“ONE day, I was driving around Cebu and I thought, ‘Hey, I want doughnuts.’” So what started out as Allen Andre Suarez’s random craving for the fried dough confection turned into an international quest to find the best ones—and eventually, the genesis of his first food business: Brick Lane Doughnuts.
Andre flew to New York and London to try as many doughnuts as he could, but it was in the UK capital where he found the doughnut he was decided on bringing to Cebu. Coming from a family of foodies, it was only natural for Andre to develop an affinity for food early on his life.
“My grandmother, who was a baker, had a bakeshop when I was still a kid. The family business is also in the hospitality industry. Food is in our blood.”
Although he graduated college with a degree in legal management, he also took up a diploma course in culinary arts.
Before starting his own food business, Andre had one goal in mind: to bring something new to the local food scene, and deviate from the big brands and franchises.
“The London doughnut was something that wasn’t available in Cebu yet. The market is saturated with the usual sugary sweet donuts with holes. But after a taste of the ones from London, I knew they were special. They’re not too sweet yet so creamy and delicious!” Andre enthused.
As an homage to the city where this wonderful discovery was made, Andre named his start-up Brick Lane Doughnuts, after the popular hipster street in the East End of London. Andre and his team spent months perfecting this sweet snack, including small details like the white ring that circles around the doughnut itself. Keeping quality a top priority, Brick Lane makes these doughnuts in small batches.
Brick Lane’s doughnuts are soft with just the right amount of chew, injected with a cream filling that’s subtly sweet and not overly cloying. Brick Lane’s first roster of flavors consisted of the Original Custard with Honeycomb, Chocolate and Mocha.
Months later, Andre launched new mainstay flavors like Ube and Dulce de Leche. Now, Brick Lane whips up the occasional daily specials, depending on in-season ingredients like avocado and strawberry.
Andre’s personal favorite is the Original Custard with Honeycomb and Ube. The Honeycomb, which is a sugar toffee paired with the Original Custard doughnut, is made in-house by Andre and his team.
Andre started Brick Lane on a pre-order basis through Facebook and Instagram, starting with close friends until the brand slowly picked up and had earned a good following. It was on June 1 when Brick Lane officially started to accept walk-in orders and setting up shop at Cebu Grand Hotel, finally getting these doughnuts on display for guests to see and taste for themselves.
While the brand is slowly reaching mainstream popularity, Andre hopes to eventually open a standalone brick-and-mortar, open more stores around the metro in the future, and bring Brick Lane beyond Cebu City.
Brick Lane Doughnuts is available at Cafe Lorenzo in Cebu Grand Hotel from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. onward.