The Grove Food Crawl: First Stop at Pi Breakfast & Pies

Six restaurants and a barber shop, all in one day. It's an epic food crawl at The Grove...

With so many dining establishments and amenities conveniently clustered in a thoughtfully-designed community development, embarking on a leisurely food crawl at The Grove by Rockwell offers local diners yet another flavorful adventure this side of the metro. And there's nothing like starting the day, and the food crawl, right. First stop, a mid-morning brunch at Pie Breakfast & Pies...

A resort-like residential enclave in the heart of Pasig, The Grove by Rockwell is a self-contained development that now boasts some of the coolest dining spots in the metro. At The Grove Retail, one can indulge in a wide variety of flavors to satisfy any craving, the perfect spot for a sumptuous and leisurely food crawl...

Chef Ed Bugia (L), welcomed the food crawlers to Pi Breakfast & Pies, and our Food Crawl at The Grove is off to a great start. As you enter Pi Breakfast & Pies, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pies welcome you, and you're just about ready to enjoy a comforting meal as your freshly brewed cup of coffee is served.

Just like my first time at Pi Breakfast & Pies three years ago at their first location in Teachers Village, one feels so at ease with its homey and comforting vibe (for more on their signature dishes, check out my previous post at A Cool Breakfast Equation at Pi Breakfast & Pies). Maybe it's the bright and spacious interiors with its warm wood tones, or the aroma of coffee and bread fresh from the oven. Or maybe it's the classic Pork & Beans (P 295), with slow-cooked bacon slab draped in homemade barbecue sauce paired with stewed white beans, fresh-baked brioche toast, and two sunny side-up eggs. The tender bacon slab, with its juicy texture, delivers rich and savory notes capped by the sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, pairing well with the soft homemade stewed white beans. And the soft yet thick brioche toast is just what you need to soak up the sunny side-up eggs. Just like pulled pork and beans, Pi Breakfast & Pies' Pork & Beans has all the rich flavors you want to start the day right.

A favorite then, and still a personal favorite to this day, the Caramelized Spam (P 265) transforms the popular canned luncheon meat into something really special, with thick chunks of Spam served with garlic fried rice, kimchi, five-minute egg, pesto, and scallions. The soft and smooth texture of the Spam, with a lightly seared outer layer, releases its familiar and comforting notes followed by a subtle sweetness. Gently tap the five-minute egg and let the yolk flow over the rice for even more flavor. The nutty pesto and mildly spicy kimchi add contrasting flavors to complete the hearty dish. I can have Spam fresh out of the can any day, but the Caramelized Spam at Pi Breakfast & Pies takes it to a whole new and flavorful level.

And if you're ready to start the day right, why not start big. The Big Breakfast Platter (P 595), with Hungarian, Italian and Pinoy-inspired dinuguan sausages, a pair of sunny side-up eggs, potato hash, toasted brioche bread, roasted shitake and button mushrooms, bacon strips, pork & beans, and roasted tomatoes, is all about starting right in a big way. The sheer number of the various components of the dish are impressive for that perfect start. Big is the way to go...

End your feast with one of the signature pies at Pi Breakfast & Pies. That day, Pi Breakfast & Pies had the Classic Apple (P 125), Honey Pear Parmesan (P 195), Espresso Toffee (P 165), Peanut Butter Honeycomb (P 215), Banana Cream (P 125), Orange & Lime (P 145), S'mores (P 145), Smack Pie (P 125), Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee (P 125), and Buko Pie (P 115), take your pick. Pi Breakfast & Pies alone is worth a visit to The Grove at Rockwell, but there are five other restaurants to sample in the food crawl, and a barber shop too...

Pi Breakfast & Pies is located at The Grove by Rockwell, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City or call +63 915-258-3314 for inquiries and more information.

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