Another familiar early morning dish is waffle, we got the Big Maple Breakfast (PhP 540) with a giant Belgian waffle instead of three buttermilk pancakes. Maple’s waffle had that crunch, and the cuts crisscrossed on the waffle are perfect pockets for maple syrup. It is served with Maple bacon, breakfast sausages, country fries, and two farm fresh eggs cooked the way you like. Their sausages are, I swear, heavenly. If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, a bite off these sausages will turn it all around.
Chili (PhP 250), or chili con carne to many, is a mild bean and chili soup that has beef and sausage and is topped with sour cream and scallions. A freshly-made Jalapeño corn bread is dipped into it. The corn bread is a good way to balance the savory taste of the soup. The bread is made in-house, which makes it uniquely Maple’s.
The Huevos Rancheros (PhP 340) is a traditional Mexican breakfast consisting of tortillas, refried beans, grilled chicken, and sunny side up egg. It is topped with ranchero sauce and cheese. Maple’s huevos rancheros is on the lighter side of the spectrum for me since it had more of the veggies than the meat especially after comparing it with Mr. Jones’, which had large chunks of beef in it. Well, I am a meat-devouring type of person but for those who want to have something light and tasty, this is quite a treat.
Maple also has entrees that suit as lunch sets instead of breakfast meals, unless you are a big breakfast type of person like me. The Blackened Chicken (PhP 450) is chicken breast with spicy Cajun rub that is grilled and served with creamed spinach on top. To make it tastier, it had bacon bits. On the side, is the popular dirty rice. What makes it dirty? You better have one to find out.
The Drippin’ Baby Back Ribs (PhP 850) is a product of hard work and love. It is slow roasted for six hours with the ribs basted with a special Maple barbecue sauce. It is finished on the oven and served with snow peas, cheesy baked potato, and corn on the cob. It may be a bit pricey but it’s worth getting especially if you are celebrating a thing or two. Plus, it can be to share.
Just when we thought the pancakes and waffles are already desserts, we were surprised with Bourbon Bread Pudding (PhP 220). I love Makati Shangri-la Hotel’s bread pudding and this one is a close second. It came that close for me especially since it was served by the head chef of Maple in Shangri-la Plaza, Chef Jovan Arias, with bourbon creme anglaise.
The visit at Maple turned out nice and the meal didn’t disappoint. The serving sizes were right and it didn’t leave us wanting more. There even came a point that I considered loosening my belt or unbuttoning my pants. The highlight for me was the sausages. Had they been selling them ala carte, I would not mind paying extra for extra sausages. I bet they’ll say yes if I request for this. Let me try next time. The service at Maple is friendly and attentive. The head chef was hands-on. He may be young but his youth helps contribute to add modern twists on classic breakfast food. I’ll be back and I look forward on other items on the menu. I heard the Prime Rib Tapa is incredible!
Maple currently has two branches. The first branch is in Makati City and the one we checked out was in Shangri-la Plaza. I heard they will be opening a third brand down south, in Alabang, possibly by the third or fourth quarter of 2013. So watch out southerners!
When in Manila, a good day starts with just pancakes. An awesome day starts with pancakes, sausages, eggs, and more at Maple.
Content by: KC Canlas, SpreadSomeAwesome.com
Photos by: Joanne Tan, JoTan23.blogspot.com
Branch 1: 2/FL San Antonio Plaza Arcade, 50 McKinley Road, Forbes Park, Makati City
Branch 2: L/GL Shangri-La Plaza, East Wing, EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City
Contact No: (02) 621-6211
Twitter: @MaplePH
For the full menu, find it here.
Hey guys and gals! Maple is so sweet and is giving away PhP 500-worth GC to four (4) lucky winners. Check out the widget below on how to qualify. It’s easy-breezy, I promise. 🙂
Maple – A Sweet Start to a Day Done Right
