Toyo Eatery

Toyo Eatery, the latest brainchild of Chef Jordy Navarra (of former Black Sheep), is making a lot of noise in Manila’s culinary scene. Located in a hole in a wall alley along Pasong Tamo Extension, Toyo Eatery stands out with its modern minimalist look and sophisticated ambiance. The large wooden tables (a centerpiece on its own), the open kitchen, the inviting bar… these simple elements all blended perfectly together make up an interesting restaurant at par with those of abroad. Similar to what Chef Jordy has started in Black Sheep, the essence of Toyo Eatery’s menu is centered on sourcing fresh local ingredients and crafting them into unique mouthwatering dishes. Aside from the combination of flavors that exploded in my mouth (for example, Chef Jordy mixed patis or fish sauce with caramel inside a dark chocolate truffle), the whole experience was quite the feast. Imagine eating a garden salad that looked like soil! The innovation and creativity was very clever and playful, and that is something that the Philippine market needs more of today.

What is nice also about Toyo Eatery is the camaraderie of the kitchen crew and staff. You can see that they are all one big happy family, together with Chef Jordy & his wife May (a very supportive wife who doubles as a server after her executive day job). If you’re lucky to have her as your server for the night, chat her up as she’s quite entertaining haha!

You may visit Toyo Eatery at the Karrivin Plaza every Monday to Saturday, 5-11pm. They have a Tasting Menu for P 3,000++ or order their ala Carte dishes and share for the middle. Enjoy!