MANILA, Philippines – When you think of soufflé pancakes, you would usually picture the sweet treat you’d often get after a savory meal. The fluffiness of these pancakes appears to be a perfect match with dessert toppings and nothing else. 

Enter Egg House, a Japanese fluffy pancake house and matcha bar that serves the best of both worlds with its curated menu of sweet and savory soufflé pancakes. 

According to its owner Arylle Ng, Egg House served only dessert-like pancakes when the store’s first location was established in August 2023 at SM North EDSA. But when a few customers suggested that they start serving savory dishes, too, Ng and her team took action on the idea right away – eventually rolling out two savory breakfast-themed pancakes. 

“We plan to extend the savory options kasi syempre (of course) [the dessert pancakes] are a treat you have after your meal but with savory [pancakes], we want to be able to cater to [our customers] throughout the day,” Ng told Rappler. 

Egg House’s origins

Egg House was born out of Ng’s natural affinity for food ever since she was a child – spending most of her time cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

“I always liked being with the adults, helping out [in the kitchen]. I also liked giving out good customer service because that’s what I value the most. Kasi syempre (Because of course), when you come to a store, it’s not just the product that you want, but you also come for the experience,” Ng said. 

Just eight months after the store’s first branch officially opened in SM North EDSA, Ng was able to put up a second one in Ayala Malls Manila Bay to tap into the market in the south. 

Unlike Egg House’s first branch in SM North EDSA, its second branch at Ayala Malls Manila Bay takes the shape of a rounded open-air booth that lets customers see how the crew prepares their orders. 

While the available chairs and tables were few in number on the opening day, Egg House has since added more tables on the front of the booth to allow more customers to enjoy their pancakes comfortably. 

Pillowy goodness

It’s easy for soufflé pancakes to turn out dry and dense when not prepared properly, so it was refreshing to see Egg House’s turn out so light and pillowy. The pancakes are whisked, piped, and cooked right in front of you, so you’re assured that they’re made fresh each time. 

There were a total of six dessert pancakes on the menu. The first one I tried was the Crème Brûlée (P220), and it’s safe to say that it’s dubbed one of Egg House’s bestsellers for a reason. It surprisingly wasn’t too sweet despite already being doused in thick custard cream and topped with a classic caramelized sugar shell, which maintained its crunchiness until the very end!

Next was the Kyoto Matcha (P220), which was entirely covered in matcha cream sauce and topped with whipped cream, matcha powder, and chocolate shavings. The sauce tasted a little more like cream cheese than matcha, so the addition of the powder was vital to maintaining the dish’s matcha flavor overall. 

However, the Pudding pancakes (P240) were a little too heavy for my liking. The pudding on top was already filling by itself, even more so with the addition of two soufflé pancakes, whipped cream, and a custard-like cream. 

If you’d like a creamy, frozen treat to take your pancakes to the next level, Egg House also offers soft serve ice cream (P50) that you can get as an add-on. It comes in two flavors: vanilla and matcha. I tried the vanilla flavor, which tasted just like the famous Hokkaido-style soft serve!

For the savory dishes, Egg House pairs common breakfast staples with its fluffy pancakes.

Take the bestselling Spam Nori (P195) for example. It consists of cubed Spam, a sunny-side-up egg, toasted sesame seeds, and Japanese mayo.

The egg yolk was super runny, and the toasted sesame seeds gave off a delicious nutty flavor that complemented the saltiness of the Spam well. 

There’s also the B.E.C. (P195), made up of bacon, a sunny-side-up egg, and a slice of cheese. It was a bit of a challenge to enjoy all the layers of the pancake as intended because the bacon was difficult to cut through – making the whole stack fall apart in the process. The sauce drizzled over the pancakes also didn’t have much of a memorable taste, so it was just the eggs and bacon carrying the entire dish’s flavor profile. 

All of Egg House’s pancakes are reasonably priced given their serving size. Each dish is served with two soufflé pancakes, and they all range from P180 to P240 for both savory and sweet options. 

From matcha to lemonade, there’s something for everyone

Apart from its pancakes, Egg House is also known for its ceremonial matcha bar – and it doesn’t play when it comes to that.

There are a total of six matcha drinks to choose from: Uji Matcha Latte (P180), Hojicha Latte (P180), Tokyo Matcha Soda (P220), Strawberry Matcha (P200), Matcha Jito (P180), and the Blueberry Matcha (P200).

The Uji Matcha Latte is as classic as it gets. The taste of the matcha itself was prominent and wasn’t overpowered by the sweetness of the drink. If you’re a die-hard matcha enthusiast, I recommend asking the barista to add stronger matcha for just P30 so your latte has that bitter kick good matcha usually has. 

I also tried the Strawberry Matcha, which had a generous layer of strawberry purée on top of the usual mixture of milk and matcha that the Uji Matcha Latte would have. 

The Tokyo Matcha Soda was a refreshing treat. It was my first time having matcha with something other than milk, so this drink was a pleasant surprise. As its name suggests, Tokyo Matcha Soda is a mixture of pure matcha and soda. It also had an enjoyable minty taste to it that helped make the drink a delightful thirst-quencher. 

Just as its pancakes have both sweet and savory options, Egg House’s drink menu also has something for everyone. While the Japanese-inspired shop is primarily known for its matcha, it also has a limited selection of coffee, perfect for those who aren’t too fond of the famed Japanese green tea. 

Its bestseller is the Spanish Latte (P160) – which blends espresso, condensed milk, and regular milk. While I loved that the coffee wasn’t acidic, the blend of the two types of milk slightly overpowered the taste of the espresso. 

But if you’d like to pair your pancakes with a non-caffeinated yet refreshing drink, Egg House also serves Japanese soda (P120) and two types of lemonade: Lychee (P160) and Strawberry (P160). 

Overall, Egg House is a great place to get a sweet treat as a reward, or even that flavorful meal you need to power yourself up for a long day. 

Egg House is located on the Ground Level of The Block at SM City North EDSA. Its second branch is on the second floor of Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City. Both branches are open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. – Rappler.com