Breakfast of champions: Manny’s dasilog.

Manny’s Bake Shop, a Filipino restaurant and bakery, is in Flushing but it lies far from my Chinatown stomping grounds. And it’s pretty far afield from Woodside’s Little Manila. I came across it while on my way to volunteer at Queens General Hospital as I do every Thursday morning. Occasionally I duck in for a buttered pandesal and a coffee. Then one day I noticed the menu’s five-item “Native Breakfast” section. “I’ll be back,” I said to the gal behind the counter grabbing my coffee and buttered roll.

An hour or so later I returned. As appealing as the tosilog ($7.25) —fried cured pork with garlic fried rice and eggs—sounded I went with dasilog a similar breakfast platter where the star is fried milkfish instead of swine. Dasilog is a portmanteau word of daing na bangus, fried dried milk fish; sinangag, garlic fried rice; and itlog, or eggs. Etymology aside it is delicious and way more exciting than my usual breakfast of yogurt and a strong cup of coffee.

A DIY Dasilog sandwich.

Salty dried fish, garlicky rice, and eggs with coffee made me realize that Filipinos take breakfast seriously. As I tucked into this native breakfast, I thought the pandesal looked rather lonely. And thus was born the DIY dasilog breakfast sandwich. Egg, crunchy fried fish, and hot sauce tucked into a pillowy roll made for a little Filipino sandwich that was way better than those I ate recently at Jollibee. Best of all there are three other “logs” featuring pork, sausage, and fried cured beef, respectively from which I can fashion little Pinoy breakfast sandwiches. And to think some people think that the Cronut is the only portmanteau breakfast food in New York City.

I’ve never seen dessert served with breakfast unless it’s as the breakfast itself, like a donut with coffee. In case there are not enough carbs Manny’s generously provides a slice of purple ube cake for afters. Like I said Filipinos take their breakfast seriously.

Manny’s Bake Shop, 161-18 Union Turnpike, Flushing, 718-380-0802