Kopi in the Afternoon

Kopi tiams - traditional coffee shops found in Southeast Asia.

Are you coffee or tea lover, who wants to try something different for a change?

If the answer is yes, then take a rest from your caramel macchiato and cafe americano Starbucks order and try Toast Box, a Singaporean-style coffee shop located at Greenbelt 5.

Toast Box's newly-opened branch in Greenbelt 5 is the second of the Singapore-franchised kopitiam. The first branch is located at the Trinoma Mall. I heard that a branch in Ayala Triangle Gardens is also on the works.

First off, I'm not an expert on Singaporean breakfast, so please don't expect me to compare or throw in a lot of kopi tiam terms. But who doesn't love toast and eggs and a hot drink once in a while?

Toast Box has a simple menu. They have toast sets for very reasonable prices. We ordered three from the list: Kaya Toast Set (at Php 120), Peanut Thick Toast Set (at Php 135) and French Thick Toast with Chocolate (at Php 140). Each toast set comes with 2 soft-boiled eggs and a choice of hot drinks. I'm not a big fan of coffee, so I ordered milk tea with my set.

French thick toast with chocolate, soft-boiled eggs, and hot milk tea

I ordered the French thick toast set. The french toast topped with a hefty share of butter and drizzled with chocolate is absolutely mucho delicioso!

The soft-boiled eggs with a little soy sauce would have been a perfect match to my french toast, but the eggs were just too raw for my palate. And just to avoid getting another allergic breakout, I just opted to stay away from it. Boo.

Peanut Thick Toast

Ordering the Peanut thick toast was also a right choice. They generously smothered peanut spread on the thick toast. The snack was equally divine!

The hot milk tea (teh oh) is just perfect. The sweetness is just right. I actually witnessed the "pulling" of tea while we were in line.


"Pulling" of tea apparently makes the drink extra smooth, flavorful and aromatic. I've seen this technique in several Discovery Travel and Living shows growing up, and have been fascinated with it ever since. When curiosity gets the best of me, you wouldn't believe I actually tried to pull tea in our kitchen a few years ago. It was a messy scene. :-)

Being a designer and someone with a keen eye for details, the space also caught my attention. It was quaint and simple --- I immediately fell in love with it. The design and ambience is just like sitting in your very own breakfast nook on a very sunshiny day.

I will definitely come back to try their other dishes. I heard their Horlicks Dinosaur drink is also a must-try! :)

Post Script:
Did you know that Toast Box was from the very same people who brought us Bread Talk? No wonder their bread is soft and creamy, just like Bread Talk's! :)