Wow, where to start. What a surprise to see the cafe where Adam learned to make coffee in Sydney turn up in Bandung. Our expectations were very high, so anything less than perfection was going to be noticed. And notice we did.
By Bandung standards, Toby’s Estate is one of the best there is. But by our standards, they still have some way to go.
We ordered Buttermilk Chicken with Corn Frittata, Ricotta Pancakes, cappuccino & chai chocolate.
First of all, both drinks were excellent. They were good by world standards and we would be happy to come here again for them any day of the week.
But the food was disappointing and this is why. On the menu, the buttermilk chicken is listed as fillet. But it came served with bones. Wtf? It wasn’t a mistake as the staff confirmed it always comes with bones. The other part of the dish was supposed to be a frittata. It was nothing like a frittata. It was more like a thin corn cake or corn pancake. It tasted good, but it wasn’t a frittata. In fact, the whole dish was a good one, but it just completely different to what you expect from the menu. They need to fix this.
The ricotta pancakes were cooked well and their flavour was good, but as with all pancakes we’ve had in Bandung they were a bit boring. Making pancakes taste fantastic is really difficult.
We’re being very hard on the food here because we expect the best from the Toby’s brand and we expect the best because of the prices. And we didn’t get it.
The location of this cafe is great in the new Paskal 23 and the fitout is really modern and fresh. As good as anything in Bandung and certainly sets the standard of what a cafe should be. It’s excellent.
There is plenty of space for opening a laptop here and quite a few electricity sockets. Wifi worked well and there is a choice of either the cafe’s own wifi or the one for the entire mall. Both were fine even though we weren’t able to measure their speed.
This cafe is expensive. But we think it’s ok if a cafe is expensive if the quality is good. And to be honest, the food at this point in time does not justify the price.
If we compare Toby’s Estate to every other cafe in Bandung, it’s as good as or better than almost everything out there. But they have room to improve. And when they do, they will be the best in Bandung.
Toby’s Estate
Lobby Cai,L1, #10-11, Paskal 23, Bandung
(0878) 2383 3232
contact@tobysestatecoffee.co.id
tobysestatebandung@gmail.com
www.tobysestatecoffee.co.id
Instagram: @tobysestate.id
Opening Hours: 08:00 – 22:00 (Fri & Sat until midnight)
Buttermilk Chicken: Rp75.000
Pancakes: Rp85.000
Cappuccino: Rp35.000
Chai Chocolate: Rp40.000
* Add 18.25% tax & service (!!!)