Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe

January 20, 2014

Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe

Harina Artisan Bakery Café previously as Monsee's, occupying the space along White Plains since November 2010. Harina Artisan Bakery Café was opened in November 2013. They named it Harina, a name that is closely associated with their product offerings and flour is a frequently-used ingredient in their recipes.

The owners decided to let Monsee’s focus on the institutional businesses, Harina will be its retail arm. They are a mix of foodies and professionally-trained and award-winning chefs who prefer to let the food, rather than the personalities, hog the spotlight.

Their menu carries an assortment of breads, including the breadsticks and Spanish bread which Monsee’s is widely known for. They also have all-day breakfast fare which capitalizes on the core product of Harina, which is bread.

They have various sandwiches in classic flavors that you can choose for dine-in or as a meal-on-the-go. They have different versions of the French Toast (Strawberry Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Bananas with Chocolate). Quite unique is the Breakfast Tart (puff pastry shell filled with eggs, spinach, roasted tomatoes and bacon) and the Bloomin’ Bread (round Italian pull apart bread that’s nice to share with a group). They also offer pancakes, muffins, and bisquits. Rice meals and pasta are available too.

The place was designed with a homey and cozy feel in mind. Harina wants its customers to feel comfortable and relaxed during every visit. They want it to be a place where families can get together often. Kids will have a blast with the decorate-your-own-treat (cupcakes or cookies) which is Harina’s alternative to the usual crayons-and-coloring book activity.

Everything is a labor of love. The baking is done the traditional way, without shortcuts and chemical additives. Since chemical additives are not used, the flavors of each ingredient are fully developed. It wasn't necessary to add chemicals to bread for centuries and Harina believes that it still isn't. Nothing less than premium ingredients are used. The breads are hand rolled. They do not mass-produce their breads, they are baked in small batches rather than on a vast assembly line.

An interesting corner is their open baking area which allows customers to see how some of their products are made.

Because artisan bread is made without chemical additives, it tends to have a much shorter shelf-life than the mass-produced pre-packaged store-bought bread. Artisan bread is at its highest quality for 48 hours. It should be frozen for extended storage.