There is a good chance you’ve eaten at IHOP Restaurant since it first opened in the Philippines in 2013. If you haven’t, well—it’s time you do! 😛 This global authority in making all-day breakfast now also caters more to those who want heavier meals for lunch and dinner. Their new menu was introduced last June 8, 2016 and it was designed with an added variety of options to the already familiar IHOP classic dishes. In this post, I’m sharing with you our recommended must-try entrees plus five of the latest line-up of IHOP’s specialty fruit drinks, shakes and smoothies.
IHOP’s 2 for PhP 499 Promotion until August 31, 2016: For only PhP 499, you can choose one appetizer for sharing and two main dishes from their wonderful roster of Starter and Entree choices. For appetizers for sharing, choose among one of these popular IHOP staples: two-pc tacos, house salad, monster mozza, onion rings, or seasoned fries. For your entrees, choose two main dishes from: spaghetti bolognese, bacon mac and cheese pasta, one-pc chicken rice, longganisa scrambler rice, corned beef hash, and angus burger steak rice.
Review of IHOP Restaurant (U.P. Town Center, Quezon City)
Ambiance:
International House of Pancakes IHOP Philippines at U.P. Town Center aims to please with its homey atmosphere and friendly service. It has all the details that makes it a highly enjoyable place to hang out in. Color splashes looked congenial and lively without being boisterous. Making for a relaxing setting, the ambiance here is simple but neat and pleasing with warm tones, classy and well put-together table arrangement for intimate conversations with friends and family over food.
Food:
If there’s one thing you should come for at IHOP, it must be the Waffle Burger. It’s a winner of the International dineChef Contest, whereby IHOP chefs throughout the world compete to create new and unique menu items worth of craving. The beef burger, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and an egg sunny side up on a crisp Belgian waffle, was the creation of the Philippine IHOP team member, Kristine Nadine Lucas. This achievement is something that we can be proud of!
The 100% premium beef patty itself was tasty, though a bit plain. It was quite edible on its own but more delicious when eaten together with the waffle bun and strips of bacon, which added just the right amount of weight and saltiness, in one big bite. Yum! 😛 The tomatoes, meanwhile, provided some tang of its own. The egg served as more of a textural element.
IHOP’s Tuna Melt (PhP 325) featured savory tuna, mayonnaise, and diced onions topped with melted mozzarella cheese in toasted sourdough batard with fresh lettuce, tomato and cucumber. What I love most about it is that it had an appropriately crispy and soft parts. This impressive golden mass of sandwich was quite heavy on the mayonnaise and it was scrumptious.
Chicken Cordon Bleu (PhP 265) tasted amazing as well. The breaded tender chicken was fried to a golden brown crisp and stuffed with ham and cheese. Each bite with the rich cream sauce and buttered corn presented a vehicle of aromatic flavors. It’s a nice dish to order for a sit-down dinner.
The Cajun Tilapia (PhP 295) is something I thought I could happily reorder time and again. Served with diced tomatoes, parsley, steamed broccoli and rice, the Cajun spiced tilapia fillet was glorious, light and fresh. It did not have an atomic explosion of the real Cajun, but it did pack a good punch with a slightly sweet undertone. I mean Cajun with tilapia is an interesting combination.
Another crowd-pleaser on the table was IHOP’s BBQ Liempo (PhP 245). This sweet bbq glazed pork liempo belly with papaya chutney and steamed rice is a nod to the authentic Filipino grilled pork belly. The meat came out smoky and moist and it pretty much stood up to the hearty barbecue taste.
The picture of Bacon Topped Chicken Breast with Potato Hash (PhP 295) screamed “Order me!” on the menu. It’s bacon and cheese topped grilled chicken breast with Pepper jack over seasoned potatoes with grilled onions and green peppers in buttery and lemony hollandaise sauce. A play on textures, tastes, and colors, the entire dish seemed a lot more than the sum of its parts. Give it a try and you can’t go wrong. 😉
For our drinks, we had Rise and Shine (PhP 165) – pineapple, ginger, and carrot; Everyday Green Juice (PhP 180) – spinach, malunggay, green apple, celery, ginger; Bright and Early (PhP 180) – apple, carrot, beets; Strawberry Basil Smoothie (PhP 145) – strawberry, banana, calamansi juice, basil leaves, ice cream,; and Strawberry Banana Smoothie (PhP 145) – strawberry, banana, yogurt, honey, cinnamon.
Sipping on these wonderful concoctions of fruits, vegetables and herbs (no added sugar) is a great way to get your day started on a positive note. With these rich and pure beverages, allow IHOP to help you this time on your health and wellness journey as these are freshly prepared daily for optimal nutritional benefit.
For desserts, we had the Funnel Cake (PhP 150) and shared Childhood Memories (PhP 195) (I love the creativity behind the name). An order of the Funnel Cake came with six pieces of mini fried and doughy funnel cakes topped with creamy vanilla ice cream, crowned with glazed strawberries and garnished with whipped cream and powdered sugar. It had the trappings of the perfect fairground food. The dizzying swirls turned out as a chewy confection that we really liked.
Childhood Memories (PhP 195) had a taste of childhood in a cup filled with vanilla ice cream. It was layered with strawberry and blueberry syrup and topped with crispy golden hash brown and cheesecake bits. It’s definitely recommended for those who have a sweet tooth and those who have an affinity with cheesecake.
Price for Value:
Pancakes and breakfast items are probably what IHOP around the world does best, but now with more lunch and dinner items on lockdown, this restaurant does enough good things to keep people coming back. IHOP at U.P. Town Center is family-friendly and pocket-friendly as well. Food prices are okay and portions are big for sharing so you won’t leave hungry. Other new dishes to appreciate are: Pork Chop with Pineapple Salsa, Country Fried Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, and Mushroom Swiss Burger.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
IHOP Philippines is horribly over priced compared to its’ American counterpart. It does not make sense since the cost of wages is about 1/4 of the United States in Manila.