Dining Snippets: Toby’s Estate x Fujinoya x Green Pigs Kitchen
TOBY’S ESTATE
One cup of Flat White was all it took for me to fall completely in love with Toby’s Estate. Its Salcedo and Leviste branches weren’t exactly easy treks from my old office, but walking under the heat for a taste of their coffee was definitely worth it.
SEAFOOD STEW (P395)
Compared to most coffee chains, Toby Estate's menu items are freshly prepared and feature a pretty decent line- up of food. The Chorizo Pasta is my staple lunch order; but I do trade it up with some seasonal items on its menu. One such seasonal item, the Seafood Stew offers a light alternative to lunch. Meaty fillets of fish and clams bathe in a delectable seafood broth. Baby potatoes and zucchini slices help give weight to the dish. It thoughtfully comes with a slice of baguette to help you soak up all the savory goodness of the broth. This serves as a perfect dish for those observing abstinence!
PEPITO STEAK SLIDERS (P290)
The Pepito Steak Sliders gives a gourmet upgrade to your classic buttered pandesal. Each pair of buns are immensely stuffed with slices of tender steak, caramelized onions, and thin melted layers of mozzarella cheese. Like all of the coffee shop’s sandwiches, each plate comes served with its deliciously addictive freshly fried baby potato chips.
Toby’s Estate
GF Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Ruby Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Date of Visit: November 12 and 28, 2018
FUJINOYA
Fujinoya opened up as a warm and bright contrast to the sleek black and white minimalist interiors of Toby’s Estate. Admittedly, Toby’s Estate in Cyberscape Beta unfortunately boasts of bleak customer service. Upon entering Fujinoya for the first time, you’d feel like a regular patron already with how welcoming and accommodating their staff is.
GYOZA FURAI BENTO (P278) and AMERICANO (P115)
Fujinoya is actually a sister company of Shinsen (evidenced by its co-branded chopsticks); the latter being my convenient source of reliable Chirashi in Ortigas. This offshoot concept embraces a coffee shop vibe; offering a full length menu of coffee selections (ambitiously adding Flat White to its menu despite being situated right next to Toby’s Estate) and fluffy Japanese cheesecakes.
CHICKEN TERIYAKI BENTO (P288)
Due to its concept, its hot menu is limited to a handful of bento boxes. However, you’d easily forgive its limited selection as its bento boxes actually deliver on taste and quality despite its reasonable prices. Its Gyoza Furai Bento was the first meal that I had in Fujinoya. The gyoza were slightly burnt; but that didn’t mask how tasty the filling was. It comes with a delicious gyoza sauce that packs in a punch, a salad which comes perfectly tossed in a deliciously light Kewpie sesame sauce, and surprisingly really good sweet tamago.
SAKE SHIO BENTO (P478) and FLAT WHITE
Its Sake Shio Bento may be its priciest food item; but the ponzu sauce it comes with will easily win you over. Admittedly, its salmon portion is on the small side which may leave you wanting for more especially since it's perfectly cooked and adequately seasoned. If you’re looking for something cheaper, the Chicken Teriyaki Bento will definitely satisfy. Each piece possesses a smoky charred character with its drool-worthy juices oozing out.
Its coffee may be not enough to make you a regular patron of Fujinoya, but its delicious bento boxes and crazily warm service will definitely make a fan out of you.
Fujinoya
GF, Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Ruby Road, Ortigas, Pasig City
Dates of Visit: October 10, 2018, October 22, 2018 and December 21, 2018
GREEN PIGS KITCHEN
Green Pigs Kitchen is a quaint tea shop serving up an eclectic mix of dishes. It’s probably known for its Crazy Meals which serves a selection of Filipino, Chinese and Western home-cooked favorites at a wallet-friendly price of P125. Choices range from Bistek to Sinigang, Beef Brisket to Honey Glazed Pork Chops. Tempting as this sounds, I opted to try out dishes from its regular menu instead.
PEPPERED BEEF TENDERLOIN (P375)
The Peppered Beef Tenderloin we were served with was a bit on the gamey side; but its gravy paired with some rice is already enough to be a stand-alone meal.The restaurant clearly recognizes this as their strength, as each order comes with an extra serving of gravy on the side already.
PAN-GRILLED SALMON FILLET (P420)
I got scared when I saw the too-charred skin of the Pan-Grilled Salmon Fillet as I thought that the whole fillet was overcooked, and that the skin was burnt. Surprisingly, the meat ended up tremendously juicy; and its skin had a perfect crunch to it. I was actually really surprised to find excellently prepared salmon in the middle of a tea shop; but it’s definitely not something to complain about!
Green Pigs Kitchen
Triple A Plaza, 36 Scout Torillo St., Diliman, QC
Date of Visit: December 1, 2019 with Lily Chua
