Tuscan bread by the kg

We found a little bakery in Greve in Chianti, tucked in a little side street, always bustling with Mama's shopping mid-morning for fresh bread to be eaten with lunch ... and then us! We visited just about every day, picking up slices of fresh baked bianco pizza or a loaf of bread for our afternoon snacks.



The one thing, well no there was two things, that I loved about this particular bakery ... firstly, we spotted the baker out the back pulling a loaf of bread from the oven with a paddle. Then he checked it's 'doneness' - by breaking off a chunk of bread and biting it ....



this goes into the second point I absolutely loved, that all there breads / pizza / sweets were sold by weight - priced per kg. An end of foccacia cut off just for you, no problem! A half loaf of delicous Tuscan bread? No problem! It's all just placed on the scales and the priced accordingly.

What a life ....

Angela's, again ....

It's our last day in Samui ...... and Jason is kind enough to drive us up to the other end of the island to board the catamaran bound for Koh Phangan. We arrive a bit early, which means only one thing ..... eating to fill in the time!

We find ourselves back at Angela's. Jason goes for a good ol' pastrami sandwich. Of course, it's not a Katz Deli pastrami, but Jason declares it the best he's had on the island ...



Kim has the choice of the day! The poor boy sandwich. Egg salad with ham, tomato & cucumber on a baguette. Yum!



The club sandwich is my choice today. It's nicely done. There's bacon, egg, chicken, tomato, lettuce and some crispy fries.



And now we're back to the Lomphraya pier as we head for Koh Phangan ....

Angela's Bakery, Mae Nam, Koh Samui

We started reading up about bakeries in Samui on a mission to find some bread for the pig. Angela's was a name that often popped up ..... We did end up getting the bread from Angela's for the birthday pig. It was a farely decent baguette like bread. So we ventured back to see what else was on offer.

Our first visit we share a plate of prosciutto, which comes with a slice of cheese, a few black olives and some little sliced of tomato. There's a basket of toasted bread on the side and we proceed to make little prosciutty sandwiches.



The second thing we've ordered, which we both immediately noticed on the menu, was the Hot Bandanna. It's described as cheese, tomato, olive, garlic and herbs baked inside bread. But what arrives is indeed a hot bandanna ..... it's wrapped up like a little parcel, the red bandanna bunched up and tied at the top.



We open it ..... and a little round bread, that is crispy and oozing with melted cheese is revealed.



We then remove the lid, to reveal the hidden treasures. We break away pieces of the bread-shell and scoop up the gooey goodness. It's okay ... nothing to exciting, but something a little novel.



We both resist the delicious sausage rolls that look ever-so-tempting on the front counter when we pay ..... there's so much more eating to be had!



Route 4169, Mae Nam
Koh Samui, Thailand
Open 8am ~ 6pm
Ph: 077427396

Bake n Stay, Lamai

Now I love my rice and chilli for breakfast, but even when in Thailand we sometimes just have a craving for some eggs, and a coffee ... maybe even some bread.  We've driven past this little place alot, right at the corner before you turn into Lamai. It's called Bake n Take.



But this morning we're going to Bake n Stay. I go straight for the French breakfast set. 2 fried eggs, 2 croissant with coffee and a juice. Well, it was okay, it certainly might frighten a Parisian calling it a French breakfast though. The coffee was great, a nice chocolate feathering on the top and a strong caffeine kick. Freshly squeezed Thai orange juice as well, mmmm.



Kim has a panini with sausage, olive, dried tomato and pesto. The bread's a little unexciting and could do with a touch more toasting, but it's not bad.



We had both been eyeing off the custard tart sitting in the display cabinet since we arrived. So this makes a fantastic finish. The tart was definitely the highlight. A rich creamy custard with a caramel top encased in a crumbly short pastry.



Another good start to the day, we're back on the scooter for more exploring of the island.