My childhood Bag of Beans

I remember my first time at Bag of Beans when I was in grade school. It was just a little cafe with a small garden and we were entertained by the British owner. I fondly recall that day because I was with my late Lolo Pilo who ordered fish and chips, shepherd's pie, tomato soup, and freshly baked bread for me and my mom. I remember him chatting up the other British patrons who were apparently friends of the owner.

Now, I'm sad to see that I can hardly recognize the place. I guess it's a good thing they were able to successfully expand. However, they lost the charm of the quaint, cozy cafe of my childhood memories. I think the present bakery used to be the small cafe that I remember. It has now expanded into a full-fledged garden restaurant all the way to the back. I actually would prefer the small garden they originally had.

I can't find the good old tomato soup anywhere on the menu so my friends and I settled for coffee and cakes. We ordered the panna cotta, strawberry cheesecake, and apple pie ala mode with lattes. Jake, in particular, loves cheesecakes and I think he enjoyed his order. I like my cheesecakes dry and crumbly with a thick crust. The one he ordered was a bit creamy but the huge slice made up for the consistency.

Dana and I each ordered our own apple pies, thinking it was just a tiny sliver. We had no idea they would serve a whole mini-pie! I was surprised by how good it was, given the fact that I rarely find decent apple pies (when compared to my mom's, whoops). This was verrrry rich, wasn't too sweet and tart, and had a thick crust. They also sell frozen ready-to-serve pies at the bakery. Just pop it in the microwave, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you're good to go!

We were seated at the garden underneath a couple of trees. It was quite cool and breezy in the shade but we were alarmed when we saw a huge-ass spider on the canopy of the other table. Just watch out for some insects!

I didn't get to try Mitch's panna cotta but I think she enjoyed it. It looked pretty and was perfect with a cafe au lait.

Overall, I would only eat here again for desserts. I saw their buffet set-up and would rather keep my childhood memory of English cuisine freshly cooked by the British owner in the tiny cafe than eat the contemporary dishes they are now serving in an overly commercialized place. Still, two thumbs up for the cakes and coffee!