Wildflour Cafe + Bakery

Our friend treated us to this place and since this will be the first time here I was curious as to what type of food they offer. After much deliberation (despite the fact that their menu for main dishes wasn't that extensive) I decided on the Wildflour Breakfast which consisted of baguette, eggs (you choose how it is done - I opted for scrambled), crispy potatoes and either sausage or bacon steak. I chose the latter. My wife ordered the Tuna Melt Sandwich while our friends had Kimchi Rice and Baby Mixed Green Salad. Before our orders were served we were given a baguette with butter as an appetizer. 

The breakfast was awesome! They probably used at least 3 eggs for the omelet and the bacon-steak was tender and delicious! The crispy potatoes were also good. The bread came with a jam. I preferred butter so I asked the server for one and she was kind enough to fulfill my request. My wife's tuna melt sandwich was - how shall I describe it - overflowing! The leafy salad that came with it had a very minimal vinaigrette dressing though. One reason I did not order the Kimchi Rice for myself was that I was afraid it might be too spicy for my taste. When our friend offered me a bite, it did have a degree of spiciness to it - not that hot but more like an aftertaste.

The ambiance is, sad to say, horrible. The tables are located right next to the main lobby of the Podium and close to the escalators so you can just imagine the amount of people passing by and the noise that goes along with that. Another minus point is the price. I consider it a bit too much for the quality of the food that they offer.

Overall Rating: 3.5

breakfast - bacon steak

mixed vegetable salad, kimchi rice

tuna melt sandwich

IHOP - U.P. Town Center

This was our first time to try IHOP here in the Philippines. In the U.S. IHOP was one of our favorite brunch places. However our visit here was for lunch.

The servers were very attentive and accommodating especially to my wife's request regarding their lemonade drink. I ordered Chicken Cordon Bleu and my wife wanted the Cheese Steak Sandwich. It took a while before our orders arrived (and there weren't that many customers).

When our meals finally came, it looked good - presentation wise. The taste however did not meet our standards. The cordon bleu was a bit tough and the sauce did not have the "cordon bleu" quality to it and lacked thickness. My wife was also disappointed with her sandwich. The beef was bland and the cheese tasted like cheez whiz.

And to top all that the bill was a bit pricey - it cost us almost P700 (including iced tea and lemonade) - and that was already senior discounted.

Are we going back? Most likely not.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Denny's - Uptown Parade, Bonifacio Global City

Since they just opened yesterday, we wanted to see how they compare with their counterpart in the U.S. First of all service was very good. The waitresses were attentive and made sure we were comfortable. However, it took a long while for our orders to be served (about 30 minutes). 

The coffee was so-so and we had to ask for more creamer because we were only served one pack each. Also, unlike in the U.S. coffee was not bottomless. 

We ordered an All-American Slam which consists of 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausages, 2 slices of bread and 2 hash browns. However, the waitress apologetically said that they were out of has browns, so my wife asked if they could substitute garlic rice or more toasted bread. The waitress said that it's not possible because it had to be french fries only that can replace the hash browns. 

We also ordered garlic rice and extra 2 strips of bacon on the side since my wife and I will be sharing the Slam. The food was similar to the U.S. version (which wasn't that great either) as in the bacon strips were not crispy and the scrambled egg was not fully cooked. 

Ambiance was a bit disappointing - it was our misfortune that at the time we were having our breakfast, there was a commotion when two customers were loudly arguing at each other and spewing expletives even. I know that it was not the restaurant's fault but it sure did dampen our enthusiasm.

Cafe France

Cafe France along C-5 (Libis) is our favorite non-"fast-food" place for breakfast. It has the ambiance for a leisurely enjoyment of early morning food. Even the one found along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) - which we usually patronize when we go birding in the south - has that sophisticated aura not found in the nearby Jollibee's or McDonald's. 

Among our favorites are the Ham & Cheese Omelet (for Cynthia) and the Ham and Egg Tray (for me). Both are pretty much the same except that the "tray" also serves some fruits and a glass of fruit juice aside from the usual ham/egg combination and a croissant. These wouldn't be our favorites if they were not delicious. And they definitely are. Consistently 5 stars for both breakfast entrees.

Ham and Egg Breakfast Tray

Ham and Cheese Omelet

Depending on the store sometimes the food is served differently. The one above was from SLEX and the one below is from C-5 Libis.

Ham and Cheese Omelet

Once in a while, we would deviate from our regular order and try some other breakfast goodies. I would get the Beef (Tapa) and Egg along with garlic rice. As is "normal" for beef tapas, the meat was not that tender for my ancient teeth so I'll just give this four stars.

Breakfast Beef and Egg

My wife, on the other hand, opted for the Pineapple Tocino and Egg Combo. The tiny pineapple bits enhanced the tocino flavor. However, the serving was somewhat small. So we'll give this a score of only 3.5. Anyway, this is no longer in their menu.

Pineapple Tocino Breakfast

For lunch, our usual fare was Beef and Mushroom for me and Fish Fillet with Tartare Sauce for Cynthia. Interestingly the three times I tried it, the servings were a bit different from one another, not just with the side dishes but also with the way it was cooked. The taste was pretty consistent though which very delicious! Four stars!

Three different ways of serving the Beef and Mushroom Rice Dish

The Fish Fillet in Tartar Sauce was not much different from those served elsewhere so it gets 3.5 stars.

Fish Fillet in Tartar Sauce

Recently, Cafe France added some more entrees to their Rice Meal group. 

We were so excited by this that we had lunch there for two consecutive Sundays. The first Sunday, I decided to try their Hickory Chops. This was pork chop flavored with hickory (as the name says) and grilled to perfection. The meat was tender and the taste outstanding. A whopping 5 points!

Hickory Chops

Cynthia was less adventurous and ordered the Beef and Mushroom dish. The following week, I tried the Chicken Cordon Bleu. It would have been perfect had it not been swimming in white sauce. The chicken itself was crunchy which sadly became less so after being swamped by a flood of sauce. 3.5 stars. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Once again, Cynthia chose an old favorite, the Fish Fillet in Tartar Sauce. For dessert on the first Sunday, we opted for the Cream Puffs. We enjoyed them so much, we ordered them again the next Sunday. Five delicious points.

Cream Puffs

The service at both locations were excellent, the servers and the cashier were efficient and friendly. As I mentioned before, the ambiance is very relaxing. Parking is also adequate at the two places.

Overall rating 4 stars.

Please check their website: http://cafefrance.net