Toby's coffee and brunch in Thong Lo, Bangkok

DO NOT walk from the BTS – that’s a rookie mistake. Toby’s coffee. I didn’t even know it was a thing. On Google maps the distance looked way too short for a motorbike taxi, so a thirty-minute walk later we arrived hot and moist. We got to see how pretty Soi 38 is though: there were very few cars or in fact even people, there were fenced private properties with nice gardens, and stunning new developments. Before our destination there were actually a few more coffee places that looked very promising.

It was a nice Saturday afternoon and we were about to meet a friend who texted us:”I’m there. Waiting for a table”. Whaaat? It’s either a coincidence or the place is THAT good, we thought. Toby’s has been featured on BK Magazine; I don’t know the criteria to be picked for their site, but it is a real boost for businesses in Bangkok. As many others, we wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.

We ordered the “Smashed Avocado”, which was delicious! It was a lightly toasted sourdough bread with some gently seasoned avocado and a poached egg on top. Roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh tender leaf salad were also gorgeous – all the flavours and textures were perfectly paired as you can guess. The sad part was that I only had one bite as Auste “Hulk” Treciakauskaite ate the whole plate. It’s supposed to come with chorizo, but they were happy enough to cater for vegetarians, and it was still good.

The crafty lattes were silky smooth, and my guess is that they used proper full-fat milk as they were very creamy, without any of the coffee bitterness you get from many other places. Auste loves them, and I prefer the more roasty ones. The cake display was very tempting, as always is, but every item seemed to be different: bacon donuts, flourless chocolate cake, and the one I tried I forgot the name of. But it was like a chocolate chip sticky toffee caramel nutty datey “walk the plank” (is that it’s name??) pudding thing. It was sweet, but not overwhelming, and it had everything you can ask for in a dessert (except peanut butter!). Price-wise it was on the high end, but it’s Thong Lo.

The exterior was very pleasing to the eye. It looked like a modern Norwegian terrace with red brick walls, brown wooden tiles reflecting the setting sun, and the tall grass moving to the gentle sea breeze. There was no sea though, just a humid downtown BKK waft. The interior was just what you’d expect from such place: high ceiling with hanging lamps, white walls with tiny plant inceptions, brand new wooden furniture and cosy seats with pillows.

All in all, we had a typical IG-friendly experience, but for me the most different part was the outdoor area giving a definite non-BKK feel.