Toast Box redux: Sampling real laksa

One evening, Mabie had dinner with her friends, so I had a couple of hours to kill around Greenbelt. I hadn't had any supper myself, so I spent most of the time walking around in circles and attempting to get gloriously lost. Most of the places I first considered dining in were too expensive, and at that time I was more interested in stretching my money due to the numerous expenses I'd had.

I ended up trundling back to Toast Box. We've sampled some of their wares in a previous visit, but because of an upcoming Singapore trip, Mabie and I had an interest in the stuff the hawkers there would sell. Also, I'd already sampled instant laksa before - I wonder how the real thing would play on my palate?

Nonya Laksa with hot barley - PhP245 as a set.

So off I went, sat and ordered a bowl of Nonya Laksa with hot barley. The latter is new to my eyes as well; barley is better known to most as one of the four key ingredients of beer. I got it as a set for PhP245, with the drink discounted.

The instant version just doesn't come with this many toppings

The main difference between Koka's instant laksa and the real thing is the noodles. Nonya Laksa has what you could call rice-based spaghetti. Also, the genuine article comes with a host of toppings: fish balls, shrimp, tofu, ground meat and some herbs. Koka's instant laksa is a good imitation, but Toast Box's version is much more filling and delicious. It tastes more like its own dish and less of a distant relative to tom yum goong.

Oh yes that's hot.

What about the hot barley? It literally is hot, served in a vessel that's the love child of a mug and a jar. A long-handled teaspoon is provided for scooping the soggy barley grains with. I was surprised by how sweet this drink tasted. It's not the kind of sweetness brought on by sugar, but a more natural, more pleasurable taste. Once it sufficiently cooled down, I gulped it down with gusto and fished the barley grains out as Toast Box slowly closed another business day.

This was a sufficiently satisfying meal, although I did get food allergies in bed that night - no fault of the restaurant. Of course, the next step for me is to try authentic laksa in its place of origin...we'll see how it compares.

The jelly-like barley grains waiting for you at the bottom!

What's in the Toast Box?

I don't know if it was just me that I find it a little odd for the name Toast Box to be associated with Hainanese Chicken. Apparently it’s not the only thing on the menu! Oh how silly was I?!

The Hainanese Chicken was just the icing on top of the cake! They got lots of toasts, teas and coffees. Just by looking at the menu right there and then, I was sold. Toast Box for dinner it is.

Toast Box, under the BreadTalk Group, is from Singapore and has now expanded to this humble country of ours. If you are fond of visiting kopi tiams you may want to try Toast Box.

I was flabbergasted the first time I laid eyes on the interior of their shop. It was brilliant! The immaculately painted white walls give the restaurant a nice clean ambiance. Their chairs and tables are also cozy, just like a big version of a little tea party set.

Panoramic shot of the cafe

It is also a nice touch that they openly display how their TEH TARIK is made. Teh tarik literally means “pulled tea”. The pictures depict how the “pulling” of the tea is made. It's a little bit of showmanship and entertainment as you fall in line for your order.

Isn't she a star?

One thing we noticed about the cashier counter was that the staff there were coordinating orders in a foreign language. My best guess is they were talking in Bahasa Malaysia. It's a minor thing, but it added to the authenticity of the experience.

It’s a minor letdown that the positioning of the cashier counter is not conducive for the guests, due to the limited space. When you approach the counter, there will be instances that you are still undecided of what to order. Since the positioning of the menu board is in front of a small hallway where guests are queuing to order, looking at the menu may cause others to be irritated since you’ll blocking the hallway. A good suggestion is to handout separate handheld menus for guests to be able to decide before falling in line.

Now on to what we ordered:

We had whole Hainanese Chicken, which is good for 4-6 persons. Honestly, we’re a group of four and we were so full after we finished this meal. Hainanese Chicken is cooked by boiling the chicken in broth and ginger. It's a lot like our own chicken tinola but with almost no soup. It also comes with three types of sauces which are ginger, chili, and "rich" soy sauce.

What’s a good dish without rice right? Let me introduce the Hainanese Rice. This is a perfect example of the Filipino saying “Kanin palang ulam na!”

I also tried the Milo Dinosaur, which is basically an iced Milo with Milo powder on top. There is nothing special about this drink and you can easily try this at home.

JM tried the Kopi C: According to in-store literature, this is the product of a new way of brewing coffee, which adds sugar in the process to form a type of glaze. This supposedly reduces the bitterness and aids in releasing more antioxidants from the coffee beans than normal. True enough, Kopi C has a little less bitterness than normal brewed coffee, but is still strong and flavorful. It's certainly unique.

Milo Dinosaurs and Hot and Cold Kopi C

Price-wise I guess their toasts are a little more expensive compared to Kopi Roti, though it is still worth a try. We have yet to try their signature dishes (which they call the Treasures in the Box) especially the Peanut Thick Toast on our next visit!