Toby's

Friends in the Philippines told us where to get the best coffee and it's not Starbucks or the other ubiquitous coffee houses. The best coffee can be had at Toby's.  That was good news but my first question was, what's there to eat with the good coffee for I cannot live on coffee alone. My foodie friend told me about the Calamansi Pie. Calamansi is the native cross of lemon and lime but with a distinct flavor.

Lucky for us, our apartment was on the same block. After our breakfast at Wildflour the day before, also on the same block, it was time to visit Toby's. I ordered the piccolo coffee and Sandi had the Chocolate Chai. We both liked it very much. We decided to split a breakfast and order the Calamansi Pie. We had the Brouille on Toast; scrambled eggs with wonderful sauteed mushrooms on top of a brioche. One order was perfect for both of us. FYI, pictured below is 1/2 an order. We both loved it. I would be happy if I could eat this everyday.

The Calamansi Pie was fantastic. If you like Key Lime Pie you would absolutely love this pie. If you are like my brother Gary or my nephew Brian, you would not like this as it is a bit tart. How I wish I could take a pie back to the U.S.

We later went back to Toby's for dinner as they had sandwiches. Sandi and I split a Grilled Cheese and a Chicken Salad Sandwich. We did not enjoy the Grilled Cheese. I guess we have had a good many wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches like the Ultimate Grilled Cheese we used to get at L'Amande Bakery. The Chicken Salad was good but not out of the ordinary. It could have used more texture; perhaps some chopped celery and raisins. The nice thing about the sandwiches were that they were served with lots of potato chips that went well with them.

I have to mention that the staff was so friendly that we felt like part of the family after just a few visits. The Coffee and the Calamansi Pie alone is reason enough to visit Toby's.