Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Toast Box: Going Goreng

Out on another lunch out (we do have a lot of these, huh?), we were craving for some KFC. A lot of other people must have been, too, because the lines were very long and there were no vacant tables. We walked further down the road and opted to give Toast Box a shot. It's been there for a while but this would be my first time.

toast box
Very neat and very white.
Toast Box is a coffee shop that originated in Singapore, owned by BreadTalk. Hey, I love BreadTalk! I used to treat myself to BreadTalk Wednesdays and I have tried most of their stuff. Let's see if this'll be as good. I wanted to order some toast, of course, but Alvie and my stomach convinced me to order something a bit heavier. I guess there is going to be no toast in this post.

toast box
Nonya Laksa, P225.00
Of South East Asian cuisine, I only really know Filipino and Indonesian, so if you'd ask me the first thing that comes to mind when you say Laksa, I'd say Maricel. This was my first time to try this dish and I liked it. I'm not a fan of the type of noodles in it, but the soup was like a cross of Vietnamese(?) Tom Yum and Palabok. It isn't sour, so I liked it even more.

toast box
Nasi Goreng, P185.00
In Bahasa Indonesia, nasi means 'rice' and goreng means 'fried'. This nasi is so good those little dilises were practically climbing over each other to get a bite! But I beat them to it. And ate them too. This has always been a favourite of mine since my dad started cooking it at home and also because I worked in Indonesia a couple of times. It is simply delicious and bursting with flavor. This one was bursting with flavor too, but was missing two key aspects: it wasn't sweet and it wasn't spicy. Those are the two factors apparent in about 90% of Indonesian cuisine (which is why I love it) and without them, this almost turns into just good bagoong rice. I still enjoyed it though, and there was a lot of it to enjoy. Not too shabby for 185 pesos.

toast box
Iced Barley, an add-on to any above meal for P30.00
In Chinese culture, the number 4 is considered to have bad fortune because it is pronounced similarly to the word for death. That fact rings true in this picture because I really didn't like this drink! For an additional 30 pesos, you can get this or Iced Lemon tea. We wrongfully chose to try this and share it. No sharing happened though, because Alvie didn't like it either. I'm not one to not finish my food (because of how I was raised or all the starving children in Africa, I'm not sure) but I left more than three quarters of the barley, unable to take in any more. I like barley soup, but it does not do well as a drink. It was like drinking sugar water mixed with rice residue and dumped with barley. lots of barley. The drink was actually okay, tasting a little like a Mexican rice drink called Horchata, but it was almost half barley, which was like chewy, gooey rolled oats. Not very appetizing for me, but some other people might be into it.

Verdict:
Nonya Laksa: Good
Nasi Goreng: Very Good
Iced Barley: Bad (not the quality of the drink, but due to my personal preference)

I lohohove Indonesian food, so I totally enjoyed the Nasi Goreng, despite their different take. I see that they have Tofu Goreng and Char Kway Teow too so I'd still definitely want to come back. Maybe one time, we could get around to trying some toast, too. :)

Love Toast Box? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Other Restaurants in The Fort:
IHOP: The Latest Pancake Craze
Good Earth Roasts (GER)
Jollibee: Ultimate Burger Steak and Flip Float
Kasbah: A Moroccan Lunch
Racks: My Favourite Ribs
S&R: My Favourite Pizza
Saint's Alp: Taiwanese Chicken Goodness
SM Aura Premier: Pepper Lunch Express under the Sky Park
Stacy's: The Sweet Kind of Retro
Stella Wood Fired Bistro: Nothing Less Than Stellar
Sunshine Kitchen: Get your Sunny Side Up
Tapeo: Spanish Surprise at the Fort Strip
The Kebab Factory: The TKF Trilogy
Wrong Ramen: The Weirder, The Better

TOAST BOX
G/F Bonifacio One Technology Tower,
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Operating Hours:
Mon - Fri 7:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat - Sun 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Facebook: Toast Box Philippines


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