Slappy Cakes: Do-It-Yourself Pancakes Now in Manila!

While I'm not a big breakfast person, I don't think my view mirrors the general public as there has been a continuously multiplying number of breakfast places sprouting here and there. But while a restaurant serving all-day breakfast may not entice me that much, with Slappy Cakes and its interactive dining setting, I'm undeniably, undoubtedly sold!

Slappy Cakes is a popular breakfast spot in Portland, Oregon, USA brought to Manila, or rather Eastwood to be specific, by the same folks who've brought us Mango Tree. It has already been featured on The Cooking Channel, Rachel Ray, Women's Day Magazine, and was even awarded the title "America's Best" by Food Network for being one of America's top ten dining destinations. But just what makes Slappy Cakes special?

It's Slappy Cakes' interactive setting giving us, the guests, a one-of-a-kind experience creating, designing, and simply having fun with our own do-it-yourself pancakes!

Replacing O'sonho in the New Eastwood Mall's ground floor, Slappy Cakes now takes charge of the inverted L-shaped restaurant, filling the dining area with four-seater tables equipped with big non-stick pancake griddles which I fondly call my pancake playground.

And now, I'll let you in on my Slappy Cakes experience...

Step 1: Choose a Batter

The first step in enjoying your Slappy Cakes experience is to choose one, two or three (or all) from these selection of Slappy Cakes' homemade pancake batters.

Peanut Butter (P260); Vegan (P260); Whole Grain (P225);
Classic Buttermilk (P225); Chocolate (P260)

We got to try all these pancake batters and my favorites are the honest-to-goodness Peanut Butter, the earthy Whole Grain and the bittersweet Chocolate. However, the Classic Buttermilk is great if you want your pancake simple, while the Vegan variant, which is a little runny in consistency, is perfect for vegans and health-conscious diners.

By the way, each bottle of Slappy Cakes' pancake batter is good for 2 to 3 persons and can make up to around 6 regular-sized pancakes. Given the price though, I just wish every batter would come with even the simplest complimentary fixin or topping.

Step 2: Pick Some Fixins and Toppings

Of course, who would want to have their pancakes be a plain Jane? So to add some spunk, you can choose from Slappy Cakes' variety of fixins (which you can combine with your batter when cooking) and even toppings (to top and prettify your DIY pancakes).

For our session, we had some Bacon (P80), Mangoes (P60), Blueberries (P75), Chocolate Chips (P45) and Assorted Mushrooms (P70) for our fixins, and some Maple Syrup (P45), Chocolate Sauce (P60) and Lemon Curd (P80) for toppings.

From the fixins and toppings we had, my favorites would probably be the lemon curd-bluberry combination. The assorted mushrooms were great for a savory pancake too. And if you're a bacon lover, maple syrup and bacon bits is the way to go!

Step 3: It's Cooking-Slash-Playing Time!

My favorite step in the whole Slappy Cakes experience would probably be this one. Choosing which batter and which fixins and toppings to get was just a good introduction to what's yet to come. So let the all-day breakfast, all-day-fun begin!

Chocolate pancake with Bacon, and Classic Buttermilk pancake with Chocolate Chips

I won't be detailing this step anymore since I'm sure you guys will have different kinds of fun on your own Slappy Cakes interactive dining experience.

So let me just share with you my pancake artworks...

Make your name pancake!

Or make a regular pancake and top it with your name pancake!

Make hearts or other-shaped pancakes and garnish them with your favorite fruits!

You can also make a vegan pancake with the Vegan Batter and Assorted Mushrooms!

Draw your heart out using the pancake batters!
(Was missing the beau so forgive my sticky cheesiness.. XD)

Or collaborate with your friends and have fun doodling on the griddle!

I had more pancake doodles, including my over 20 failed attempts at making a perfect heart shape, but I didn't include them since they didn't look too photogenic for this blog. Oh, make sure not to waste the batter and eat the pancakes even if they were mistakes.

Other All-Day-Breakfast Goodies at Slappy Cakes

Aside from pancakes, Slappy Cakes also offers soups and salads, as well as a selection of all-day-breakfast items, both American and even Filipino-themed. This is perfect if you're not big on pancakes, or if you just want to eat and skip all the cooking.

We got to try mini versions of the Country Fried Bacon (P230) which is a sweet, savory and crunchy serving of bacon dipped in batter and fried with caramel sauce, as well as the tender and sweet-savory glazed tocino in Tocino Tociyes (P250) which is served with 2 eggs cooked to your liking, garlic rice and mango salsa. Our version however is tocino skewered with mango, onion, tomato and potato, which while more of a cocktail food, whetted my palate. It was also super addicting that I devoured over 10 sticks!

All-Day-Cocktails and Mocktails at Slappy Cakes

Now, who said cocktails and mocktails should only be available at night? Here at Slappy Cakes, you can drink to your heart's content as early as 7AM!

Since Slappy Cakes also takes pride of its special drinks, we got to try a sample of Slappy Screw (P200) which is a sharp and summer-friendly cocktail made from vodka, ginger syrup and orange juice, as well as their Cranberry Fizz (P200) which is a kicking blend of cranberry syrup over sparkling wine. If you're not fond of alcohol, you can try the Cucumber Lime Aide (P190) which doesn't only look good but also tastes refreshing.

But more importantly, have fun and enjoy a great bonding time at Slappy Cakes whether you're with your special someone, with your family, or in our case, with friends.

By the way, Slappy Cakes will be opening a branch in SM North EDSA soon. So fellow northies, let's all patiently wait for this fun interactive DIY pancakes place at SM North!

THE VERDICT

Slappy Cakes is not just another all-day-breakfast place. Unlike other breakfast dining spots in the Metro, the interactive dining setting they offer is truly one-of-a-kind. Sure, there's really nothing amazingly spectacular with the pancake batters, fixins and toppings (although they're good), but the experience is something to be enjoyed not only by kids, but also by the kids-at-heart. And yes, that alone is enough selling point for me. Price is leaning a little more towards the steeper side, but it won't hurt to have fun at Slappy Cakes with the special people in your life once in a while.

Anyway, the next time I'm at Slappy Cakes (Yes SM North branch, I'm waiting for you!), I'll make sure to try some a la carte items on the menu. Maybe aside from the interactive dining setting, I can find another reason to come back to Slappy Cakes again and again.

Taste - 3.5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 3/5
Price - 3.5/5
Novelty Factor - 4.5/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Slappy Cakes, Eastwood
G/F 1110 New Eastwood Mall, Libis,
Bagumbayan, Quezon City
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 909-3501
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