Warren Buffet said that building a reputation takes nearly a lifetime while destroying that reputation just takes five minutes. This is especially true if you became famous for your passion and skills. The expectation is there, and the same can be said for the great chefs of Manila. One of them is Chef Jordy Navarra, and when he announced that he will be introducing a new concept, his fans went crazy.
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| Steel, glass and wood |
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| The obligatory Twilight food hold! |
The Ambiance
It is called Toyo or Toyo eatery located at a complex at the edge of Chino Roces avenue. The building itself follows a post modern architecture theme where glass, steel and wood combine with simple but elegant results.
Inside, Toyo furthers this theme with accents of wood and steel found everywhere. When you enter the establishment you find the kitchen at the end of the room and the beverage bar as these two are the brightest part of the room. The lighting for the client's tables are warm and soft evoking an elegant but relaxed feeling.
Inside, Toyo furthers this theme with accents of wood and steel found everywhere. When you enter the establishment you find the kitchen at the end of the room and the beverage bar as these two are the brightest part of the room. The lighting for the client's tables are warm and soft evoking an elegant but relaxed feeling.
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| Warm and Soft lighting! |
The Food
My good friend from Gourmanila.com was kind enough to join me when we visited. Toyo offers the standard ala carte menu and a set menu. We both chose the Php 1000.00 set menu and though it's the more affordable of choices, it was amazing.
The first dish were the Lightly battered Espada with Semi-ripe Guava and Kamias Broth and the burnt Kalabaza (squash) soup with sea urchin and orange kamote (yam). The espada's outer layer was glistening and is crunchy to the bite. The insides were moist and soft while the flavor was light but was lingering in your mouth. The technique is there, and this is good.
The Kalabaza (squash) soup however was in a completely different level. As the soup touches your tongue, the flavor of the burnt squash quickly explodes which is then complimented by the strong flavors of the sea urchin. Both were strong and were dancing wonderfully for a while in my mouth. This was where the crispy kamote (yam) flake comes in introduce a sweet flavor and crispy texture that gives a refreshing flavor from the lingering sea urchin and squash flavors. It was perfect from when it touched my tongue to the middle and to the end where the kamote shined!
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| Burnt Kalabaza Soup - Perfection in a bowl! |
The first dish were the Lightly battered Espada with Semi-ripe Guava and Kamias Broth and the burnt Kalabaza (squash) soup with sea urchin and orange kamote (yam). The espada's outer layer was glistening and is crunchy to the bite. The insides were moist and soft while the flavor was light but was lingering in your mouth. The technique is there, and this is good.
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| The three Espadas! |
The Kalabaza (squash) soup however was in a completely different level. As the soup touches your tongue, the flavor of the burnt squash quickly explodes which is then complimented by the strong flavors of the sea urchin. Both were strong and were dancing wonderfully for a while in my mouth. This was where the crispy kamote (yam) flake comes in introduce a sweet flavor and crispy texture that gives a refreshing flavor from the lingering sea urchin and squash flavors. It was perfect from when it touched my tongue to the middle and to the end where the kamote shined!
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| The leaves, the sauce and the chili compliment the bangus loins and bagus belly so well! |
Up next were the Toyo Eatery Three cut pork barbecue with Toyo Eatery Silog and the Grilled Bangus Belly and loin with Toyo Eatery Silog. Both the dishes were moist and tender. The flavor of the pork and the fish were the centerpiece of their respective dishes while the Silog served to compliment the pork and the bagus wonderfully.
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| Pork Barbecue at its finest! |
For dessert we were given the Dulce de Leche Bon-bons with cocoa nibs and seared Cassava cake! The cassava cake was soft in texture and in sweetness and the seared outer part served to add a crispy texture to add another layer of flavor to the filipino classic delicacy.
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| Dulce De Leche Bon-bons! |
The Dulce de Leche bon-bons were like burnt squash soup. It is on a completely different level. From the first bite where the outer chocolate shines and then serves to temper the even stronger sweetness of the Dulce inside. The dance of those flavors are just magnificent. Afterwards comes the wonderful crunchy cocoa nibs that adds a bitter flavor to balance out all the sweetness in a good way. It also added a crunchy texture to again avoid over staying of the sweet flavor from the chocolate and the dulce. It was perfect.
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| The Crispy Seared outer part adds a layer of texture to the classic Cassava cake! |
The Service
Service is unparalled. As soon as we entered, we were entertained by their energetic crew. Noelle and Jussa were there and they catered to our questions, our requests and our needs. They gave us Tocino bread, and tomato and monggo meringue as we were waiting for the menu and the food that we ordered.
The appetizers came swiftly within fifteen (15) minutes of our order, and our waiters were kind enough to introduce and elaborate on each dish that came our way.
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| Tomato, Monggo Meringue! |
The Price
I highly recommend to try either the Php 1000.00 per person set menu or the Php 2900.00 per person set menu. Ala carte is fine if you find that you would like an extra dish, but for me, I was full as soon as the dessert was devoured. This price is exclusive of the 10% service charge.
The Verdict
What We LIKED:
- All dishes are unique
- All dishes are either good or great
- The Bon-bons and the Burnt Kalabaza were perfect
- Ambiance is beautiful
- Staff service is remarkable
- One of the best date places!
What We Almost LIKED:
- The Espada was cooked wonderfully but could be improved in flavor
- There were a lot of mosquito killing lights that caused some distracting sound when mosquitos were killed
Do you want to Contact 'Toyo Eatery?'
Address: The Alley, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Ave, Makati, 1231 Metro Manila!
Telephone number: (0197) 720-8630
Facebook: Toyo Eatery
Instagram: @toyoeatery
Operating Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays 6PM to 11:30PM
Telephone number: (0197) 720-8630
Facebook: Toyo Eatery
Instagram: @toyoeatery
Operating Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays 6PM to 11:30PM
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