My cousin suggested that we try Tiny Duchess Sweet & Savory Eclairs because it was owned by her friend.

I had no idea about their products so I left the ordering to my dear cousin.



They have a display of their eclairs, puffs and truffle bonbons.  The eclairs and puffs are offered with the same flavors.  It's just the form that distinguishes them apart. 

Savory 

Assorted 4 Savory Eclairs: Passion of Four Cheese, Goat Cheese, ♥ Fresh and Smoked Salmon and ♥Forest Mushroom (220 php)

This is my first time to try savory eclair.  I noticed that this was sliced up to place the filling like a sandwich instead of skillfully placing the filling through the holes.  I liked the Fresh and Smoked Salmon and Forest Mushroom.  Although I would have preferred them to have more flavor.  I was also not satisfied with the texture of the pastry itself.  It felt heavy and soggy to me so it was moist soft.  I wanted it light while being crisp on the outside, chewy on top and soft on the inside. 

Sweet

Assorted 4 Sweet Eclairs: Double Chocolate, Strawberry Lovela, ♥ Chocolate and Green Tea and Blueberry & Cheesecake  (200 php)

The texture and flavor was so much better with the sweet ones.  I liked the Chocolate and Green Tea.  But, I'd prefer it if the green tea was stronger.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I'm not really an eclair fan to begin with so I might not have enjoy Tiny Duchess Sweet & Savory Eclairs to the fullest extent.  Perhaps, I would have enjoyed them better had they been in cream puff form.  I was not impressed with it.  I felt that it was pricey for such a small piece.  Would I want to try some more of their items?  Well, yes, the truffle bonbons intrigues me.

Recently, more and more Third Wave Coffee shops have been opening in the Metro creating a fuzz that has successfully drawn my attention.  So after a family dinner in Century Mall, I invited the family to try Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters.  It's a third wave coffee shop that originated in Woolloomooloo, Sydney last 2001 and has expanded internationally with shops in Brooklyn and Singapore.  



What are Third Wave Coffee Shops?
Although our family are coffee affecionados we really had no idea what this third wave coffee shops are so I had to do my research which I'd share prior to my Toby's Estate review.


Apparently, it is a movement for the culinary appreciation of artisan high-quality coffee.  The improvement is to be implemented in all stages of the production (coffee bean growing, harvesting, and processing, tstronger relationships between coffee growers and coffee traders and roasters, quality and fresh roasting).   Third Wave Coffee include direct trade coffee, high-quality beans, single-origin coffee (rather than blends), lighter roasts of the beans and latte art.

Third wave focuses on appreciation.  It's called third wave coffee because there were supposedly two prior wave.  The first wave is the 19th-century surge that put Nescafe and Folgers on every table.  This focuses plainly on consumption.  The second wave begun in the 1960's from Peet's to Starbucks grande decaf latte, of espresso drinks and regionally labeled coffee.  This focuses on enjoyment based on identification. 

I think that classification is quite broad.  So you're probably wondering if I'm buy into this new American-coined concept?  Yes in a way that I welcome their introduction of added coffee drink variety.  But, I won't in anyway think that they are superior to others such as classic Italian coffee shops.  During my research, I found out that our local Kuppa Roastery & Cafe which is one of my favorite coffee shops is a third wave coffee shop.  But then, my other favorite which is Black Canyon Coffee which is not labelled as such is equally good.

Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters in Century Mall is limited in space.  You'd see the crowd drop in and take off as soon as they have their orders.


 The place is well-utilized as you have a counter for necessaries.


There's also a long bar with charging stations that unfortunately don't work anymore.

Drinks

♥ Cappuccino (130 php), ♥ Macchiato Regular (110 php) and ♥ Chai Latte (140 php)

Our third wave coffees were served in various latte art.  Indeed, all our orders were good and you can tell its quality that you are paying for.  Even the Chai Latte was fulfilling.  I want to try their Mocha next time which was not available during our visit.


Food

Bucky's Not a Brownie (Facebook Fan Page)

♥ Original Buckies (75 php)

Despite just coming from a heavy dinner, mom just couldn't resist being an epicurean and ordered the Original Buckies.

♥ Original Buckies (75 php)

We were told that it's not the usual brownies because it's denser.  We were really surprised that it is indeed unusual.  It is really fudgy and dense.  I'd say it didn't have any air at all.  I was a but hard to slice but chewy to bite.  The Original Buckies is made of rich dark chocolate and salt.  It was really good and a definite must try!

Baked by Anita (Facebook Fan Page)

♥ Truffle Mushroom Bocaditos (65 php) and Spinach Bocaditos (65 php)

Bocaditos means "snack" in Spanish.  These are puff pastries with fillings at the center like a pie of some sort.  The Truffle Mushroom Bocaditos was awesome!  I'd say the Spinach Bocaditos was just okay and not worth the price.  It was pale in comparison to the former.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters offers quality third wave coffee indeed.  I'm not surprised if I see more branches open up soon. 

Last month, I was invited to sample Italianni's new breakfast menu fare.  I've tried Italianni's many times before but never knew they had a breakfast menu.  I was really impressed.  Thus, I'm adding it on my list of breakfast options.  These are served daily from 7 am to 10:30 am in Italianni's Bonifacio High Street and Greenbelt 2.

Food
So here are the items that I was able to try.

Puff Pastries 
I'd typically go for omelettes than puff pastries but not this time!  I especially loved Italianni's puff pastries because they are lightly buttered, crusty, flaky and filled with a pouched egg.  Gorgeous golden yellow yolk erupts from the pastry upon slicing it.

Prosciutto and Dill Potatoes

The Prosciutto and Dill Potatoes has sliced dill potatoes, cherry tomatoes and prosciutto ham in a creamy sauce served with toasted bread and sunny side up.

 

♥ Chicken Caesar

 All hail Chicken Caesar!  I've always enjoyed a nice caesar salad.  But, that is nothing compared to the Chicken Caesar with grilled chicken cubes, fresh romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese.  It is also served with toasted bread and sunny side up.
 

♥ Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese

My favorite among the Puff Pastry selections is the Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese.  It is
topped with smoked salmon and dill cream cheese swimming on a pool of hollandaise sauce.  Words are not enough to describe the stupefying sensation I had upon indulging this! It also had the toasted bread and sunny side up on the side.

Omelletes

Italianni's Omelette

 The Italianni's Omelette is a very savory, manly and meaty option.  It is a  bolognaise, Italian sausage and chorizo with cheddar and Parmesan wrapped in a mustard omelet.  It is served with a salad and your choice between: Dill Potatoes or French Toast.

 

Mushroom and Bacon Omelette

The Mushroom and Bacon Omelette is for the bacon fanatics.  It has applewood smoked bacon, shiitake mushrooms, and creamy mozzarella cheese.  Choose French Toast for the sides.  It's really good! 

♥ Smoked Salmon Omelette

The Smoked Salmon Omelette is similar to the Puff Pastry version.  It's just as good.  But, since I love eggs, I'd prefer the Puff Pastry one.