Pasteleria Don Manuel
Americano
Lazos de Hojaldre
Cream Horn
Almond Croissant
Fruit and Nut Snail
Negrito
Cookies
Baba, Espresso Cream Puffs, Pastel Basco, Apple Tart, Tart con Crema
Carballon
Settling in to Spain, an aggressive dining agenda to see almost daily trips between San Sebastian and Bilbao, Wednesday began cold, rainy, and with an early morning run followed by pastry, the first stop upscale Pasteleria Don Manuel.
Located on automobile friendly Urkixo Zumarkalea, parking free until 09h00 with an opening time one half-hour, the design of Pasteleria Don Manuel harkens the boutique environs of places like Laduree or Baillardran but with a focus on Spanish pastry, cakes, and cookies the selection easily ranges over fifty options, a great place to share but as a solo somewhat daunting.
Bilingual in service, a finding not common at older Pasteleria like Suiza or Arrese, it was after extended perusal of shelves, cases, tables, as well as the front window that an order would unfurl, several items taken on the road while four were enjoyed with a well made Americano at one of four tables on premises.
Embracing old-world recipes at times, but often embracing a more modern approach, tasting began with a golden spiral filled with delicate pastry cream, the size in no way representative of the lightness found in each bite while the almond croissant lacked the same degree of levity, but was equally well constructed without a drop of sticky frangipane in sight.
Next tasting an item labeled Lazos de Hojaldre, the English translation of “Puff Ties” an adequate description of the glazed twist that reminisced of a cronut with less oil, final bites of the seating were invested in laminated spiral of fruit and nuts that rivaled anything found in France or anywhere else, though the sticky sweet syrup was perhaps a bit more liberally applied than persons with a slighter sweet tooth might want.
Not one to skimp, a return unlikely for this trip, it was with twelve petit fours and two more cakes that the tasting would continue after lunch at Etxebarri, none but the almond and orange Carballon on par with those tasted in store, though the dark chocolate coating a crumbly Negrito was definitely high grade while caramel coated sandwich cookies and one bite Basque cake were also quite nice.
http://www.pasteleriadonmanuel.com/