An Eggdiction 🍳

An omelette in a skillet, with blobs of chewy buffalo mozzarella and feta topped with grilled zucchini and kale purée. The red sauce was similar to sriracha. I like the fluffy lightness of the omelette and the salty pungent flavour the cheese added to it. This was really tasty heaped onto the crusty sourdough on the side. The veggies were a nice healthy touch though they didn't add much in terms of flavour.

I really like this cream-less carbonara, which I heard is the authentic kind of carbonara! The yolk of that oozy sous vide egg combines with the bacon fat to form a really luscious but not cloying carbonara sauce. It's really satisfying to slurp up the penne pasta with all that yolk mmmm.

The perfectly poached eggs were drenched in a generous amount of rich and buttery hollandaise, which wasn't sour at all (the way I like it). This came with a side of potato hash, which was tasty with a kick (from the paprika I'm guessing!). The salad and fruits also provided a good balance to this dish. Love this cafe for the lovely ambience and yummy food (+ good quality ingredients)!

Classic breakfast food - eggs and smoked salmon. The eggs were scrambled well and smoked salmon came in large, thick slices! The croissant was also buttery and flakey. Minor grouse: The side salad was disappointing because it was bland and dry :( but on a subsequent visit, my friend ordered this and the salad had a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which made it infinitely better. So I guess my bad salad was just an accident!

Big breakfast, only better! You get a huge platter of the usual American breakfast items, with eggs of your choice and tea/coffee AND freshly squeezed fruit juice. Really value for money, especially when brunch is usually so overpriced! The al fresco ambience is really nice in the morning too though this place is rather inaccessible by public transport (gotta walk some distance 😔).

I had been planning to visit this relatively new cafe for months, and I really wanted to love this place. We went on a late Tuesday morning, and because the cafe is closed on Mondays, many of the items on the menu (such as the interesting sweet and salty French toast that I wanted to try) were not available. My main gripe about this dish? It's lukewarm. :( I'm not sure if it was because the dish was left sitting on the counter for too long before it was served, or if it's meant to be served like that but I do not like lukewarm eggs and toast.... Isn't toast supposed to be hot? The flavours were great (might be too rich for some though) - rich runny eggs, creamy avocado, salty smoky salmon, and hollandaise. I much preferred the delicate and flakey chunks of salmon served here to the usual kind of smoked salmon! Sadly, the coldness of the dish, which I subconsciously equated to staleness, just did not work for me. The food served here is unlike the breakfasts served in most cafes though - I love how the chefs put a twist on common breakfast items like Eggs Benedict and French Toast. I might be back to have my French toast :)

In addition to our own mains, bf and I picked a simple breakfast set of scrambled eggs on toast brioche ($8.50) to share. You have a choice of scrambled eggs or poached eggs, and brioche, croissant or (I think) sourdough. I initially doubted the quality of food at Toby's because of some food reviews I had read, but I'm so glad we tried it for ourselves! The eggs came steaming hot (I always appreciate freshly cooked food) but still creamy and not overcooked. Eggs were also seasoned just right, unlike some scrambled eggs that taste bland. The chopped chives or spring onions (?) added freshness and an Asian touch to this dish (which you may or may not like - for me, it was ok!). This was a great start to our fantastic time at Toby's!

I was very happy with Toby's French toast ($14.90)! :D The French toast was made with thick slices of brioche, which is mildly sweet and complemented the salty bacon very well. The egg didn't permeate the entire slice, but this didn't compromise on the eggy flavour of the toast and instead, yielded a crisp French toast that still had a light, pillowy center. The maple glazed bacon was awesome. Sweet and salty, this was a smokier, saltier version of everyone's cny favourite, bak kwa. The dish also came with some of my favourite fruits - berries and apples! I loved how this dish was hearty, and not oily at all. Yum!

We called this The Manly Breakfast. It has so much protein! This is like a non-tomatoey version of shashouka/ the Tunisian from Wild Honey. It came with 2 eggs, fully cooked (would have preferred the eggs to be runny though!), a Harrison sausage, portobello mushrooms and looooooaaaddddssss of minced beef. The whole pan was filled with beef, really. This was well worth the $18! One thing to note though - this requires baking so it takes a longer time to prepare. Try not to order this if you are famished!

I've heard many raving reviews of this French toast! It's not bad - soft fluffy toast completely soaked through with egg and milk. I would have liked it to be more crisp on the outside, and the maple syrup didn't have the nice fragrance that high quality maple syrups do so that's another gripe I have. Toby's French toast remains my fave.

Baked rice hidden beneath a cloud of egg! ☁️ I liked the curry rice - it was moist, cheesy and bursting with flavours of the curry and beef. I wish the rice came with fresh ingredients instead of sausage (looked like chicken frankfurters to me) though. Beef and vegetables would have been great. The cloud of egg seated atop the rice was indeed light and fluffy like a soufflé, and eggy without the stench of raw eggs (if you get what I'm referring to). Subtle flavours of the egg complemented the flavourful rice perfectly, though it may get a little overwhelming for some so you may want to share it. The portion was huge too! Quite a good attempt at giving curry rice/baked rice a twist :b

My first time checking out the outlet at Chip Bee Gardens! I like the layout here more cause it's brighter and more organized, and it boasts a larger seating capacity! :D Here's a salmon quiche with a feta and tomato salad. B&C's quiches need no introduction. The buttery, flakey crust held a flavourful and smooth egg filling that is generously studded with capsicum and salmon.