This mid-2015 opening is one of Bangkok’s very best brunch spots, there is little doubt. Crowds pack out the light and airy, sun-drenched spot for flat whites (B100), cold-pressed juices (B180) and egg-centric fare (try the Egg Mikado, sourdough topped with two poached eggs, cured salmon and yellow hollandaise sauce, B320), all prepped with good produce and enough eye for detail that you could conceivably be in Sydney.

 

On the dinner menu, available from 6pm onwards, you’ll find a very different selection of salads, pastas, meaty sharing plates and the odd fusion dish that, while not quite as convincing, still largely satisfies. The seasoned zucchini and avocado salad (B220) is a popular starter for good reason; the light sprinkling of parmesan and dash of vinaigrette dressing proof that sometimes less is more. In comparison, the baked eggplant, crabmeat and salmon roe (B250) reads like a recipe for maximalist fusion disaster, but succeeds due to its well-seasoned eggplant and a zesty tomato salsa.

 

Not everything is quite so good. Despite a tasty marinade, the beer miso pork ribs (B180) lack the tenderness to be particularly memorable, though the house-pickled ginger and cucumbers are delicious. As far as Bangkok bistro pasta goes, the spaghetti arrabbiata (B380) is more than serviceable, a little heavy on the chili perhaps, but piled with fresh and plump manila clams.

 

But breakfast is where Toby’s truly shines. So it’s probably no surprise that the crispy French toast (B280) reappears as a dessert on the dinner menu. French toast doesn’t get much better than this: super-soft brioche soaked in beaten eggs and crispy cornflakes topped with vanilla ice cream, nuts and fresh berries. Crunchy yet cake-like, a close comparison might be After You’s famed honey toast, only even bigger (this portion could feed a family). What Toby’s lacks in surprises, it makes up in consistency and pretty plating, the result being a real brunch contender and a safe choice later in the day.

---

This review took place in August 2016 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.