Pancake Bibingka and Other IHOP Originals

With the Bibingka Pancake, IHOP is putting a delicious stamp on a Filipino holiday classic. It is served with whole duck eggs, muscovado sugar, and garnished with shredded parmesan, cheddar cheese, and desiccated coconut. It is also topped with a scoop of butter and served on banana leaf.

There is a curious new pancake variety at the international restaurant chain International House of Pancakes (IHOP). This new pancake is dressed in a favorite seasonal snack — the bibingka, the flat rice cake cooked over live coals and topped with slices of salty duck egg (itlog na maalat or itlog na pula) and grated coconut meat, popularly associated with the Christmas season.

The so-called bibingka pancakes have generous slices of salty duck eggs and cheddar cheese between two buttermilk pancakes, and sprinkled with muscovado sugar, shredded parmesan cheese and desiccated coconut meat. Topped with a scoop of butter, they are served on banana leaf for a traditional feel. Surprisingly, they taste like the real bibingka, only much finer and tastier. The heavy rice flour is replaced by the buttermilk mix, with which IHOP is known for. The eggs and the cheese cut back the sweetness and provide a nice counterbalance.

The bibingka pancakes were launched in time for the Christmas season, much beloved by Filipinos, together with other new items concocted by IHOP Philippines including the dulce de leche pancake and the Malagos Chocolate drink.

IHOP does not only allow international branches to innovate and create new dishes for their markets, it encourages the practice, said IHOP Philippines brand manager Patricia Malong.

Since it opened in the country early 2013, IHOP Philippines executive chef Paolo Angelo Gutierrez has introduced several original items that has become popular. The Filipino breakfast items, for example, was introduced in March 2014 on limited time offer, but they became so popular that the restaurant has decided to include them in the regular menu. These Filipino breakfast items are the popular silog combo meals consisting of fried rice, fried egg and a meat such as the tapsilog (tapa, sinangag and itlog or fried marinated beef, fried rice and egg), tosilog (tocino or sweet cured pork), longsilog (longganisa or chorizo), etc.

Now, IHOP Philippines deems the Christmas season as the best time to introduce new tiems on special limited edition offers.

“Holidays are a big part of our campaigns,” said Archie Rodriquez, president and CEO of Global Restaurant Concepts Inc., which owns and operates IHOP in the Philippines. “We are proud to celebrate this joyous season with our diners with a Filipino touch.”

Global Restaurant Concepts Inc. also operates Ramen Iroha, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Gyu-Kaku and Morelli’s Gelato.

“We are very sure that these items bring back childhood memories of a more traditional way of celebrating with family and friends in every bite,” he commented, referring to the bibingka pancake, the dulce de leche pancake, and the hot Malagos chocolate drink. “These tasty treats combine IHOP’s classic recipes with Filipino flavors, giving holiday diners the best of both worlds.”

Compared to the bibingka pancake, the dulce de leche pancake is much sweeter with the two buttermilk pancakes filled with fresh bananas, spread with dulce de leche, topped with a drizzle of dark chocolate syrup, and topped with whipped cream.

IHOP provides you with an excellent hot drink to accompany the new pancakes — the hot Malagos chocolate drink. The drink is made from single-origin cacao beans grown in the Malagos Gardens of Davao City. It tastes almost like the beloved tsokolate eh, creamy and sweet, like velvet to the tongue.

The holidays are sweeter with IHOP’s Dulce de Leche Pancake, two buttermilk pancakes filled with fresh bananas, spread with dulce de leche, topped with a drizzle of dark chocolate syrup, and crowned with whipped cream.

Every cup of the Malagos hot chocolate is made with all-natural, single-origin beans grown and harvested by Davao’s farmers and cheerfully prepared at IHOP’s kitchen.

 More new dishes

Aside from these Christmas items, IHOP Philippines also offers its recently added items, including burgers and desserts.

Aside from the worldwide favorites pancakes and omelets, burgers are also popular in the Philippines. This is one American food item Filipinos embraces to the point that it has been considered by many as a comfort food, having grown up with it. So, the all-day breakfast restaurant welcomes the burger in its menu. All burgers come with IHOP’s own secret sauce along with a choice of seasoned fries or onion rings.

Gutierrez’s new burgers seem to be hybrids of two popular items. Western Hash Brown Burger and the Sunrise Burger, for example, are burgers infused with breakfast elements. The first is made with hash browns, American cheese, tomatoes and bacon, while the Sunrise Burger with sun-dried tomato pesto, red onion rings, American cheese and sunny-side-up egg.

On the other hand, the Philly Cheese Steak Burger and the Cheesy Mac Burger combine the burger with favorite American dishes. The former is a classic Southern burger with provolone cheese, Philly meat, green bell pepper, onions, mushroom and red potato seasoning, while the latter is smothered with macaroni and cheese, bacon, lettuce, dill pickle and more cheese sauce.

The new dessert items are the bread and butter pudding, a slice of warm bread pudding topped with a drizzle of banana caramel sauce, vanilla sauce, honey-pecan nuts and a scoop of vanilla ice cream; and the stuffed and rolled chocolate crepe, chocolate crepes with cream cheese filling, choco hazelnut spread, vanilla sauce topping, dark chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, a side of strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

With these new items, the people behind IHOP Philippines hope to bring more excitement to guests dining in their restaurants. The introduction of IHOP was a major development in the local food industry, attracting numerous foodies. The restaurant has been able to sustain the interest of diners, opening three more branches this year. It is aiming to further strengthen its presence in the Philippines.

Branches have opened at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City; the UP Town Center on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City; the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City; Century City Mall in Makati City; Filinvest City in Alabang, Muntinlupa; and the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. A branch at the Ayala Fairview Terraces mall in Quezon City will be unveiled soon. IHOP is also looking to open branches in the provinces outside Metro Manila as well as in Southeast Asia.

Aside from adding branches, IHOP Philippines will also be offering catering services for consumer and corporate events in onsite and offsite locations.

“At IHOP, Filipino diners get to enjoy all-day dining from original buttermilk pancakes to sandwiches to ribeye steaks,” Rodriguez said. “The brand has been serving delicious food for more than five decades, from breakfast to dinner, and we are proud to create new moments and memories with our diners here in the Philippines.”

Carbonara pasta. Fettuccini pasta tossed in velvety cream mixed with crispy bason, ham, fresh mushrooms and shredded Parmesan topped with sunny-side upp egg. Served with garlic bread.

Cheesy Mac Burger. IHOP is placing two comfort food favorites in one! It’s a burger made with cheese lovers in mind with Mac & Cheese, bacon, lettuce leaf, dill pickle and more cheese sauce. Made with IHOP’s own secret sauce and served with a choice of seasoned fries or onion rings.

Italian chicken pasta. Grilled chicken over fettuccini pasta, spinach and mushrooms in a house-made tomato Alfredo sauce topped with shredded Parmesan. Served with garlic bread.

Philly Cheese Steak Burger. Taste the classic Southern burger with provolone cheese, Philly meat, green bell pepper, onions, mushroom, and red potato seasoning. Made with IHOP’s own secret sauce and served with a choice of seasoned fries or onion rings.

Pot roast pasta. Chunks of moist, slow-cooked pot roast in a bed of creamy penne, mixed with sauteed tomatoes and a zing of sour cream. Served with garlic bread. 

Sriracha chicken and waffle. Two pieces of fried chicken covered in a sweet and spicy combination of butter pecan sauce and sriracha on a Belgian waffle with a scoop of whipped butter.

Sunrise Burger. Have a taste of sunshine with this burger made with sun dried tomato pesto, red onion rings, American cheese, and sunny side up egg. Made with IHOP’s own secret sauce and served with a choice of seasoned fries or onion rings.

Western Hash Brown Burger. Unleash your inner cowboy with this bad boy made of hash browns, American cheese, tomatoes, and bacon. Made with IHOP’s own secret sauce and served with a choice of seasoned fries or onion rings.

IHOP is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 12 midnight on weekends. For the Christmas season, the flagship branch at the Bonifacio Global City accepting orders 24 hours a day and seven days a week from Dec. 16, 2014, to Jan. 3, 2015. To know more, visit its Facebook page (IHOP Philippines); follow its Twitter and Instagram accounts (@ihop_ph); or e-mail at ihop_ph@globalresto.com.

Bigger is Better

The recent arrival of Teddy’s Bigger Burgers proved that the hamburger is the Philippines’ most popular sandwich, but more than that, it is poised to take eating hamburgers into a whole new experience, boosting the recent trend in gourmet burgers.

            The Hawaii-based burger restaurant offers burgers that are hefty and prepared with quality. Aside from the fat and juicy beef patty, the burger is accented with sauces and other fillings. You are presented with a burger that is beautiful to look at and almost more than palm-size, presenting a problem on how to eat it.

            Ted Tsakiris, co-founder of Teddy’s USA, advised to hold the burger with two hands and gnaw through it. Others would flatten it a little bit to make it manageable to it. But whatever the technique, it does not diminish the deliciousness of the burgers.

            The main thing that makes Teddy’s burgers special is the meat patty. According to Teddy’s Bigger Burgers Philippines executive chef Kirsten Habawel, who headed the Teddy’s Philippines team sent to train in Hawaii, the patty is made from 100-percent, corn-fed U.S. Black Angus ground chuck, shipped regularly from the United States from the same supplier of Teddy’s Hawaii. Also, they don’t use binders or fillers for the patties. Preservatives and artificial flavoring are also not used.

“All patties are hand-pattied daily, with the special seasoning of Ted and Rich, and always charbroiled to order,” Habawel added. 

The shoulder and neck portions of the cow are used for the ground chuck. These are said to be flavorful and has just the right fat content to prevent the beef from drying out when cooked on high temperature.

“We use a formula of 80 percent lean meat and 20 percent fat. This is ideal for burgers because it does not need extenders but retains its shape. Most of all, it makes for a juicy patty,” revealed Habawel.

The patty is charbroiled, thus extra fat drips down instead of the patty swimming in grease. Additionally, Teddy’s make their burgers bigger than most of what is offered around the metro.

“Size definitely matters at Teddy’s,” Habawel noted. “Our burgers are bigger than the average burger. We start at five ounces (Big)— that’s already a one-third pounder—and go on to seven ounces (Bigger) and nine ounces (Biggest) for our Original single patties, and our Monster Doubles (double patty sandwiches) go up to 10 , 14 and 18 ounces.”

            Their patty alone is what makes them outstanding, luring customers to return for more, Tsakiris believes. “If you have a good quality patty, you don’t really need expensive extras like foie gras or truffle oil on your burger,” he said.

            The extras, of course, make the burger interesting. All sandwiches has lettuce, tomato slices, pickles and onions. Customers can choose to add more fillings, and the restaurant offers bacon, blue cheese, jalapeños, onion rings and pastrami, among others. They can also customize their burgers such as adjusting the seasoning or removing it all together, and doing away with the buns.

            Additionally, Teddy’s use a variety of sauces. It has its own signature sauce, used Teddy’s Original Burgers, simply called Special Sauce, whose recipe is kept secret.

            “It’s not your usual Thousand Island dressing. The sauce is yellow, but it doesn’t have any mustard. It is actually an aioli that goes perfectly with our burgers,” Habawel explained.

            Teddy’s also uses a special kind of bread as its buns. The potato buns are yellow and soft with a hint of sweetness. Habawel said that this is sourced locally since bread has a short shelf life, but they had a hard time replicating the bread. “It took us 30 trials. I had to keep sending the buns to them in the US until they approved it,” she related.

           

            Always cooked medium, Teddy’s burgers come in different varieties. The Originals are the cheeseburger, which has a choice of cheddar, American, Swiss and Pepperjack cheeses; the Teri Burger, which has a sweet teriyaki sauce; and the Monster Double Burger with two patties. The specialty burgers are Cajun Burger with Cajun seasoning and Pepperjack cheese; Volcano Burger with Kilauea Fire sauce, Pepperjack cheese and jalapeno; the Blue Cheese Bacon Burger; the Hawaiian Style, which has grilled pineapple and teriyaki sauce; the Western Burger with barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon and onion rings; Bacado Burger with avocado, cheddar cheese and bacon; and Kailua Burger with teriyaki sauce, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions and Swiss cheese.

            The price ranges from P265 for the Big Original to P660 for the Biggest Monster Double, which is 18 ounces. Just add P50 if you want to make it Cajun or P170 Western. 

            Aside from burgers, Teddy’s also serves sides such as French fries, which comes with cheese or garlic butter sauces, and beer-battered onion rings. For drinks, one must try the milkshakes, which are deliciously rich. They come in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter, root beer, and pineapple flavors. You can combine them actually. You can request form strawberry and peanut butter, for example.

 “Our shakes are 90 percent ice cream and 10 percent milk. Unlike other shakes that are watered down with ice, our shakes have a very rich taste,” Habawel said.

            Because of all these, Teddy’s Bigger Burger is very well-known in Hawaii. The restaurant traces its roots in the backyard cookouts of Ted Tsakiris and Rich Stula, who are both burger lovers.

            “They couldn’t understand why there were no burger restaurants that offered the same quality burger they cooked in their backyards, so they decided to open a burger restaurant to share it with other burger lover,” narrated Habawel. “They decided to ‘reinvent the burger joint’ with a menu that focuses on high quality burgers, where every single patty is treated like the very first patty they’ve ever cooked.”

            The first store opened in 1998. Currently, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers has stores in 11 locations in Hawaii. Recently, they expanded to the United States mainland, particularly in Washington, Iowa, California and Texas. Its first international branch is in Japan. The Philippine store opened last Aug. 23 at Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. The store can accommodate about 80 diners, located near bars and other restaurants.

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers was brought in by the SumoBurger Global Inc., owned by actor Marvin Agustin, Raymund Magdaluyo and Ricky Laudico, and which operates a number of restaurants including Sumo Sam and Akira, all original. This is its first international franchise.

            The discovery of Teddy’s Bigger Burgers can be described as accidental. About three years, ago, Magdaluyo was in Oahu, Hawaii, biking with his wife when there was a sudden downpour. They took shelter at Teddy’s Kailua branch, tried its burgers and fell in love with it. Shortly after that, Magdaluyo brought Agustin and Laudico to a branch in Tokyo, where they met with founders to invite the franchise over to the Philippines.

            Magdaluyo said the coming of Teddy’s provided a break from the flourishing of Japanese-inspired restaurants in Metro Manila. For the Philippine market, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers created a few new items—the Tiki Wings (chicken wings), Chicken Tenders and the Loco Moco.

“The Loco Moco, a famous drive-in food in Hawaii, is basically a burger patty served top of rice with gravy and fried egg,” explained Habawel.

            Also, the Philippine store serves alcoholic drinks.

            “Hawaii doesn’t have alcoholic drinks on their menu, but since we’re opening in malls with restaurants that offer alcoholic beverages, we’ll be offering both imported and local beers as well as some cocktails that were crafted specifically for Teddy’s,” added Habawel.

            SumoBurger Global is planning to open several more stores, about eight in the next four years, including the ones under construction at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City and Eastwood Mall in Quezon City.

            Tsakiris feels optimistic about this development.

“Teddy’s is built from the burger, borne out of a passion for burgers. With gourmet burger restaurants on the rise across the metro, and Filipino foodies clamoring for burgers that go beyond fastfood, we’re looking forward to giving the Filipinos a taste of Teddy’s and what makes it a cut above the rest,’’ he said.

            He expressed that he shares the Filipinos’ predilection for burgers: “Filipinos usually equate burgers with happiness. Eating a burger is a religious experience for me. And nine times out of 10 when I’m eating a burger, I just start shaking my head, my eyes closed, and say 'Wow! This is amazing!”

For more information about Teddy’s Bigger Burgers Philippines, visit the official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TeddysBurgersPH).

            .

Is Tim Ho Wan Worth Lining Up For?

The Tim Ho Wan restaurant at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City

 It is better to go in the mid-afternoon, about three to four o’clock, advises the waitress. This is to avoid the long line of diners trying to get into the newest dining sensation in the country—Tim Ho Wan. Since it opened in May 20 this year, queues still haven’t shown signs of abating especially during lunch and dinner times.

Because of the demand, its owners are imposing strict rules. For example, all members of a dining group must be present all throughout the queue to be seated and served. They don’t accept reservations. You can only order as much for yourself, especially for the baked bun with barbecue pork, their most acclaimed item. You cannot order 20 pieces all for yourself. You are allowed one order, which has three pieces for P145, I was told. You can’t order to go but you can have what you didn’t finish wrapped. Yes, they don’t have a delivery service.

The first Philippine branch at the first floor of the SM Mega Fashion Hall of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City can accommodate about 200 people, but the dining area can get cramped quickly and the seats are not really comfortable. These may be a way of telling you not to linger and lounge too much because there are still people waiting. The place is for quick bites and then you must be on your way. We haven’t seen this demand and strictures on dining before, and arguably it is deserved.

Tim Ho Wan, which began as a hole-in-the-wall eatery in Hong Kong, is the world’s most affordable Michelin-star restaurant. It was established by Hong Kong chef Mak Kwai Pui, who started at the age of 15 as an apprentice for his uncle at a small Hong Kong restaurant, where he learned to make dim sum. After working in hotels such as Le Meridian and Four Seasons, he set up his first restaurant, Tim Ho Wan, a humble place with 15 seats, in 2009, on Kwong Wa Street in Mong Kok. The name literally means “add good luck.” Soon, it saw long lines of diners. Within the year it started, his restaurant earned a Michelin star in the 2010 Hong Kong and Macau Michelin guide, alongside expensive fine-dining restaurants. 

Tim Ho Wan founder, chef Mak Kwai Pui (left), visits the SM Megamall branch with chef Leung

 Tim Ho Wan is praised for its dim sums, made with high quality but sold at affordable prices. The success of the restaurant led to three more outlets: at North Point, IFC Mall and Sham Shui Po. The original outlet in Mong Kok has been relocated to Olympian City. In 2013, the first overseas outlet was opened in Singapore—at the ground floor of The Atrium@Orchard, Plaza Singapura, a popular shopping mall—in partnership with brand manager and service provider Hersing Corporation. Three more branches were opened: at Bedok Mall on New Upper Changi Road, Westgate in Jurong East, and Toa Payoh Hersing Centre.

With the Singaporean master franchise owner, Tim Ho Wan was brought to the Philippines through a partnership between Rikki Dee and Felix Ang of Cats Motors. Dee already owns a string of restaurants such as Mesa Filipino Moderne, Ebun, Mangan, Chin’s Express, Inihaw Express, Cerveceria, Isogi and Kai. Recently, he brought the Todd English Food Hall to the country.

Together with Singaporean master franchise owners Peggy Chua, Robert Chua and Brian Chua, founder Chef Mak visited the Philippine branch on June 17 and was overwhelmed by the warm reception.

Dee is eyeing to open four restaurants within the year. Already, the outlets at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and at the Glorietta Mall in Makati City are under construction. The menu is the same as those in Hong Kong and Singapore. Soon, the Philippine branch will also be serving bimonthly specials, new dishes featured every two months. To ensure the restaurant’s quality and standards are kept, Hong Kong chefs were brought in and are training Filipino chefs.

The menu basically has 25 short-order dishes, mostly dim sums. The specialties are called the Big 4 Heavenly Kings, which consist of the baked bun with barbecue pork, pan-friend carrot cake (P145), steamed egg cake (P85) and vermicelli roll with pig’s liver (P150).

The baked buns with barbecued pork are their most popular and acclaimed item—saucy, crumbly, sweet

The glutinous rice in lotus leaf, which we commonly call machang, is a complete meal in itself.

The pork dumplings are compact and tasty

The delicious prawn dumplings with plump and juicy pieces of prawns inside

The dumplings Teochew style contain crunchy vegetables

The delightful and crunchy wasabi salad prawn dumpling

Vermicelli roll with pig’s liver

Pan fried Carrot cake

Steamed egg cake

Tonic medlar and osmanthus cake

The reputation of its savory pork buns is well deserved. The golden yellow buns have crumbly and fragile pastry shells that break open to reveal savory-sweet and saucy barbecued pork. It is recommended that it should be consumed within 10 minutes or else the buns loses about 50 percent of its deliciousness, according to Chef Mak. The buns may be too sweet for some.

The steamed egg cake is soft custard with a crunchy caramel coating, while the pan-fried carrot cake tastes like the regular radish cake. Liver lovers will revel over the vermicelli roll with pig’s liver, with a slice of liver wrapped in silky vermicelli. The vermicelli roll also comes with other fillings—barbecued pork, beef and shrimp—and one doused in sweet sesame sauce.

Steamed dim sums include prawn dumplings (P160), pork dumplings (P150), pork rib with black bean sauce (P120), beef ball with bean curd skin (P120), bean curd skin roll with pork and shrimp (P120), dumpling Teochew style (P120) and spinach dumpling with shrimp (P120), all served in bamboo steamers.

These are very enjoyable and tasty, even without the sauce. The prawns are plump and juicy, wrapped in silky glutinous rice, and the pork dumpling is compact and flavorful. The last time I had dim sum this good was at the crowded original restaurant of Din Tai Fung in Taipei, Taiwan, a must for every visitor in the island state. While their much acclaimed xiao long bao, soup dumpling, is incomparable, Tim Ho Wan’s meat-filled dumplings are better.

Tim Ho Wan also serves fried dim sums—bean curd skin roll with shrimp (P140), spring roll with egg white (P120), and wasabi salad prawn dumpling (P140). The last one is most recommended—a crunchy delight spiked by a drizzle of wasabi mayo.

Rice dishes include rice with beef and fried egg (P180); rice with chicken, sausage and mushroom (P170); and glutinous rice in lotus leaf (P190), which we commonly call machang. The glutinous rice is meaty and saucy, a complete meal in itself.

Though it looks simple, the congee with lean pork, century egg and salted egg is surprisingly likable, a comfort food that is so egg-y and with a perfect texture. It leaves a memory of flavors that stays far long after you have dined, making you realize how delicious they were. If you have the patience to queue, yes, you should try Tim Ho Wan. 

 

Rikki Dee, Chef Leung, Chef Mak, Peggy Chua, Robert Chua and Brian Chua

Kelvin Khoo, Johnson Chan, Chef Mak, Brian Chua, Rikki Dee, Peggy Chua and Robert Chua

Chef Leung, Chef Mak, Chef Leung and Chef Fung

Robert Chua, Chef Leung, Chef Mak, Rikki Dee, Chef Leung, Chef Fung and Brian Chua

Chef Teddy, Chef Leung, Chef Mak, Chef Leung, Chef Fung and Chef Yip

From left: Felix Ang, Brian Chua, Chef Mak, Chef Leung, Hirubalan, Carol Sy, Chef Fung, Chef Leung and Robert Chua

Felix Ang, Grace Ang, Mrs. Leung, Arlene Chan, Johnson Chan, Chef Teddy, Chef Yip, Robert Chua, Chef Leung, Chef Mak, Mrs. Mak, Peggy Chua, Beng Dee, Chef Fung, Chef Leung, Kelvin Khoo, Bryan Lim, Brian Chua and Rikki Dee