Goldilocks

I remember decades ago when Goldilocks was the place to go for anything bakery. Now, everyone has outgrown this franchise when it comes to specialty baked goods. I still go to Goldilocks for their hopias (yummy ube hopia) because I found some of the Filipino bakeries in the MIra Mesa area have their hopia too crusty or too hard («Is that what she said?» — hahahaha in reference to Michael Scott, The Office). Oh yeah… I also came here for the calamansi juice in a bottle… haven’t seen this sold elsewhere in the Manila Mesa area.
Anywhoo… I wish this Goldilocks sold the hot foods like other locations, but I was told they couldn’t because of the other Filipino restaurants in the area.
The girls in the back counter can use some sprinkle of «Let’s be a bit friendlier» fairy dust. They don’t smile and just looks pissed. At least this is what the girl who rang me up looked like (yeah you with the tight dreads… maybe losen it up a bit so it’s not pulling so hard on your noggin’… then you can release a smile or two).

A little small, but I love their food the putos are fantastic! So deliciously moist, perfect!

I like coming here to buy my Filipino desserts and baked goodies. My cousin needed to bring home some bakery items and they had a good selection of pan de sal, kuchinta, puto, and other Filipino bakery items. I like their pan de sal the best (and it just so happened to be on sale!) Score.

This was the first time I had filipino food and couldn’t say I was that impressed. The soup that was recomended was beyond sour! I felt like I was eating a lime straight up! At first sip, I felt like my jaw was going to fall off. :-(. Then I had this pork blood thing. It’s was ok. The flavoring was good, but the actual pork pieces they gave in it was so fatty.
I guess this place is known more for their pastries, which did look pretty good. I don’t know if I would be returning here… but we’ll see

who would thought rice krispies in halo halo would be decent.

I was really hoping that since this Golilocks would have a great selection since it was just a bakery. Sadly, I was disappointed to find a limited variety. The pan de sal is yummy, but I was hoping to find some other Filipino goodies. Guess I will need to venture down to National City for that…

Order: P1: Palabok and Arroz Caldo! Yummmm! It’s yummy and not too heavy. It’s about $ 7 for that.
For Cakes: I like the Chocolate Mocha Crunch. It was about $ 35 for a decent sized round cake. The «crunch» is chunks of caramel that you break up and spread over the cake.
From time to time, we stop in here to pick up bread. There are times they run out. No problem, we just head next door to Seafood City to grab some bread.
Prices are decent.

The best way I can sum up a review for this location is by using one of my favorite words:
Clusterfuck.
If you have never experienced one, go ahead and visit this location. Within seconds, they will have you confused as hell.
Then, while the confusion sets in, your personal space «bubble» disappears while the filipino family behinds you decides they want to check to see if you have hemorrhoids… then while you are getting use to the new additional family growing out your butt, you get the Filipino dude at the front who argues with you about what you want.
We had a simple order — a half mocha cake w/​chocolate topping (as on display).
«No, we dont make that in chocolate» the Filipino dude says…
«Then why is it in the case with the little card saying its a half mocha cake and it has chocolate on the top? «says we.
Well, to confuse you, apparently.
Yeah… clusterfuck. Enjoy!

Typical Goldilocks. Seemed more expensive than I remember the last time I came to one. The selection was limited and what was available didn’t seem very fresh.
I went into the seafood city next door and I could swear I saw some Goldilocks products cheaper…

Because they make Sans Rival and Sylvannas like no other, I can forego any constructive criticism about this store (too small, too old, very basic).
Sans Rival: Layers of crispy meringue sandwiched with French buttercream, and topped with chopped cashews. At $ 20 for a square cake, and considering the amount of time involved to make this dessert, it’s a steal!
Memories of childhood came flooding back at first bite. This is certainly a dessert only for special occasions!

I think Goldilocks has lost a lot of its luster. This used to be my go-​to spot for mamon, ensaymada, boat tarts, mocha rolls and pan de sal. But slowly, their competitors are surpassing them in value and flavor.
Valerio’s has better cheese rolls, pan de sal and ensaymada.
Red Ribbon has the better mocha roll and mamon.
The only thing Goldilocks has left are the boat tarts. But alas, their most delicious tart, the almond tart, was no where to be found. Not even in their assorted bags.
What happened?
The consistency of the boat tart crust was too flaky. I tried the macapuno and cheese tarts and was disappointed with both. I also ordered the Mamon Special, which saved the day – somewhat.
It’s also helpful that they don’t charge a fee to customers using credit/​debit cards.
Go to Valerio’s…

Come here for the pandesal — despite it being sold next door at Seafood City for the same price. Goldilocks pandesal is just plain delicious and some of the best in Mira Mesa.
Everything else you can pass on. I like the cakes and other pastries better at Gemmae and Red Ribbon. Also, as this bakery is a bit tiny (and fills with a constant stream of customers), you may want to go to Goldilocks on a non-​peak day and time.

I no longer live in San Diego, but every time I go home to visit, I stop at Goldilocks and pick up pan de sal. I buy 6 bags and bring them home.
They aren’t quite as good after they’ve been frozen, but they are SO DELICIOUS, I don’t care.
That’s the one thing I really miss about California — there are no Filipino bakeries in Indianapolis!

After visiting the Cerritos location my best friend and I got hooked on Goldilocks version of cheese rolls.
This location is only a bakery, so it’s fairly small. We went in and were greeted. After looking around for awhile she and got a lil’ disappointed because it was nowhere to be found. They had their famous cake rolls– ube, mocha, chocolate and variations of ube/​mocha– macapuno. We also saw ensaymada, hopia, cutchinta, puto, flan, biko and many, many more that I forgot the names to. =)
The ladies there were really nice and helpful. After telling them what were were there for… they brought out a stash from the back.
I left with:
Cheese rolls– Awesome. Perfect.
Cutchinta– Just the way I prefer– not too soft and tons of flavor.
The thing I regret not buying is their hopia. That just gives me more reason to come back.

sorry, but i think Porto’s have better cheese rolls than Goldilocks.
the cheese roll at goldilocks aren’t as buttery and the pastry wasn’t as flaky and crispy.

I have had a few Filipino treats before, but really do not have much to compare this place to. This bakery had a good selection of different things to try. We came out with mamon, a bag of little cracker like cookies, and something made with cassava (I think) and an ube loaf. Everything was pretty tasty. The mamon had American cheese on top, which we thought weird, but the sponge cake itself was really nice. The ube loaf was delicious and so was the dessert made of cassava and coconut milk. The latter was probably our favorite.
Everything seemed pretty standard, at least with what I’ve tried before.

Cake review — We ordered a sheet for my Mom’s 60^th surprise birthday party. She had mentioned before that she wanted a mocha cake, so I instantly thought of Goldilocks. Prior to ordering, I mentioned to my brother to order both a mocha and ube cake, which could serve between 60 – 75 people. My brother mentioned that — with a sheet — you are able to order half/​half (half mocha and half ube). This was perfect given that this was a Filipino party and my other brother just LOVES ube.
The cake was huge, and it was nicely decorated with (too many) candy flowers indicating a huge «60» and a strangely written «Happy Birthday Mom» written on the front side of the cake. It was odd to not have the writing on top of the cake, but whatever, it was still good.
The half and half was a success and provided variety to the 60-​some attendees. We even had some left over! Mom was happy and that’s all that counted for her special occasion.

Don’t even think about ordering a birthday cake here. A Dora cake for $ 79???
If you try to cancel your order and get a refund, prepare to go through hell and threaten to sue them before they give you back your money. The customer service is disgusting.

When I moved to San Diego, I had to leave the convenience of being near family… which also meant I had to sacrifice being within decent driving distance of my Aunt and Uncle’s bakery, Starbread (of señorita bread fame). Whenever I go into bouts of homesickness, I go to this Goldilocks and get some of the tasty treats that my family usually spoils me with.
While I have to admit that nobody makes empanadas like my Auntie Nelly (she figured out our tastes while we grew up) or siopao like my Auntie Tita (she ALSO figured out our tastes while we grew up), Goldilocks definitely satisfies my need for something that reminds me of my childhood every once in awhile. =)

Yeah, I get to review Goldilocks first!
Ok, first off, I love the adorable name. This is a Filipino bakery that makes pretty much everything, including Americanized cartoon character-​themed cakes for the kiddos’ birthdays.
But it’s the «brioche» that I love. (Filipino Ensaymada) At about 500 calories a pop for each of these little buns, it’s a total indulgence. But they are so. damn. good! Think sweet Hawaiian bun slathered with sugar-​infused butter and grated cheddar cheese on top. Who knew these would be so good!