So it was my first official day in BGC, and I was ready to live my best city-girl life. After a little online sleuthing (a.k.a. me scrolling through Google Maps like it's Tinder), I decided to check out Pancake House -- conveniently a short walk from where I was staying.
Like most sit-down spots in BGC, the service was lovely -- smiles all around, not a single complaint. But let me drop a PSA for any future diners: these folks have Olympic-level upselling skills. You think you're just getting a drink? Boom -- now it's a refillable iced tea. You order a meal? Suddenly, it comes with a "highly recommended" upgrade. They could probably convince you to add an appetizer to your water.
Anyway, I went with the pork tocino breakfast (because I'm not about to skip protein) and added caramel walnut banana pancakes -- because self-care. The tocino and garlic fried rice were so good I had to tap out before even touching the pancakes, so I boxed them to go.
Fast-forward a few hours: I'm ready for my pancake moment. I butter them up, drizzle that caramel sauce, take a bite -- and immediately go, "Wait... why does this taste... meaty?" After a few detective bites, I realized there was definitely some kind of cross-contact situation happening. Somewhere, a rogue spatula betrayed me. I sadly retired the pancakes to the trash.
Honestly, aside from the unexpected meat-flavored dessert, it was still a decent experience and a solid kickoff to my BGC trip. Lesson learned though: in Manila, even your pancakes might come with a little extra protein.
Overall, I'm giving the tocino breakfast a 4.5, the banana pancakes a 2 (1 for looks and the other 2 for effort), service a 4 so I feel a solid 3.5. Worth a visit and the Mind Museum is a short walk away too!! read more