Maple at The Shang Mall

The Shang Mall in Ortigas has a pretty new wing with lots of yet-to-be-opened shops and restaurants. It has a ramen place with good ramen, and it has Maple, the wealthier cousin of The Pancake House, one of my go-to places for brunch.

A friend invited me to World War Z and we had time for dinner so I suggested Maple, which I hadn't tried yet. I immediately chose a favorite, eggs Benedict. It is a simple dish which is in my list of favorites.

Maple's is definitely not a favorite version.

To begin with, instead of a muffin, this one uses a puff pastry "bread," and the eggs straddle lettuce leaves and greasy bacon. With a side of tater tots. Odd. And off. It was difficult to cut through the  eggs and the bacon, with the lettuce making things squiggly, and the oily "bread" layers giving way with each tug of the knife. It was one greasy mess.

Maybe I'm too much of a purist but to me, nothing beats doing a classic the classic way.

Too bad. I thought that Maple would be a keeper, but turns out it is not. Or maybe I am being too dismissive. I'll give its pancakes and waffles a shot, and if these are still fussy and off, then back to The Pancake House I shall go.

(My dinner companion had the tapa sirloin. We both thought the concept was all wrong and a waste of good sirloin. Again, nothing beats doing a classic the classic way).