The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® (CBTL) has sprouted a new leaf with its open kitchen concept - Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.  The Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® was pioneered in High Street South amidst the pandemic - October 2020, serving all-day breakfast, gourmet dishes, specialty coffee and teas and pastries for dine-in, take-out and food delivery.

Followings its success, the Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® will be rolled out on more CBTL stores soon!  In fact, the Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® just opened in SM Megamall B.  Can you see its minimalist signage?

We really liked the bright, clean and spacious dining atmosphere of Kitchen.

With this concept, the mainstay of CBTL - a place for coffees, tea and pastries is still there.  Yes, its passion for coffee and tea since 1963 lives on.    You can order drinks and displayed pastries from its typical counter. 

In addition, after your drink or on a separate occasion, you may opt to explore its expansive food menu that offers a wide range of dishes served hot and fresh from its open kitchen.

Food

If you've tried 26th St. Bistro by CBTL before like we did, you'd notice that your old favorites with the same generous sharing portions are offered here at a lower price point.  

 

Salads

California Cobb (395 php)

We had the California Cobb is a large salad plate with fresh romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast cubes, sliced hard-boiled eggs, corn kernels, diced tomatoes, mozzarela strips, avocado cubes, almond slices and ranch dressing.

♥ Shrimp & Pomelo (395 php)

The Shrimp & Pomelo is a Vietnamese inspired salad with romaine lettuce, cilantro, mint leaves, poached shrimp, pomelo, roasted peanuts, dessicated coconut and coconut lime dressing.

 

Mains

♥ Steak Chimichurri (675 php)

We especially enjoyed the Steak Chimichurri with extremely tender slices of top blade steak with chimichurri served w/ chiptotle rice and fried potato basket. 

Pastas

Carbonara (365 php)

The Carbonara is the classic and homey kind of pasta you miss once in awhile.  The rich and creamy carbonara sauce is complemented by the savory bacon slices and creamy umami-rich poached egg yolk.

Sandwiches

♥ CBTL Burger (455 php)

The  CBTL Burger is worthy holder of its namesake. Biting into the tender and juicy double USDA beef patties, romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cheese & caramelized onions is simply heavenly!  This burger meal is a wholesome and filling one with the soft and thick oatmeal buns, double patty and french fries on the side.

Pizzas

♥ Proscuitto (595 php)

The Proscuitto is a thin crispy crusted pizza topped with the finest ingredients - proscuitto, argula, tomatoes and mozarella.  

Desserts

♥ Tostones with Vanilla Ice Cream (195 php)

 

The Tostones with Vanilla Ice Cream which is a double-fried thinly sliced flower-shaped bananas served with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce was such a pleasant meal ender.  The precision in the cutting and frying process which gave each tostones a crispy coating and chewy banana filling is commendable!

Coffee & Espresso

 

♥ Matcha Macchiato and Caramel Macchiato (215php)

 As previously mentioned, the best part is you can enjoy your favorite CBTL along with your food.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict

Dining at Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® reminded us of what we missed during the pandemic: 1.) premium quality and well-presented dishes (for sharing) served hot and fresh from the kitchen, 2.) bright, spacious, safe and clean ambiance, 3.) friendly and accommodating service staffs and 4.) a wide selection of drinks and dishes to mix and match.  With its reasonable price point considering the generous portion of fresh and premium quality ingredients in its dishes, good service and the cozy CBTL ambiance, we highly recommend this place!   

The COVID Pandemic has made us realize how we can be consciously or subconsciously affected by everything around us.  The months of confinement made us yearn for the psychological comfort of once again being able to go out.  Fortunately, we can now (with safety measures) go out once again and chill at our favorite cafes like Cafe Mary Grace.

Well-known for its Ensaymadas and Cheese Rolls, Mary Grace has become one of the fastest growing local food brands.  Even during the pandemic, it has continued to open more kiosks and cafes. All of its kiosks and cafes have the same interior which we love.  It just charms us to coziness each time.  The yellow lighting, floral and ceramic decors and the homey furniture and fixtures harmoniously makes it one of the most beautiful and cutsie cafe in the Philippines.

Food

The cafe menu covers all types of meals from breakfast to after-dinner snacks. 

Crispy Cassava Chips with Onion Dip (205 php)

Since we wanted to take our time and enjoy our meals slowly, we first ordered the Crispy Cassava Chips with Onion Dip for starters.  This is our first time to try this and it was surprisingly good!  So good that we dare say that the Onion Dip is as addictive as the more famous Spinach Dips or Artichoke Dips.

Hearty Soups

Seafood Chowder (190 php)

The Seafood Chowder has the right blend of creaminess, richness and chunkiness to make it the appropriate warm and comforting soup that prepares the belly for a heavier meal.

Salads

Fresh Kesong Puti & Calamansi Vinaigrette (288 php)

The Fresh Kesong Puti & Calamansi Vinaigrette is a refreshing salad to try as it incorporates local ingredients.  The kesong puti is fried and breaded but not oily at all.  It was so much fun to eat.

Mary Grace Caesar Salad (360 php)

 The Mary Grace Caesar Salad is the classic Caesar Salad done right.

Tomato- Based Pasta

Pasta Amatriciana with Meatballs (320 php)

This is the first time for us to encounter a pasta with Amatriciana sauce.  Based on our research, the Amatriciana sauce is a sauce named after the town of Amatrice and is actually one of the most famous pasta sauces in Italian cuisine today.  While we couldn't verify how near it is to that one you can find in such town, we enjoyed this Pasta Amatriciana with Meatballs as the red sauce was rich in spices with a tinge of savoriness and tanginess.

Cream-Based Pastas

Classic Carbonara (315  php)

The Classic Carbonara is one of Cafe Mary Grace best sellers.  Everyone who has tried this has loved this.  We're sure you would too!  Enough said!

Pizzas

Margherita (498  php)

Cafe Mary Grace pizzas are thin and chewy dough crusted topped with fresh and premium ingredients such as its home-made tomato.  We opted for the classic Margherita which was a great compliment to our other orders.

Freshers

Homemade Iced Tea

Apple, Cinnamon Tea and Honey (95 php)

Premium Coffee & Teas

Peppermint Iced Mocha (185 php)

After our meal, we stayed for coffee.  The Peppermint Iced Mocha was a hit among us.

Cappuccino Regular (120 php)

If you're the plain-type of tito or tita, you can go for the hot Cappuccino.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Cafe Mary Grace is one of the best cafes in terms of ambiance and food quality in the Metro Manila.  We can see this cafe chain as one that would expand with more branches in the future. 

A visit to Toast after work hours is one way to achieve that.  Among the hundreds of dining places I've been too, I don't think I've encountered one with such homey, rustic, comfortable and elegant vibe like Toast.



Food

♥ Home Dumplings (169 php)

♥ Salpicao (459 php)

O-Tori

♥ Chicken Soft Bone (48 php), ♥ Chicken Gizzard (59 php) and ♥ Chicken Tail (59 php)

Mains Pasta

♥ Japanese Carbonara (345 php)

Mains Beef

♥ Ribstock (888 php)

Mains Pork

♥ Charsiu on Scallion Fried Rice (595 php)

Mains Poultry & Seafood

Orange Chicken (438 php)

Desserts

Matcha Frozen Brazo

We were very surprised at the huge serving size.  If you think about it, the portion size makes the pricing reasonable.  We were so stuffed we thought we didn't have space for dessert... until we saw the Matcha Frozen Brazo.  I've missed the Frozen Green Tea  Brazo de Mercedes of Ma Maison which closed down years ago.  Never thought I'd encounter one like it again.  In fact when it comes to brazo, this one is way better because all the layers are heavenly!  The fluffy top layer, the strong flavor of green tea ice cream, the custard ice cream and the soaked sponge crust all create a wonderful harmony.

Drinks

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Toast Asian Kitchen & Tasting Room has really exceeded my expectations.  I enjoyed the concept, the food quality and the interiors.  If only this was nearer to my home or office, I would see this place as my frequent meeting place, dating venue, after-work chill out and a superb venue for family celebrations.  The food serving is great for sharing so its best to visit this place with company.  And with the cozy ambiance, I'm sure your guests will enjoy your company and the comforts of the place.