New Discoveries

All my friends know that i love discovering new food places especially when they offer innovations to the usual comfort dishes. So when a new “all day breakfast” place serving a twist to the common comfort food opened near the workplace, i just had to give it a try -for dinner mind you…

It seems like it has been forever since i last reviewed a restaurant, not that there is a dearth of food places cropping up in the metro…quite the contrary.

Somehow life just got too busy.

It will be a couple of days until i head off to a new routine and a few months until i can finally take a real vacation so it’s just fitting that a new chapter in life be ushered by something as exciting as discovering a new cool place to try.

Pi Breakfast and Pies is the new addition to Chef Ed Bugia’s restaurants in QC which opened early this month. It’s a small nook, almost too small for the crowd that comes curious to try something new.

The staff is warm and accommodating, which is a plus, and seem to know the food that they serve. When asked what their best sellers were, these dishes were recommended:

Kitayama Wagyu Beef Sirloin Tapa Php225

Tender beef from Bukidnon served with garlic kimchi fried rice, and six minute eggs. This seems to be a crowd favorite and a perfect example of a simple dish made to be outstanding.

Eggs Benny Php275

English muffin topped with thick cut bacon, six minute eggs, and asparagus, drizzled with sriracha hollandaise sauce, with a side of spiced shoestring potatoes.

This had all the elements of something i would order without batting an eyelash. And it would have been perfect had it not been for the thin almost tough English muffin.

But i must say the six minute eggs were perfectly cooked.

Breaking the egg white gave way to a creamy flow of delicious yolk which mingled with the interesting sriracha hollandaise. I must admit, it was a delectable mouthful …and made the blah English muffin a little more tolerable.

Banana Nutella Cream Cheese Waffles Php145

What i love about this place is it gives importance to sourcing local produce. The cream cheese in this sweet breakfast dish is locally made, and is quite delicious. Although I wish the waffles were a bit more fluffier, but hey that’s just me.

Omelette Php215

Pi offers a “design your own omelette dish”. We chose to go with our server’s recommendation of bacon, mushroom, tomatoes, spinach, and gruyere cheese and it did not disappoint! I love how they cooked the omelette well on the outside but still had just the right slightly gooey center that fuses all the ingredients that were chosen. This would be great with a good sausage!

I didn’t want to leave without tasting the pies…after all, the restaurant’s name does boast of these baked treats so they must be good, i thought.

Apple Gruyere Php95

I was excited to try this pie because of the unusual pairing of apples and cheese. But although it had a generous filling of green apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg, i found the crust tough and dry, almost like a bad pretzel, and i hardly tasted the gruyere…what’s the use of naming it apple gruyere if you can’t appreciate one of the ingredients right? I don’t think i would order this again unless they learn to make a better crust and prove that the interestingly paired ingredients do work.

Smores Pie Php130

Smores remind me of that field trip back in grades school where we rode ponies and roasted marshmallows over an open fire…that was when i realized i only liked ponies in books and make believe and that the outdoor is not very girly, and therefore not for me…

but this pie of graham crust topped with homemade marshmallows and chocolate fudge upped the ante of this usual camping treat. This is something i would recommend to someone wanting to satisfy a sweet tooth.

K-Lime Pie Php135

My favorite pie would have to be this graham crusted lime meringue and whipped cream dessert.

I’m sure those who know me well would not have doubted i would like this tangy sweet slice of happiness

We took our time with our desserts because it was only a few minutes more until 8pm when all the breads at Pi would sell at 50% off. I was eying the different cheese ensaymadas and the sticky buns as well as the brioche loaf.

So as we waited, I ordered a cup of Malongo coffee, which i learned is a coffee company which started in the early 1900 as a coffee roaster in the south of France.

My new personal test for coffee -if it is a good sip untainted by milk and sugar then it is good coffee, and this cup of brew did not need anything else to be enjoyed!

I eventually found out that the take away brioche and sticky bun had a crumbly consistency. I would have preferred a creamier texture on both the breads. But the ricotta and quezo de bola ensaymada were pillow soft and delicious! Those i would definitely order again!

Although this restaurant is a hit and miss, it is a nice addition to the restaurants that the QC dwellers have at their disposal.

I like to believe that you should never be afraid to try something new, after all, “you cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore”. [Andre Gide]

…here’s to discovering new oceans and sailing to new adventures!

Pi Breakfast & Pies
39 Malingap Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City
Open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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