IHOP

We are taught from a very early age that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I totally agree with that; yet somehow, I'm never really all that hungry when I wake up. Yes, there are times I do not want to eat (gasp!). I'm also too lazy to actually spend time to cook something. Normally, it'll just be a granola bar in the car. If there are any leftovers from the night before, breakfast would be an improvisation. If you can name it, I've had it for breakfast: ribs, pizza, lobster, steak and pork chops to name a few. It's rare that I actually eat a real breakfast, let alone a complete one at that. There are not too many "unique" places to go for breakfast in North Delta. The last time I went for a unique breakfast was a Filipino one at Aquarius Cafe. But I almost got "arrested" for taking photos. Maybe they didn't want me to steal their secret recipes! Today, I decided to go for an ol' standby - IHOP (International House of Pancakes).

As their name implies, the pancakes are their signature item. I've had IHOP many times and in many different locations in North America. One thing I can say is that they're pretty consistent. Mind you, the reason for that are the pre-made recipes. That can be a criticism for a place like IHOP. But, you can say what you want about them, but they are a known quantity. Also, they are good for big groups of people. They do serve a purpose. Also, if you can overlook the fact they are a chain, some of them do have good food. It's too bad some of them are charging a bit too much and moving dangerously close to fine dining prices (ie. Milestone's, Earl's). Okay, enough of my ranting. Today, I was going to order the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity; but the server informed me of their Strawberry Specials. Apparently it was cheaper to order that and I got more meat too.

The eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns were what they were supposed to be. Mind you, I do appreciate that they don't burn the sausages and they actually have more meat than fat. I'm not a big fan of shredded hash browns, I wish they had the same option as Denny's where you can choose between shredded or cubed. My pancakes had a good amount of strawberry and whipped cream topping. I like IHOP's pancakes. They are soft and fluffy. However, they are not any better than the ones I have at Denny's or Whitespot. I know there maybe some people who will disagree with me and that's fine. It's all personal preference anyways. I've had better pancakes at some "finer" dining establishments; but you would be paying $10+ for a few pancakes. Not sure about you, but paying $15 for flour, baking soda, egg and milk is a bit much for me. Yes, it would be even cheaper just making them at home. My point is, if you do go out for pancakes, you don't have to spend a lot for good ones. IHOP does have good pancakes; but so do other places.

The Good:
- Good pancakes
- Fairly good ingredients
- You know what you are getting

The Bad:
- It's generic, nothing special here
- Pancakes are good at other places as well (for cheaper too)

IHOP
8170 120th Street
Surrey, B.C.
604-596-4994
www.ihop.com