Waffles and Pancakes for Sunday Brunch at Flavors, Holiday Inn Makati

Rise and Shine, Manila!

Today will be extra bright and sunshine-y because...the weekend is finally here! This means more hours to do the things we love -- sleep, eat, hang out with friends, spend time with loved ones, catch a movie and more! I know waking up early doesn't really go very well with the ultimate weekend plan but what if it involves indulging in the yummiest, fluffiest pancakes and waffles plus some more delicious dishes? Sounds like a good plan?

For those who have been following my blog for a long time, you'd know how much I love love love having brunches. There's really something extra special about this meal which doesn't exactly requires you to wake up at the crack of dawn nor wait till mid-day to eat. It's when you're nearing lunch and yet you can have your favorite breakfast meal without having to explain why you're having it so late. I've never been an early riser and I struggle even more now that sleep has not been part of my vocabulary for the past 6 months already. I crave for extra (uninterrupted) minutes in bed every single day. However, the thought of having delicious buttery waffles and pancakes was enough motivation for me to wake up, get my family ready and head over to Holiday Inn Makati one Sunday morning.

Brunch started at 1130AM and we were warmly welcomed by Chef Portia Dee Baluyut of Rustic Mornings in Marikina. I've been hearing lots of raves about this restaurant even when I was still based in Singapore but Marikina is one area where I rarely get to visit. It's not really that far from home but let's just say, we hardly get to frequent this part of town. That said, I have been putting off my visit to Rustic Mornings for years now and I'm so glad that I'm getting a taste of Chef Portia's cooking at Flavors.

Starting the 6th of May, you can now enjoy a number of Rustic Morning's well-loved dishes together with Flavors' signature specials every Sunday brunch. I started my meal with Chef Portia's mouthwatering waffles and pancakes. I was able to try her Brownie Brittle Waffle during the recent KTG Summer Getaway (more about that soon) and I loved it! The waffle gets better as it gets cold and I love how the crust becomes crunchy while the inside stays moist. This time around though, I got the chance to make my own waffle and we came up with a lot of different combinations.



First you choose your waffle base : regular, cinnamon or brownie brittle. Next you go crazy with your toppings from a wide array of fruits, sweets and cookies, don't forget to finish your DIY waffle with your choice of sauce too. Breakfast was made so fun with these creative waffles.

Then there's Chef Portia's fluffy pancakes and signature syrup. I love how the pancake stayed so soft and warm despite being on display at the buffet table. The syrup was also so good. Now I know why people loved it so much! It wasn't too sweet yet it perked up the taste of the pancake. Very comforting, indeed.

Moving on, I tried a number of impressive main dishes as well:

Curry Kofta Balls -- I love kofta so much and anything with curry is really good. You can actually pair this with some garlic rice and your choice of egg for a different take on the traditional breakfast silog.

Pinoy Burrito -- I didn't notice this at first but when my brunch mates started raving about it, I went ahead and got myself a piece to try. This is the best breakfast choice for those on the go. Garlic rice with dried tinapa flakes that's wrapped in lumpia wrapper and deep-fried to perfection. It's served with a creamy garlic sauce. So good and addicting! Watch out though as it can be very heavy too.

Kare Kare -- really good version of the beef kare kare, I love how generous they were with the ingredients that I got a lot of tripe with just one scoop. That's rare as normally we would have to fish out the tripe in any Kare Kare pot as it would normally just be loaded with veggies and sauce.

Endless amount of seafood and steak carvings! No buffet spread will ever be complete without these two and Flavors got your surf and turf cravings covered. Simply choose your choice of seafood and you can have it as is or ask the friendly chef to prepare it with your preferred sauce.

As for the meats, there was the signature Flavors Lechon Belly Roll as well as the US Beef Rib Eye Steak. Paul, a steak-loving guy couldn't resist trying the Rib Eye and said that it was very good. Here's also a secret, Flavors serves one of the best Yorkshire Pudding in town and I heard this from a British man no less. I gave it a try and he was right! I miss having good Yorkshire Pudding as we have this a lot in Singapore and I'm glad I know where to go to when I want the real deal.

For dessert, don't forget to have the Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce it's the perfect, comforting way to end this delicious brunch. I also love Flavor's Chocolate Mousse which, if you all remember, was my favorite dessert during the lunch that I recently had at Citron.

Now, I'm pretty sure all these yummy dishes are motivating enough to wake up slightly earlier than usual on a lazy Sunday? Take the entire family and feast at Flavors in Holiday Inn Makati this weekend.

Buffet Rate: Php. 1900 nett (adult)

*photos by Paul Ang 

Check out Flavors at Holiday Inn Makati, Palm Drive, Ayala Center, Makati. The hotel is adjacent to Glorietta Mall and it's closest to Glorietta 2. Call them at +63-2- 9090889 to make a reservation.