MANILA, Philippines – If there’s something we wouldn’t mind having any time of day – it’s breakfast. 

A plate of tapsilog in the morning, a bowl of champorado mid-day, and maybe a stack of pancakes late at night – there’s almost nothing breakfast food can’t fix. It’s comforting, reliable, filling, and affordable – if you just know where to look.

Cue in all-day breakfast hub Kanto Freestyle Breakfast, open 24 hours, 7 days a week. 

Kanto started quite literally at the kanto of Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City as a small carinderia in 2011. Ten years later, Kanto is now a full-blown resto chain with 9 branches around the Metro (most al fresco, all 24/7), and at prime locations at that.

Their newest branch opened on Monday, March 2 in Bonifacio Global City, bringing an upscale, snazzy look, but the same menu of home-cooked Kanto favorites – with a few new BGC-exclusive dishes to boot. 

Spanish Sardines Benedict (P99)

Eggs Benedict paired with a 99-peso price tag… who would’ve thought that fancy would fall under a hundred pesos?

Kanto did, though – and that’s where their charm originates: serving up the classics at wallet-friendly prices, and with localized twists. All ingredients are locally-sourced, some made in-store.

Their best-selling Spanish Sardines Benedict is a play on the open-faced American brunch dish – only this time, it’s Kanto-nized, made to taste closer to home.

Slightly spicy Spanish sardines in oil (instead of the usual salmon gravlax) are placed on top of two pieces of chewy homemade pandesal (instead of expensive sourdough), finished off with everyone’s favorite #foodporn moment of runny poached eggs and a silky hollandaise sauce, which all combine nicely.

Garnishes include fried basil leaves and paprika. Verdict: the price is worth to pay for a simple but filling merienda of a few local faves.

Pu.Da.Es.Di (P160)

“Say that again?”

Kanto’s waiters get it all the time, but the catchy name will hook you just like the fish in this dish – pusit, daing, espada, and dilis, fried and bunched up together like an under-the-sea soiree.

Kanto also likes taking familiar favorites up a notch, in terms of presentation and dish elements. It’s how they add “value,” they said; by elevating the expected.

The Pu.Da.Es.Di is your typically salty daing na isda meal, combined with other seafood, served with a fresh tomato-onion ensalada, an egg of your choice (sunny-side-up, scrambled, poached, or soft or hard-boiled), your rice of choice, and of course, vinegar.

Super crunchy, salty fish with suka and hot rice – no fail. Paired with refreshing tomatoes and a runny egg? Even better.

This dish is only available at the BGC branch for now, but it will eventually be rolled out to other Kanto branches soon.

Fresh Melon Shake (P85) and Fresh Pineapple Juice (P75) 

Forget the canned stuff – Kanto’s going full-on fresh with their fruit juices now.

A first for the resto, Kanto is offering fresh fruits you can enjoy in either icy shake (P85) or juice form, (P75). 

You can choose from fresh watermelon, grape, orange, pineapple, or cantaloupe – each one a super refreshing balance to an otherwise heavy meal. 

Roast Beef Pares (P199)

Kanto’s best-selling Roast Beef Pares is the ultimate “kanto boy breakfast,” as they call it – it’s got 3 hefty slabs of roast beef, which are simmered in the braised beef stew’s signature savory sauce for hours. No need for knives here – your fork and spoon are more than enough to do the cutting. 

Their beef pares’ strong, meaty flavor is best contrasted with Kanto’s tomato pesto side dish (roasted whole tomatoes doused in a light pesto sauce), green onion garnish, and some runny egg yolk action (my favorite kind). 

Pancake Board (P399)

New item alert! Apparently, many customers have been asking, and so Kanto has finally answered – a pancake board is now available on Kanto’s all-day breakfast menu (only at their BGC branch for now, though).

With pancakes and cheese boards all the rage now, Kanto combined both trends into one huge Pancake Board, good for 4-5 diners. 10 mini-pancakes are formed into a line, separating the best of both afterworlds.

On Heaven’s side are slices of fresh fruits – cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges, grapes – while Hell comes bearing slices of Spam, crispy bacon. and omelette rolls. How’s that for a “balanced meal?”  

See that spoon of chocolate? That’s Kanto’s homemade chocnut-chocolate ganache, which you can replace with their other pancake dips of ube and white chocolate or ube and chocolate. You can also order extra maple syrup and butter add-ons.

Here’s the rest of Kanto’s extensive menu (we’re sure you won’t have a problem deciding what to order next): 

Kanto Freestyle’s BGC branch is located at Avida City-Flex, Lane T, corner 7th street. It is open from 11 am to 9 pm for now, with a 24-hour schedule coming soon. – Rappler.com