Chez Toztar, Cebu City

When I've read Babe for Food's post about the first and the only hydroponic garden-themed restaurant in the Queen City of the South, I can't help but drool looking at the pictures published. We had another bloggers' meet up and this time it's a lunch date with JoAnn of Food Wanderings in Asia, Shee of My Dolce Vita and Ivan of TheAllenZan. We were really hoping that Rea of REAlity Bites and the ever mysterious, mustache man of MUSTACHIOventures can join us next time...please??? LoL!

Chez Toztar has been around the city for awhile but it wasn't really noticed because of its location. It is located in Orchid St., Capitol Site right across STK ta Bai! It looks like an ordinary residential place when you take a look at the picture below.



This photo is taken from Babe for Food's site  


The interior gives you the homy ambiance. You will really feel at home because of their concept. The walls are in black and white and I love their furnitures as well as their customized wall clock which is made of spoons and forks. Also, some of their walls are decorated with the spoon and fork concept. Cool!

We can't wait to see our orders and gobble it up because of the reviews that we've read. So without much dilly dally, let me present to you the line up with the reviews from my friends who tasted the dish:

Thai Beef Salad (lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber with roasted beef in Thai style balsamic vinaigrette) - Php160.00

According to Shee, the roasted beef for the salad was not tender although it was well-seasoned but it was rubbery and its like chewing a gum. It's not really mind-blowing and not a game changer at all plus she doesn't like the vinaigrette. It would have been better if it was tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.


Tilapia in hot Butter Basil (neatly filleted and cubed Tilapia in butter and basil sauce) - Php199.00 A must-try!

Everyone loves this dish. Winner! Definitely a must-try dish or should I say, I would surely recommend. It was perfectly cooked and it's the kind of dish that Shee would love to recreate. JoAnn consumed it slowly but surely and it was obvious that she loves the dish even if she did not say anything about it. Right, Jo?



Chez Baby Back Rib (Pressurized ribs dipped in sweet-tangy sauce then oven baked) - Php188.00

I can say that it's not really the best baby back ribs that I've tasted. However, the meat was really tender that it falls off the bone easily and very juicy. The hickory barbecue sauce didn't really inspire me coz I was expecting that they'll use the teriyaki sauce for this dish. Kudos for the serving size, it was perfect for someone like me who loves to eat.

Mozzarella Topped Pork Belly in Teriyaki Sauce (Belly dredge in a special coating, deep fried and smothered in teriyaki sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese) - Php158.00

Ivan said, "I like the dish because the meat was juicy, the sauce was just right. However, there was too much oil that drowned the meat. I'll give it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest."

A meal is never complete without the desserts. They offer a unique series of fried desserts that made us more curious on how it looks and tastes like. We had four different kinds of desserts to finish up before calling it a day.

Baileys Flamin' Apple Glazed (Sauteed apples in sugar and butter , placed on a sizzling plate then added a portion of Baileys with a scoop of ice cream) - Php130.00

This dessert is really not part of their menu. They ran out of pears and tequila. However, the chef approached and informed us about it and all they have is Baileys and apples. It was not really a big deal for us that they can't offer us what we initially want which is the Tequila Rose Flamin' Pear Glazed. Instead, we let him invent what they have as a replacement for the ingredients.

Deep Fried Halo-Halo (Mixed Filipino sweets wrapped , frozen, and deep fried. served with one scoop of ice cream) - Php85.00

Deep Fried Oreo (4 Oreo cookies dipped in a special batter then deep fried to perfection. Served with a scoop of ice cream) - Php95.00

Deep Fried Banananutter (Nutella and peanut butter spread in sliced bread with slices of banana dipped in special batter then fried in hot oil. Served with one scoop of ice cream on top) - Php130.00

I'd like to give credits to JoAnn Wong of the Food Wanderings in Asia for taking the food photos. A big thank you to your camera as well coz these are really great photos. Of course, behind all the delicious food that we ate was a nice, good-looking chef that we were able meet and greet named Lester.

Experience healthy eating at a very affordable and reasonable price in a casual setting. Visit the place and let me know your thoughts about it.


Chez Toztar
0392 Orchid St., Capitol Site
Cebu City
(032)412-6452
+63 932 7806 176