iHop Restaurant

I’m probably the last person in Manila who tried out iHop Restaurant for the first time.  Honestly, no matter how good the dishes of a restaurant are, I wouldn’t waste two hours of my time waiting in line.  I’d rather wait for several months and visit the place at my most convenient time.  That’s exactly what I did with the famous iHop (International House of Pancakes) restaurant at the Fort.

Fresh from the airport, I dropped by my house and left my luggage, then went straight to iHop Restaurant for dinner.  Obviously, I was pretty tired but I enjoyed the dinner nevertheless because I was with my friends.  Pardon my photos though, I realized they were pretty bad.  I hope that it still gave you an idea on what iHop offers in their restaurant.

The iHop craze died down so we didn’t have to wait for our group to be seated.

I’ve never been to any iHop restaurant so I don’t have anything to compare it with.  However, one thing I noticed is that it looked like a typical American restaurant.

I liked how they put iHop’s specialties even on their lighting.  It’s a good personal touch and definitely fit the whole iHop ambience.

We were a big group.  The consensus is for us to order one of every kind of dishes that iHop offers.  Of course, pancakes won’t be missed.  I asked an American friend beforehand for advice on what to order on iHop.  I was told that the Harvest Grain n’ Pancakes were good.  I took a mental note.

• Freshly Brewed Iced Tea (Php 95)

Refillable drink is love, love & love!  After having my first sip of iced tea, I was surprised that it actually tasted different from the usual ones.  As you know, restaurants tend to cut costs so if they offer unlimited drinks, it’s probably powdered.  In iHop’s case, their iced tea was brewed!

Other refillable drinks in iHop are lemonade, soft drinks and fruit sodas.

• Big Steak Omelette (Php 325 + Php 50 for preferred pancake)

Tender strips of steak, hash browns, fresh green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheddar cheese.  Served with salsa.

We ordered the big steak omelette.  I wonder what they meant by the word ‘big’ because iHop didn’t give us enough steak to enjoy the dish.  I guess I expected too much.  Don’t get me wrong, it tasted okay.  I just wanted more of the steak and less of the other ingredients 😛

Every order of omelette comes with two pieces of buttermilk pancakes or seasoned mixed fruit.  We opted for pancake but a different variant, we paid additional Php 50 for the substitution.

I asked for the Harvest Grain N’ Nut Pancakes because it was the flavor that my American friend suggested we order.  The pancakes were made with grains, oats, almonds and english walnut.  I didn’t find iHop’s pancakes extraordinary special but what made me giggle while eating were the pancake sauces!

There were butter pecan, blueberry, strawberry & old fashioned pancake sauces!  Having a bite of the pancake then dipping it into the sauce is an experience in itself.  It was like eating four different pancakes in one shot!  I loved strawberry sauce the most.  Yummeh!

• New York Cheesecake Pancake Combo (Php 385)

two fluffy buttermilk pancakes loaded with creamy, rich cheesecake pieces and crowned with cool strawberries, powdered sugar and whipped topping.

I wasn’t really crazy about iHop’s pancakes anymore after sampling the orders that we had.  However, I loved the hashbrown included in the pancake combo.

The other sides included are two eggs and choice of two bacon strips or 2 pork sausages.

• Belgian Waffle Combo (Php 285)

Belgian waffle topped with whipped butter served with 2 eggs and choice of bacon or sausages.

Again, nothing special but I must say that the sausages were a disappointment.  It looked malnourished 🙁

• Chicken Fajita Quesadilla (Php 365)

Grilled seasoned chicken breast with onions, fresh green peppers, and tomatoes in a grilled flour tortilla with cheddar and jack cheeses.  Served with sour cream and salsa.

For Php 365, I thought that iHop’s quesadillas were overpriced.  But after sampling it, wow!  It was delicious and flavourful!  This was one of the two orders that I really liked on our iHop visit (ironically, pancakes weren’t in that favorite list).

• Tilapia Florentine (Php 375)

Two delicate, seasoned tilapia fillets on top of spinach tossed in Alfredo sauce. served with mashed potatoes.

I’m not fond of fish dipped (or swimming) in white sauce.  I didn’t dare try it.  Have you?  What do you think of it?

• Fried Chicken Dinner (Php 495)

Four pieces of fried chicken, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, served with a savory biscuit, mashed potatoes and buttered corn.

Oh yes, we loved iHop’s fried chicken!  How surprising considering that iHop is known for pancakes and not chicken.  We even ordered one additional because we all wanted one whole piece of chicken for ourselves!  I guess the fact that iHop served the chicken newly-cooked made it more appetising.

Overall, my first experience with iHop isn’t that bad.  I knew that there was a hype since everyone loves foreign franchises.  iHop’s pancakes wont be something that I look forward to eat again but their fried chicken & quesadillas are good enough for me to pay another visit.

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iHop Restaurant
W Global Center, 30th St cor 9th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines
+63-2-6875611