To Griddle or Not To... (a review of SLAPPY CAKES - The Block)

When I was young there was only one restaurant that actually made it possible for its customers to choose the food that they might want to eat and cook those items themselves.   They had this crude device placed on a single ring stove top that sat in the middle of your table.  This device was steam-pot with a cast iron griddle surrounding it.   I can’t be too sure, but at that time I believe “Tong Yang” was the only restaurant doing this gimmick.  And for a while it was quite a hit for some Filipinos.  It never did hit the mass market since it was quite pricey.

 These days, there is a cornucopia of places that allow you to actively cook your own food the way you want it.  I like to call spots like this as engaged in “interactive eating”.  Normally this style of dining was limited to a “buffet” spread and/or with an Asian influences such as Chinese or Japanese, even Korean.  Lately, Western influences are emerging and they are trying to sell one of the most popular yet simple diner staple into a culinary re-invention.     

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

    In this feast, I jumped on the opportunity to try out SLAPPY CAKES – The Block.    I don’t know about you, but just by reading their name and having no knowledge of their menu, I was pretty sure they served a variety of pancakes.   That meant or should mean that their pancakes would have to be something special to charge an awful lot of money for it after all it is only a pancake batter.  You’re basically charging Php (Philppine Peso) 200 for flour, eggs, milk, and whatever concoction they plan to season it with to give them their variety of flavored batters.

  

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

They have this unusual way of serving their pancakes.  You order the pancake of your choice, and they hand you with a chilled squeeze bottle (something you’d normally see used for condiments in kitchens) filled to the brim with the batter.  Then you go on with the process of cooking your selected pancake on a electronic griddle.   This gives you the freedom to “play with your food” so to speak.   It is not so much as novel as it is gimmicky.

  

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

   I was able to try two flavors during my visit their Buttermilk Pancake and the Peanut Butter Pancake.   Let us get it out of the way, in terms of flavor, well you get it.  Their batters are tasty.  On one hand, you get the creaminess and the subtle sourness of the buttermilk and on the other hand, since peanut butter has an overwhelming taste as you’d expect, you do get the that flavor with every bite.  

      That being said, flavor is only part of any food experience.  We eat with all of our senses.  My issue is with the texture of the pancake.  I think any chef or food host will tell you that when you think of pancakes, you think of light and fluffy, Slappy Cakes’ pancakes, not so much.  Personally, I found their pancakes quite grainy, and dense.    I am no pastry chef or baker, but from what knowledge I have, you are not suppose to chill your batter, all your ingredients have to be at room temperature.  Another fact I’d like to share is if you want to have light and fluffy pancakes, just beat your egg whites separately until you get the consistency of soft peaks then fold them in your batter gradually.

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

   Sure, kids would really eat up the gimmick.  What kid wouldn’t want to have free pass from playing with their food?  For adults, well, it is in the perception, it could bring out the “kid” in you, since you can manipulate the shapes and sizes of your pancake.  While for others it might end up annoying them for the simple reason that you had to squeeze out chilled pancake batter through a nozzle to narrow to get thru that thick mix.

      What are soft peaks?  This is a type of consistency of the peaks that form on your whisk after you whip your cream or beat your egg whites.  The longer you whip or beat them the stiffer the consistency you will get.  Each kind of peak serves a purpose.(Click the link to know more)

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

    My last issue is taht their batter does not provide enough lift to the pancakes. I think it may need a little hint of baking powder to help the batter rise and create a thicker pancake.  Not that finishing the whole batter they would serve you will not satisfy your appetite (Just don't share between more than 2 persons) but when I think of pancakes, I think of relatively thick pieces of pan-fried cakes that, to me, jsut need no further adornment other than butter, and from time to time a dollop of honey. Than again, that is just me.

   

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

    I must say though, their choice of syrups, mango and maple to be exact, are quite tasty, not overly sweet just enough to give it a spike of sweetness without overpowering your pancake experience.

    Having considered my experience, I find it very hard to recommend Slappy Cakes as a go-to place for pancakes.   I just can’t justify paying Php 200 for a squeeze bottle of so-so pancakes that does not even come with any sides of any sort.  It is never the quantity of food but the quality that it has is what you really pay for.     

Photographed by Foodie and the Feast

    Remember, this is only the opinion of one man, and what I know or what I have learned about food is what I want to share with you.  Every resto deserves a first go around, and Slappy Cakes is no different.  I think you should try it for yourself and then decide if it is worth your pancake buying Peso!