It is often said that the first meal of the day is the most important. For breakfast enthusiasts like myself, it is the best. Some people love the meal so much that they wouldn’t mind eating breakfast for lunch, breakfast for snacks, and breakfast for dinner. There are a good number of all-day breakfast restaurants throughout the Metro. One of the best and more popular ones is Ally’s All-day Breakfast Place. Opened in Malingap Street, Quezon City, on April 13, 2013 (its namesake’s birthday), Ally’s has managed to win over the hearts and tummies of its patrons.
Newlywed couple Ally and Josiah Albelda had always dreamed of having their own food business. They themselves are breakfast aficionados so it comes as no surprise that they opened a restaurant that is close to their hearts. The food served in the restaurant is a compilation of the owners’ personal favorites as well as well-known crowd pleasers.
Ally’s All-day Breakfast Place offers its diners an extensive menu of Filipino and American breakfast staples. They are famous for their signature pancakes that, a lot of their diners claim, are better than the ones churned out by commercial establishments. I, in the interest of journalism, had to see if this was true. I tried out one of their best-sellers (a personal favorite of Ally herself), Toffee Banana (P260). Three large pancakes are layered with banana slices, drizzled with dulce de leche sauce, dotted with walnut bits, and topped with three small scoops of vanilla ice cream. It was phenomenal. One bite and I understood why people rave over their pancakes: they are dense but soft, thick and slightly chewy. It’s a different but enjoyable pancake experience all together. The cold ice cream on top is a good contrast to the warm pancakes. The dulce de leche sauce is not too sweet. The almonds go really well with the bananas. It’s a perfectly synchronized breakfast delight.
Toffee Banana
They have other signature pancake flavors such as Death by Chocolate Overdose (P260) and Tiramisu (P250). You have the option to customize pancakes and waffles to suit your taste.
I got a whole wheat waffle topped with cream cheese and blueberries. I asked for sugar-free maple syrup but they ran out so I had to make do with neon red strawberry syrup. The waffle was much bigger than I expected and, like the pancakes, was dense and soft. It had a generous dollop of blueberries but it was a little short on cream cheese.
DIY Waffle
The savory options in Ally’s All-day Breakfast Place are just as good as the sweet ones. Their best-selling Classic Beef Tapa (P140) is tasty. The beef is cured in a secret blend of herbs and spices that gives it the tiniest hint of pungency. The meat is so soft that it’s shredded easily. Paired with two sunny-side-up eggs, tomato salsa, and breakfast rice, it is the ultimate Filipino breakfast meal.
Classic Beef Tapa
The menu has a section called Big Breakfast Attack, set meals that, in their words are “Good for one really, really hungry person. Good enough for two”. The aptly named What Diet? (P450) is bacon strips, scrambled eggs, hickory BBQ pork chop, triple chocolate waffle, french fries, breakfast rice, and fresh tomato salsa. If you want something a little more Pinoy, there’s Lala Longanisa (P350): three pieces each of Vigan, Lucban, Baguio, and Tuguegarao longanisa with scrambled eggs, breakfast rice, and fresh tomato salsa. All Big Breakfast Attack meals are served with bottomless iced tea or single-serve coffee.
Ally’s menu has a Heavenly Eggs section. Try their Cheesy Bacon Tomato Frittata (P130) which is as yummy as it sounds. The frittata is slightly runny in the middle, just the way I like it. Another must-try is the Bacon Dynamite (P100), finger chilies are stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, and then fried. The spiciness of the chilies aren’t consistent because one chili was just right while another one set my mouth on fire. I had to order a glass of milk for the burning sensation on my tongue to go away. That being said, it was still delicious.
Cheesy Bacon Tomato Frittata
Bacon Dynamite
Ally’s All-day Breakfast Place is a happy place. A smiling yellow sun greets customers as they enter the small establishment. The cheerful yellow and orange interiors give off an early morning vibe no matter what time of the day it is. It’s always sunny in Ally’s and that, along with the good food, are some of the reasons why it’s so easy to love.
It’s always sunny in Ally’s All-day Breakfast Place
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Ally’s All-day Breakfast Place is open every day from 7:30am to 10pm. For southerners, visit their second branch in BF Homes
Parañaque, which just opened a few weeks ago. Like them on Facebook (AllysAllDay), and follow them on Twitter and Instagram (@AllysAllDay).
Photos by Albert Peradilla.
