Sans Rival

Sans Rival may be the name of a delicious dessert made with butter and nuts, but it's also the name of a cozy bakeshop along the seaside in Dumaguete City owned by the Trinidad Teves-Sagarbarria.  Over the Christmas holidays, cousin Eddie found time to fly in Manila and drop off his gifts for us--some fruit cakes from Sans Rival bakeshop.  While others may find the fruit cake to be a worn-out Christmas present, we just happen to be a fruit cake family, and we absolutely love it!  I found the time to open the fruit cake this afternoon, and I wasn't disappointed.  Quite good for commercial fruit cake--plenty of almonds and raisins, a little fruit glace mixed in as well (no cherries on top, however, which could have made for a more colorful presentation).  I like the sweetness, it was just right; the consistency was firm and as I picked up the slices, the cake didn't crumble (which is a very important property of proper fruit cake).  On the negative side, I would have liked the cake to have been brushed with a little more wine/brandy/rhum or whatever it is that bakers brush when they age fruit cake.  That gentle whiff of alcohol (not too excess) is a crucial criteria that we judge quality fruit cake.  Overall, though, this was good stuff!

Sans Rival bakeshop has spawned the House of Silvanas, a bakeshop operating out of San Lorenzo Village Makati, and specializing in mini-Sans Rival cookies called Silvanas.  This in turn is owned by the Mary Ann Sagarbarria, the daughter-in-law of the owner of Sans Rival bakeshop.