, I could not believe that the bread was still warm! The quality was well-protected and packaged even under rainy circumstances. My dark day was beginning to become a happier one.
Taste Test
Pan au Chocolat
The Pan Au Chocolate at Shawarma Gourmet has a light and fluffy texture. The chocolate is neither too sweet nor bitter, it was perfect! Appearance-wise, you need try this now!
Ube Croissant
The Ube Croissant has a unique blend of foreign pastry quality with local flavours. The savoury taste of the ube synchronised splendidly with the sweetness of the croissant creating an overall wonderful sweet sensation to the taste buds. My brain was ringing in delight with the pastry’s light, fluffy and savoury flavours. Nothing overpowered each other. It was a perfect balance!
Almond Croissant
For any nutty fans out there, the almond croissant caters towards an audience of sophisticated tastes. It pairs well with a coffe or tea and baked to perfection! The pastry is incredibly sweet, but absolutely delicious.
Chocolate and Cinnamon Twist
On the left is the chocolate twist and on the right is the cinnamon twist. The concept behind this twist derives from the popular local Filipino Shakoy or Siakoy. Shakoy is a Filipino donut that is twisted, fried, and coated in sugar! The texture is known to be soft and fluffy with a sweet aroma. The Shawarma Gourmet Twist follows that light and fluffy texture leaving you enough space in your tummy to go back for a second bite! Try the chocolate then the cinnamon, or vice versa! This gives you the perfect sugar boost in the morning for breakfast, or an afternoon snack.
Cinnamon Roll without and with Raisins
Unlike most cinnamon rolls, Shawarma Gourmet‘s cinnamon rolls are softer, and have a subtle, less over-powering flavour. This softness matches the fluffiness to the pastry and gives it the pleasant sweetness perfect for anyone conscious about figure. On the left, we have the classic cinnamon roll, and on the right, we have a cinnamon roll with raisins. The classics are always safe but if you want a little sweetness to your life, then definitely try the raisin-infused.
Main Take-away
My overall experience was that this is an unexpected surprise from Shawarma Gourmet! I couldn’t imagine they would ever delve into the world of pastries and being this amazing at it! Pastry-making or baking in general is a precise art and science. Each of their pastries are made to perfection and never had that overpowering sweetess we normally find in local Filipino breads.
My personal favourites would have to be the ube croissant, pain au chocolat and raisin cinnamon roll. Their qualities cannot be found any where else, the presentation is appetising, and the packaging is really fancy – which makes it worth gifting to your friends or sharing at events like house-warmings, birthdays, funerals or even weddings!
A Comparison of local vs. Shawarma Gourmet
After 22 years of eating unreasonably sweet and greasy bread with a texture heavily influenced by the humid and warm waether conditions (which affect the rising of the dough) in the Philippines, you normally do not find me eating bread or pastries. But the breads I have tried at Shawarma Gourmet are incomparable in quality, flavour and texture! So here’s a quick comparison;
| Local Bakeshops | Shawarma Gourmet |
| 1. Bread has a sharp sweet taste. 2. The bread is greasy or oily. 3. The texture is tough. | 1. The breads are not oily. 2. The flavour of the infused bread (like Pain Au Chocolat) is a quality taste. 3. The texture is fluffy, soft and well-risen dough. |
Order Now
Once you take the first bite, you will never go back. For orders, the Shawarma Gourmet pastries in this article are NOW AVAILABLE at their Escario Central Mall restaurant location, or they can deliver to your doorstep for FREE at 0995-456-7648.
Raine Baljak 