At Slappy Cakes, breakfast, brunch, and brinner are here to stay

Breakfast joints have taken over Manila recently, with every other restaurant offering breakfast comfort food morning, noon, and night. As someone who’s been eating brunch and brinner (that’s breakfast for dinner) almost all her life, I feel that this is a childhood dream come true. 

 

But there are people, many in the food industry, who think that, like the shawarma and frozen yoghurt, all-day breakfasts are a fad, one whose bubble is going to burst soon.

 

I don’t agree, but I might be biased because I love breakfast. But then, who doesn’t? Especially when Manila now has a restaurant where you can play with your morning food any time of the day. 

 

“(In) every country I’ve been to so far, it seems that more and more people are eating breakfast food because it tends to be cheaper than dinner or lunch,” says Laura Rhoman, executive chef of Slappy Cakes. “(At) breakfast, you want to take more time to eat and you kind of just want to relax and have good food.”

Make your own pancakes  

Slappy Cakes is a breakfast restaurant that started three and a half years ago in Portland, Oregon. It has since expanded to Tokyo and Manila, and is set to launch in Hawaii, Singapore, and Indonesia. 

 

What sets Slappy Cakes apart from other breakfast restaurants are the griddles built into the tables, where diners can make their own pancakes, choosing from five kinds of batter (namely buttermilk, whole grain, chocolate, peanut butter, and vegan), as well as an array of sweet and savory fillings and toppings. 

“We think that Asians in general appreciate the do-it-yourself nature (of Slappy Cakes),” says Laura. “Manila seems like a very young, fun city so it seemed like just the natural thing. Slappy Cakes is very, very fun for obvious reasons. You get to make your own pancakes.”

 

The instructions are simple: You set your griddle to 180 degrees. This makes it hot enough for your pancakes to cook, but not hot enough for you to burn yourself badly should you accidentally touch the heated surface. 

 

Next, you choose a batter and make your pancake. You can combine batters to make different flavors and designs, or you can make pancakes in different shapes. 

 

Then sprinkle fillings or fixings on the gently cooking pancake. You can choose from sweet ones like chocolate chips, blueberries, and Nutella, or savory ones like ham, cheese, and mushrooms. 

 

Now, leave your pancake alone until bubbles form on the surface. This is easier said than done, since many Filipinos like fiddling with their food, never letting it rest on a heated surface for long for fear of it burning. I suffer from this sickness, so I know whereof I speak. 

You can use this time to chat with your friends or sip from your drink, which is hopefully alcoholic. Slappy Cakes has a full bar, with several specialty drinks, including the Slappy Screw, your basic screwdriver with an extra kick. Yes, drinking while having breakfast is allowed, even encouraged, here.

 

When you see a lot of bubbles on your pancake, it’s your signal to flip it. Let it cook for a minute or two and it’s ready to eat. 

 

You can also add toppings to your pancakes such as whipped cream, applesauce, and syrup. 

 

Though Slappy Cakes has regular pancake syrup, you have to try their special homemade one made from mangoes. The restaurant makes a special house syrup depending on what fruit is abundant at their location. In Portland, it’s strawberry. In Manila, it’s mango. The mango syrup is very tart but still mango-ey, making for a completely different taste experience from what we know of the fruit. 

 

A must-try is their lemon curd, which is very light and incredibly tart, while being sweet at the same time. “It’s a homemade lemon custard and it goes with pretty much every single flavor,” Laura says. “It’s one of the most popular toppings everywhere we go. America, Japan, and here.”

There's tapa too  

Pancakes, do-it-yourself or otherwise, aren’t the only things that Slappy Cakes is known for. The restaurant boasts an impressive breakfast menu, complete with Filipino classics such as tapa, always a great way to start the morning (or end the evening, for that matter), as well as a wide array of eggs benedicts that are just as popular as the pancakes. 

 

“There’s definitely a strong southern American influence to my food, but they’re made more fun. (Our benedicts are not your) traditional ham and poached egg and hollandaise. We’ve got sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pork belly, different kinds of coleslaw,” Laura says.

 

Whether you think all-day breakfast is a trend or a permanent fixture in the dining scene, one thing’s for sure: there is still a lot of room for creativity in morning cuisine, and Slappy Cakes lets diners try their hand at it. 

 

“This is the best meal of the day in my opinion just because it’s the first thing you eat and it can kind of set the mood for your entire day... so we want to make sure that people start their day off right,” Laura says. “Plus, breakfast food is the most fun to eat... it’s not just eggs and toast. It’s just really fun, delicious food.”

 

You may think that all-day breakfast is a fad, but even you have to agree that the trend for good food is forever. —KG, GMA News

 

Slappy Cakes is at the G/F Eastwood Mall Open Park, Quezon City.