The Foodinista

Ihop has been operating in the Philippines for about 3 years now. I remember those days when the hype was so real people were falling in line when they opened their first ever branch at The Fort, BGC Taguig.

I had the privilege to visit their 2nd branch which is in Mall of Asia and I was able to visit their Century City Mall branch as well in Makati so I was able to compare and find out the difference.

Ihop Mall of Asia Branch is open from 7am to 11pm. It is located in the ground floor, entertainment mall, Mall of Asia. They are known for their big servings of great all-day American breakfast especially their pancakes! 

This branch is pretty spacious and they even have outdoor seating and smoking area. What I didn't like about this branch is the poor ventilation. Aside from the slow service, the temperature of the place made us upset. I was disappointed cause I thought they have high standards for their amenities since this is an international brand.

FOOD

I was craving for something light and healthy so I ordered the Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad. 

Grilled chicken breast served on Romaine Lettuce with parmesan cheese and croutons tossed in ceasar dressing served with garlic bread. I really like this one cause the lettuce were fresh and the meal was filling but they served it way too late so I already lost my appetite when it came. This is a really good to-go meal, it's healthy and it tastes good too! 

When I saw the Bacon Mac & Cheese on the menu I knew that I had to order it so I did. Classic macaroni and cheese made with bacons, onions, and bell peppers mixed with homemade cheese sauce. I have mixed feelings about this dish. I hated it cause the bell peppers were really off and overpowered the whole meal. I wish they just took it out cause it didn't made the dish better. It was all over the place to the point that I wasn't able to enjoy the cheese sauce anymore. The cheese weren't sharp and tasted a little blunt as well so i'm giving this a 3 out of 5 stars. 

Grrr. At this point I was already furious and wished I had eaten somewhere else because the food coming in weren't delicious at all. Good thing Kevin and I ordered the IHOP Cheeseburger, this is probably the only thing that didn't disappoint me that day. Their 100% beef burger is topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion on a grilled bun. 

The burger was perfect. It was so tender and tasted legit! Nothing extravagant but something I would order when I am craving for a good burger. The fries on the side is also something to take note of! 

The famous Ihop Tacos. Everyone I know was raving for this so I ordered it for the sake of trying and again to be honest it was just a 3 out of 5 for me. Pancake house' tastes better. This is made with marinated ground beef with diced tomatoes, onions lettuce shreds and grated cheddar cheese in taco shell. The meat was dry, I wish it was a little more sinful! I appreciate that they sprinkled it with loads of cheese but it didn't make it any better.

Verdict

Good thing I didn't use my money to spend for all of this! I was really disappointed with the quality of service they have. Century mall had a better service and ambiance than MOA so if ever I will come back I would probably dine in Century or in BGC branch. In terms of pricing, the serving is a pretty good catch for the amount you are paying for, focusing more on the quantity rather than the quality. I'd still prefer Pancake House over this. :( TBH

I wasn't able to try their pancakes cause I wasn't craving for it that time. Do you think it's worth trying? Let me know if you have recommendations!