IHOP to It

My dining adventures with M (and friends!) have resumed once more, I'm happy to say. What was supposed to be a visit to the 2013 Pyrolympics in MoA was cancelled last minute because of the heavy traffic (a blend of Pyrolympics attendees and provincial buses bringing people home in time for Holy Week). We left the house at around 4:30pm and had to wait in gridlock until we finally got to World Trade Center for the 5th Megabrands Sale at 7. Just approaching MoA was looking to be a pain in the butt, so it was decided that we were better off trying out the brand new IHOP in Fort Bonifacio instead.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Sign of the times[/caption]

First and foremost, the legendary waitlist was no exeggeration, even at 9pm. The waiting lounge was only big enough to seat 7, so there were small groups of people standing around outside the restaurant waiting to be called. It looked a little crazy, so we took our sweet time with the window shopping and opted to go back later for dessert. By 11pm, there was still a line, but we only had to wait 10 minutes.

IHOP is an old-fashioned diner in the US, but its Manila branch looks much more dressed-up in a swanky place like BGC (Bonifacio Global City). The well-designed establishment features lots of polished wood paneling and floor-to-ceiling windows. The main dining floor is upstairs, while there are a few tables on the first floor.

Still full from our dinner at Quiznos, M and I shared an order of CINN-A-STACK Pancakes (PHP 235) while drinking refillable Iced Coffees (PHP 145). Let me just say that I love CINN-A-STACK pancakes! Aromatic Cinnamon roll-flavored pancakes? Yes, please! I first had them in Los Angeles, so I was thrilled to try them here.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Lip smacking CINN-A-STACK[/caption]

Fresh out of the kitchen, the 2-piece pancake stack was warm, fluffy, and moist. Cinnamon sugar filling was spread in the middle and on top of each layer and a thick cream cheese sauce was drizzled on top. Though the pancakes weren't shaped into perfect circles, I found them more endearing because they gave off a homemade feel. The only thing I didn't like was the slightly "sandy"  texture of the pancakes that may have to do with the flour they used. Maya's wholewheat pancake mix has that same sandy texture.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Syrups in Old-Fashioned, Strawberry, Butter Pecan, and Blueberry[/caption]

Because of the strong cinnamon taste, adding the flavored syrups on our table didn't seem necessary but I tried them out anyway. Much to my surprise, I found that each flavor of syrup tasted good. What I honestly expected was for the blueberry and strawberry syrups to have that overly sweet candy flavoring taste, but they tasted more like the syrups for berry preserves.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Mocha and Vanilla Iced Coffees[/caption]

The bottomless Iced Coffees were okay, but not particularly strong or milky. There were 3 flavors to choose from: Original, Vanilla, and Mocha, with the flavors coming from syrups pumped into the bottoms of the glasses.

I found the service to be impeccable. The waitstaff was super attentive to the point that refills for iced coffee were already on the table even before my first glass was completely empty.

Though I'm not much of a breakfast person and wouldn't easily think to visit a restaurant that specializes in breakfast food, my IHOP late-night run turned out to be a pleasant dining experience. I would come back to satisfy my CINN-A-STACK craving or try out the yummy-looking Specialty Broccoli Cheese Omelette.

IHOP - W Global Center, 30th Street corner 9th Avenue, BGC, Taguig