Oh, Pain D'or!

Why hello there, November! 49 days to go 'til Christmas, people! The Pink Tarha ladies are currently avoiding Christmas songs and carols because they tend to make us nostalgic. Eyecandy tried listening to them one time and she got teary-eyed. Oh, Christmas! Anyway, speaking of Eyecandy (and I'm segway-ing now to the true subject of this entry)...

It was Eyecandy who tipped me in buying a loaf bread from Pain D'or when we were at the newly-opened branch in Suleimania (across Jazeera Supermarket). And I fell in love with the bread because it was like the brand Gardenia. We also got a scoop of their delicious cheese cake ice cream. Heaven! We ogled at the bread, pastries, and sweets displayed at their counters and before we walked out with breads and cups of ice cream, I grabbed one of their leaflets. Just in case I get bored at home and need something to look at and read. (Yes, reading leaflets, brochures, and catalogs is a habit I have.)

This weekend, the mother and I can't go out of the house because the father is out of town. I can but I'm too lazy to call a private cab and go somewhere. Plus the mother won't let me out with all the recent news we've been hearing about missing Filipinas. (One hearsay is that a Filipina was snatched in our area. In our area!) I have no problems being at home during the weekend *cough* but we're running low on groceries and supplies. Ergo, we don't have anything decent to eat. Sure we have our canned stash and processed meats but they get pretty lame after a while. And so I thought of having something delivered. At home, I'm the delivery queen. A week will not pass by without me ordering something and having it delivered in our doorstep. Having most Pinoy restaurants and fast food (McDo, KFC, Pizza Inn, Caesar's etc.) within our neighborhood helps. Lol. And so I perused my stack of menus when I suddenly remembered Pain D'or. It's something new and maybe they deliver?

And indeed they do!

I called immediately (excited much) after poring over their not-so-long menu. I want to order everything just so I can taste test them but of course, that's impossible (running low on cash too, hehe). So I ended up with the following:

Chocolate pastry (SR6) and apple strudel (SR6)

I wanted the almond pastry but they were not available so I settled for chocolate. It's good for those who like a little dark chocolate on their pastries. The pastry is flaky and crispy on the outside and chewy and moist on the inside. That's how I like my pastries so they're right on spot! The apple strudel was heaven-sent. It's in my dreams until now. The filling is just in proportion with the yummy bread. I loved it so much I had another batch delivered! (More on this later.)

Lasagna, SR30

The anatomy of Pain D'or's lasagna.

The lasagna is oozing with cheese and meat. The top was crusty and a little bit hard but that's orayt because I like it that way. The layers below were cheesy and soft. It could have been better if it's more meaty. The serving is good for two.

Almond Crispy Chicken Breast

+ Potato Gratin

I ordered this one out of curiosity. Maybe it's like Ketchup's pistacchio-crusted chicken breast too. They're not. I'm surprised to find two chicken fillets with strips of veggies and a little bit of sauce. Where's the almonds? Well, the almonds were pounded and mixed with the thin breading coating the chicken. It made it crunchy! The chicken was a little bit hard but the whole dish combined is flavorful and delicious. The potato gratin was a first for me. It looked like lasagna, only harder and studier (and made of potatoes, of course), but it's great with the chicken. Bet it's great with steaks too. It's a different take on side dishes made with potatoes. At least it's not fries or baked potato this time.

Tiramisu

I don't hate tiramisu but I don't love it either. The mother ordered this for some sugar rush and I only had a small bite. I can taste the too bitter coffee syrup and it just didn't sit well in my tongue. Love the personalized Pain D'or chocolate though.

And so we enjoyed a hefty dinner of Pain D'or. The next day, the apple strudel was still haunting me. It was so good I phoned another order again. This time, I want my strudel to be a la mode so I tried ordering their ice cream. The crew taking my call already knew me and he remembered that I asked about their ice cream the first time I called. He said then that he cannot deliver ice cream because it might melt on the way so I left it at that. But because I really, really want an apple pie a la mode, I tried asking him about it again. The guy was irked that I'm asking again. Lol. He said that my ice cream will turn into "soup" if I persist. But persist I did! Hahaha. I calculated in my mind how far Jazeera was to our place and concluded that hey, it's not that far! (I'm not so sure about this but WTH?!) The crew told me, "mam, it's your responsibility if the ice cream arrives as soup." I laughed and said, "I'll place it in our freezer." He sighed and said okay.

Well, my ice cream arrived looking like it came fresh out of their freezer! It didn't melt at all. See, you shouldn't give up when it comes to cravings. :P

Cheese cake ice cream, 05.kg SR25

Donuts, SR3 each

I don't fancy their donuts much. The filled ones don't have jam fillings. The donuts were dry compared to Krispy Kreme or Dunkin.

And more apple struddels, yey!

I like it sooo much! They arroved hot and fresh from the oven. The delivery was late for a few minutes because the strudels were still being baked when I phoned in my order. I'm not complaining! Love the warm strudel with the cold ice cream!

One major disappointment is their Alfredo pasta with aged parmesan. I'm so disappointed I didn't even bother taking its picture. It's bland, bland, bland. I remembered that Tony Roma's chicken alfredo was bland too. Why can't they get it right?! Oh well...

So, that's my weekend adventure with Pain D'or. Their delivery is good. They found our flat fast (thank goodness for delivery guys who know how to speak in English fluently) and they keep a record of it so the next time I called, I didn't have to repeat. Oh and going back to the first product that I loved in this bakery... the loaf bread is very good for your sandwiches. It's good to be eaten on its own too. They're widely available in supermarkets and groceries. :)

How was your weekend?

§undrenched