Heads up, pie and breakfast lovers: QC favorite Π (Pi) Breakfast and Pies has finally opened a second branch, located at The Grove Retail Row in Pasig.
Three years ago, Chef Ed Bugia opened his humble pie shop, serving sweet and savory pies, alongside hearty breakfast fare — it's a formula for delicious all-day eating, as there are many in full support of eating breakfast food at any time of the day, and the sweet-toothed can have their fill of syrup-smothered pancakes, waffles, and slices of good ol' pie. As Quezon City hidden gems are so inclined, Pi made foodies from different corners and cities drive to the north for their favorites: wagyu tapa, the chef's popular caramelized spam, longganisa, chicken and waffles, and more.
Its newest branch suits the location, a hop and skip away from Rockwell's condominiums, the restaurant opening early in the morning to greet residents with good breakfast options and a little bakery for customers to bring home specialized breads. "It's breakfast food," Chef Ed shares, "There's garlic rice, there's bacon. Put an egg on it and people will love it." Their take on comfort food — cooking everything well and creating their own iterations on favorites — is what makes people return for more. Soon, the chef says, they will have other goodies available to take home, like their homemade longganisa and bacon jam.
Check out some of the glorious all-day breakfast food in store for you at π Breakfast & Pies–there's lots of eggs, bacon, and happy carbs at their new branch, and they've added new dishes to keep you coming back for more.
Start your day with the new Breakfast Gumbo (P325) for a spicy southern take on your morning meal. The Cajun-style tomato stew is rich in flavor, and has your favorite proteins topping the skillet: chicken, Pi's superb homemade sausages, shrimps, and a perfectly poached egg on top of white rice. Break the egg and let it drool on your rice, and mix everything in. The gumbo's spice is mild to medium, so if you want it hotter, there's sriracha ketchup on the side.
Another new item is their fresher and flavor-bomb of a version of an American canned staple, the Pork & Beans (P325). Pork here comes in the form of slow cooked bacon slab which has been shredded to become like pulled pork, giving a nice texture. It's smothered in homemade barbecue sauce that's a balance of sweet and tart instead of too cloyingly sweet like the canned counterpart. Beans in this dish are stewed white beans with crumbles of their homemade longganisa, and completing the plate are slices of brioche toast, and sunny side up eggs.
Bacon and breakfast are truly meant for each other, and for those passsionate about this particular pork, you must order Pi's most requested dish: Ultimate Bacon Rice (P345). How can a bacon lover find joy on a plate? The chef's answer to this is to serve bacon three ways. Triple threat of bacon fried rice, bacon slabs, and bacon jam is accompanied by scrambled egg. It's a no-brainer: come hungry, order this, and dig in.
If pancakes are your breakfast of choice, then you're in for a treat — the restaurant has 8 kinds of flavors to choose from, each order a stack of three fluffy pancakes. Their newest on the lineup is Elvis Pancakes (P255) the way the King would like his breakfast: all shook up with peanut butter, banana, and bacon. It's a play on salty and sweet and good as is, but if you want to smother it with more indulgence, there's maple syrup for you to drizzle, and butter to slather.
Pi's pies can be ordered by the slice or whole to take out, and currently they have nine kinds to choose from, with Crème brûlée π (P95 slice/P550 whole) being their newest one. Top desserts here are the K-Lime π (P145 slice/P850 whole), a personal favorite, and the Smores π (P145 slice/P850 whole), the chef's favorite pie with a graham crust, and a body of chocolate fudge topped with homemade marshmallow.
There are more sweet meal-ending or merienda options at Pi — just take a peek into their little bakery corner: cookies and brownies, cheese rolls and Spanish bread, and more 'comfort carbs' for the local palate, like Ensaymada (P45/piece) in flavors like Nutella, Ricotta, and Queso de Bola, and Pastel (P35/piece), custard filled soft buns in Queso de Bola, Pork Flakes, and Milo. Get the ensaymada in Pasalubong Boxes or enjoy it at the restaurant — have them toast the pastry so it's warm and fluffy, and pair it with their coffee or hot chocolate. Christmas may be over, but the comfort and joy in every bite of ensaymada is something we can definitely have more of (and perhaps follow it with a second slice of pie).
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π Breakfast & Pies is open daily from 7:00am to 10:00pm at the Retail Row of The Grove by Rockwell, Pasig. Like π Breakfast & Pies on Facebook (/breakfastnpies) and follow on Instagram (@breakfastnpies).
