As I was looking through my iPhotos, I realized I hadn’t posted pictures of my lunch out with K at Breakfast and Pies. It’s the newest restaurant from the Pino Group, and is in fact located right next to their restaurant on Malingap Street in Teachers Village, Quezon City.
Because it was a Payday Friday, my colleague K and I took advantage of our newly replenished bank accounts to have lunch out. We’re also quite sawa of the selection of restaurants in our building complex so venturing out of our neighborhood and trying something new was also a welcome break :).
When we got to the restaurant, I immediately had the feeling that I was going to enjoy my experience there. Why? Maybe it had to do with my first impressions of both the exterior and interiors of the restaurant. For some strange reason, I can never trust a restaurant that makes use of an “ugly” font for its signage. Weird, right? Hahaha! But knowing that super creative Alessa Lanot of Life After Breakfast was part of the team behind Pi Breakfast and Pies, gave me a lot of comfort that I wouldn’t have to worry about typefaces or graphics or ambience at all. In fact, despite the cramped space, I loved the simple, industrial and homey design of Breakfast and Pies. It actually reminded me of a New York neighborhood bakery :).
This “chandelier” was my favorite feature. I thought it looked so cool! They kind of reminded me of baking whisks :).
The white brick walls also added to the chic “New York” feel. Haha! I love this look so much, I’ve actually been contemplating painting our brick wall at home white too!
Ofcourse the baskets of bread that were on display made my mouth water!
I also loved the choice of cutlery, and the wooden “plates” that the food was served in. It’s small details like these that give a restaurant a good impression in my book :).
On to the food :
Both K and I decided to have the Beef Sirloin Tapa.
When it arrived at our table, I was pleased to see a good sized serving of beef strips, sitting on a mound of orange-colored, kimchi-flavored rice. Yum!!! And the egg, which was a 6-minute soft-boiled egg, looked like it was cooked to the right doneness.
The first thing I did was to pierce the egg, and to watch as its golden yolk slowly rolled out, and covered the beef with its silky goodness. Nothing like delaying gratification just a bit more, to make sure my dish had equal parts of egg, beef and rice. Hahaha!
To be honest, I was a bit hesitant at first to order this particular menu item because of the kimchi rice. I’m not such a fan, not just of the taste, but also of the spiciness. Surprisingly, however, the combination worked and was actually very good! The tapa was soft and nicely flavored, and the rice had just a subtle tinge of the kimchi taste. And it wasn’t spicy at all! I probably would have wiped everything off of my plate, if the rice just wasn’t so sticky. Eventually, after a couple of bites, I could already feel it sitting like a lump in my tummy :). Hahaha! But that’s a good thing :).
On to the dessert!
It was actually very difficult to choose from the selection of pies that were there. Initially, K and I were going to try the Crack Pie, but because we had already indulged ourselves with the Beef Tapa, I thought we’d try to balance it off with a “healthier”, lighter dessert. So instead, we went for the “fruitier” alternative, the Banana Cream Pie.
*Sigh* It definitely did not disappoint. In fact, it was yummy, creamy, crunchy, and the taste of sweet bananas was present in every bite. It’s a good thing K and I decided to share a slice. Contrary to what I was originally expecting, this was actually a rich, filling, but thoroughly satisfying dessert :).
The verdict?
K and I definitely enjoyed Pi Breakfast and Pies! We are so excited that there is another wonderful new restaurant that is close enough to the office for us to visit from time to time. There are also so many wonderful items on their menu that I can’t wait to try! Looking forward to the next Payday Friday lunch out! 🙂
Pi Breakfast and Pies is located at 39 Malingap Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City. It is open daily from 7AM-10PM.
A Dose of Happy 