Florence Mae Maglanoc has a lot on her plate. Last year, her Kingly Court restaurant Donia received a Michelin Bib Gourmand (the first Filipino restaurant in the country to do so) and shortly after, she opened a Soho outpost of her successful Filipino bakery and cafe concept Panadera. Having proven that she and her team know a thing or two about dough, next month she’s taking on a new challenge in Toastee, her latest venture with co-creator Adrian Kyle Felipe at the helm, which blends East and Southeast Asian flavours with another classic comfort dish: French toast.
Despite its name, the first mentions of what we now know as French toast can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire, where bread was soaked in milk and eggs before being fried in oil and topped with honey. In the Middle Ages, a similar recipe was reportedly used throughout Europe as a tasty way to preserve stale bread. In East and Southeast Asia, sweet toast is “deeply nostalgic”, says Maglanoc. “It’s what you have for breakfast before school, as an afternoon treat with friends, or even as a dessert. I realised London did not have a concept that truly elevated that experience with thick-cut, beautifully baked bread and bold custards done with real craftsmanship. Toastee fills that space. It is comforting but elevated, nostalgic yet modern.”
Warm terracotta wood and soft cream tables will surround the loaf-shaped counter that will make up Toastee’s 15-cover shop at Westfield White City, where Maglanoc spent many summers as a teenager. She describes Toastee as being “less strictly Filipino” than her previous projects, but admits that “there will always be ube”– the bright purple yam native to the Philippines – an ingredient that also features on her menus at Donia and Panadera. An open kitchen will give guests a front-row view as co-founder Adrian Kyle Felipe – her longtime collaborator and protégé – and his team use Panadera’s pandesal (milk bread) recipe to produce signature creations with flavours including matcha ganache, silky ube jam, and milo cookies and cream. There’ll be specials throughout the year. Felipe will also showcase his extensive experience in ice-cream development, with house-made ice-cream in flavours including ube, pandan coconut, strawberry cheesecake and miso caramel.
Ube fans can also expect a dedicated drinks range that will feature ube foam matcha, ube horchata, ube latte and more, alongside specialty coffee.
Toastee is the latest addition to Maglanoc’s 1996 Group empire. She tells Broadsheet: “It is where I explore the possibilities of food and hospitality in a way that feels thoughtful and culturally driven. At its core, it is about storytelling, identity and pushing culture forward … I have spent over a decade championing Filipino food and I am incredibly proud of that. As I grow and as 1996 Group grows, there is space to expand the flavour conversation while still honouring where I come from. With Toastee, I wanted to explore a broader spectrum of nostalgic and comforting flavours that feel familiar, playful and indulgent while keeping our core DNA of craftsmanship and quality baking at the centre. It is about evolution, not departure.”
Toastee opens in September at Westfield White City, W12 7JQ.
