My Bittersweet Cafe: Maple at San Antonio Plaza, Forbes

What seems like an early morning breakfast is actually a late afternoon snack. At around 4:30 pm, the day is about to end but it's never too late for a breakfast meal. This is the pleasure offered by restaurants that serve all day breakfasts. Maple is one of those that specializes on pancakes and waffles but its menu goes beyond morning meals.

Its menu is pretty as a storybook, and the story is your dining experience. It begins with pancakes for a new day and ends on a sweet note with dessert for that fairy tale ending we all desire. Kudos to the concept and execution of the menu!

The interior of the place is warm and does well with the play of light that even before sunset, I felt like I was sitting in a breakfast table just at the crack of dawn. With the combination of white stenciled wall and lacquered walnut chairs, it makes you want to sit and sip a cup of coffee. The detailing was done with clean furnishings and the concept was played well in incorporating it into the whole vibe of the place.

Maple syrup I wish they served.

Love the door!

The food was pretty to look at in the menu, and it came to the table just as pretty. Carefully positioned on the plate and delicately garnished to make you want to snap a photo before digging in is always a good thing.

The coffee was good.

This is where I became a fan of bread pudding. The bread was well soaked and didn't taste overly soggy like other puddings. If anything, it was the caramelized sugar that made it gooey and addicting. The term "ala mode" is used for the heavy cream poured on top when it's served and not a scoop of ice cream--but either way it's good.

The pancake is when the story gets sad...I mean, yeah...it tastes like buttermilk pancake and is fluffy...but the best bite is the first and by the time I got to the second pancake I was bored with the taste that I slowed down between bites. I suppose the aftertaste of buttermilk--a slight sourness that leaves your mouth dry was probably the cause of my turn off. The pancake tower I ordered is good for two people or three...unless you dig buttermilk pancakes that badly, then you're fine. The waffle was good, it has a gooey-buttermilky thing going on with it, but it's didn't bring tears to my eyes.

Eggs Benedict was a nice treat since it's good to share besides the fact that it's good. The hollandaise sauce was nice, but I wasn't so crazy with the bread they used. The star of the dish was actually the side--the crispy potatoes. Gosh those were so addicting I wish there was more.

Given the chance to eat at Maple, I'd ditch the pancake and go for either the desserts or meats--which I haven't tried yet. But for what it's worth, it's something to look forward to for great intimate meals.