I.H.O.P.

Blueberry Pancakes with about seven pieces of fresh blueberries in them.

The International House of Pancakes may have opened its doors for less than a year, but already the word has spread and the queues just keep coming. It took a while before I found enough determination to stay in line and wait for my turn. Of course the only thing that will make me stay is that if I'm with someone who's willing to wait as much. We were number 13, and it took a little over thirty minutes of standing out on the sidewalk together with other hungry customers before our group was called. A tip would be to come with a friend or two as the lady said that bigger tables take longer to clear out as groups of six or more tend to linger more than couples. True enough, those number 14, 15, 16, and 17 got their tables a little earlier than we did. By the time we sat on our table it was around 9 p.m. just in time for a 9:30 dinner! 

And by the look of the pictures, I was obviously starving and uninspired to care what the photo looks like. So, this is all I could offer.

Waiting out for roughly forty minutes.

Unlimited syrup! Yey! The Butter Pecan easily stood out.

To the artist who did this layout: BAD!

To the client who approved this layout: BAAAAD!

The server was aware enough that their menu was chaotic and confusing. I agreed. She said with a sigh that they were working on it every night. Well, I'm glad they are. It was a sad thing to stare at; especially when you've been standing out for a long time, hungry, and in need of nutrients. The choices just blur out and you will tend to point out the prettiest photo on the menu. You will be disoriented and you will miss out on the word "or", mistaking it as "and", and assume that you will be getting both sausages and bacon as compensation for your effort. When the food arrived, roughly twenty-minutes later, the first thing I noticed was the plate; it was big, so your food doesn't look as big--in fact it was almost sad when you realize that it isn't as huge as imagined. As a side note though, one order was a "light meal" for two people, but a lot for one, and perfect for one-and-a-half person. 

Interior-wise, I say there's a bit of error in its layout as to why lines extend out front and cannot accommodate a good capacity. It was crowded and the acoustic was as terrible as most restaurants these days--I remember my companions just saying yes to whatever our server was saying because there was a lot of background noise joining in the conversation. What I did find useful though was the location of their toilet, right on the landing of the staircase, maximizing a supposed dead space.

The CR I was talking about...

The crowded interior I was talking about...

The big plate-small-looking food I was talking about...

The food I'll be taking about...

The food they serve is one of those non-pretentious-and-done-right kinda things. In other words, it's comfort food. Fatty, smothered in cheese or with cream, deep-fried, and in all ways American...it's guilty pleasure. Honestly though, it's nothing to die for, and I'm not that willing to stand wait for over an hour the next time. The first bite was the best because I was starving then, but the succeeding bites got better, then it became good, until I realize I was sleepy and needed to finish the food so that we could leave in consideration to those waiting out at 11 P.M. Hopefully for an early midnight snack, not dinner. But if the there's no queue and if I'm with good friends, I'll most probably drop by again because they have great hash. 


W Global Center, 
30th St. corner 9th Avenue 
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig