BREAKFAST, being “the most important meal of the day,” is a concept that is embraced across cultures. A breakfast in France, which is usually a serving of croissants or a baguette topped with butter and jam, is quite different from the traditional American plate of bacon, fried eggs and toast. In the Philippines it is not uncommon to find the table laden with garlic fried rice, corned beef, fried fish or savory longganisa.
A year ago, casual-dining restaurant IHOP, which actually stands for International House of Pancakes, included five homegrown Filipino breakfast meals on their menu. Recently, the restaurant famous for pancakes, waffles, French toasts and coffee, has become even more Pinoy by adding three more Filipino-style breakfast dishes to their roster: the Breakfast Bangus, Corned Beef Hash and the Longganisa Scrambler.
“We currently have five Filipino breakfast offerings on the menu and are excited to be offering more. These are distinctly Filipino dishes with IHOP-sized servings and quality,” said Archie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Global Restaurant Concepts Inc., the Philippine partner of IHOP.
To give the customers the full experience and the new dishes authenticity, these hearty Filipino breakfast meals are even plated on banana leaves.
The Breakfast Bangus is a morning feast of classic pan-fried milkfish served with a side of garlic rice and scrambled eggs. The fish is cooked to a golden crunchy brown on the outside but still tender white on the inside. IHOP also serves the bangus with vinegar and atchara to keep the dish truly Pinoy.
Then, there is the Longganisa Scrambler that comes with scrambled eggs mixed with sautéed chopped longganisa, diced green bell peppers and onions. It is also served with garlic rice, juicy tomatoes and a serving of atchara. The big longganisa chunks are the hero of this dish with a slightly spicy and flavorful aftertaste.
Last, for those who can never have enough corned beef, the Corned Beef Hash is the way to go with savory corned beef sautéed with onions and IHOP’s signature hash browns served with garlic rice and two eggs sunny side-up. The harmonious chemistry between the hash browns and the corned beef provides a certain crunchiness with every bite, easily making this dish the best of the new bunch from our estimation.
These dishes add to the first line of Filipino Classics IHOP introduced last year with beef tapa, chicken and pork tocino, longganisa and chicken sausage.
“It’s IHOP’s commitment to innovation, to keeping things fresh, current and relevant to the market, that really inspires us to push the envelope and come up with products that we are sure Filipinos will love,” Rodriguez said. However, the three new breakfast meals will be available only for a limited period which began on March 31.
TREATS TO BEAT THE SUMMER HEAT
JUST in time for the summer season, IHOP, in partnership with Nestlé Philippines and Pepsi, has also introduced four new ice cream concoctions to help cool down temperatures in the sweltering heat.
The Ice Cream Waffle Sandwich is IHOP’s freshly made signature waffles with vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips and mango ice cream mixed with cheesecake cubes in separate sandwiches. Both are served on a bed of chocolate and vanilla sauce.
Meanwhile, the Funnel Cake a la Mode is made up of six pieces of crunchy mini-funnel cakes topped with velvety vanilla ice cream. The dish is crowned with a choice of cinnamon apple compote, blueberries or glazed strawberries, and garnished with whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Straying away from the traditional waffles and funnel cakes, the Banana Split Sundae puts a twist to the classic Banana Split as it is served in a big glass goblet overflowing with chocolate, vanilla and mango ice cream balls, candied pecans and glazed strawberries. The sundae is drizzled with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, garnished with sliced bananas and, of course, finished with a cherry on top.
IHOP also adds the all-time American classic Soda Float to their menu. The soda is your own choice of Mug Root Beer, Pepsi or 7-Up that is served in a beer mug topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.
All these new Filipino Classics breakfast fares and summer desserts with ice cream are now available at all IHOP restaurants. A new store will open soon at Ayala Fairview Terraces.