IHOP got a mobbed reception when it opened back in June 2017. The International House of Pancakes has since opened a second store on the fourth floor, that sports the same glossy decor unrecognizable to anyone familiar with the fast-food fluorescence of the 24-hour U.S. counterparts.
The pancakes, though, are American standard: a buttermilk batter that’s cooked to half-inch fluffiness but still dense enough to sponge up that “old-fashioned” syrup. No complaints there.
The more ambitious iterations of pancake are a mixed bag. The New York Cheesecake pancakes have satisfying chunks of cheesecake mixed into the batter but are topped with cloying strawberry jam and a dollop of deflated whipped cream (B195). The chocolate chip pancakes were strangely salty taken bare, but went OK with the topping of chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
On the savory end, there’s the breakfast platter (B240) spread of two runny eggs, dry sausages, almost-crunchy bacon and crispy-but-oily hash browns or potato wedges. We’ll give them points for authentically American quantities of butter in everything, including the steak omelet (B220 cut it with the chili sauce), the sides of mashed potatoes and garlic bread, and the fish florentine that comes on a tide of alfredo sauce and is saved only with a muscular squeeze of the lemon wedge.
Pair all this with a banana hazelnut chocolate smoothie (B125) that’s almost more syrup than milk and the meal leaves you feeling guilty, sinking into the seat cushion, a mood that’s not helped by the tuna salad (B240) because of its watery and sweet ranch dressing.
There are things that recommend the restaurant, like its chipper service and the airy, relaxed vibe. But the truth is that Bangkok’s IHOP holds too true to the American originals: neatly-executed junk food that’s saved only by a serious pancake hankering or your desire to experience a genuine post-American-diner grease coma.
This review took place in March 2018 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.
