NEW: Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory Café

There’s a new restaurant in town and it’s the very first of its kind. The popular Japanese cookie stall Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory has finally opened a sit-down restaurant, featuring both savory and sweet dining options. It can be found in the recently opened new East Wing of Estancia Mall, Pasig City. (The first branch is in Ayala Malls Manila Bay.)

By the time we got to try it, thankfully the line wasn’t that long. We only had to wait a few minutes before being seated. Their famous fluffy pancakes, however, had a ONE HOUR serving time. We decided to order some of the savory fare while waiting for dessert.

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I ordered the 12-Hour Short Rib Sandwich (Php485), which came in a hefty serving with potato chips on the side. Crunchy sourdough bread gave way to tender and juicy pulled beef with pickled coleslaw-style greens. My first impression was that the taste was a little underwhelming. The ‘parsley aioli’ listed on the menu was barely noticeable. After a few more bites, though, I began to appreciate the minimalist flavor profile of the sandwich and devoured it soon enough. Still, I would have liked to have something to cut through the rather plain taste, maybe a slight smear of horseradish in keeping with the Japanese palate. The chips, although raved about in some reviews I’ve seen, just tasted like ordinary potato chips – some weren’t even that crunchy.

My brother got the Hayashi Beef Omurice (Php395), which also turned out to be a big portion. I was expecting it to taste like curry but the beef was actually bathed in a more gravy-like sauce. The egg was cooked well, slightly on the runny side just as it should be. The rice had a hint of tomato, adding a little sweetness to the rich dish. I think fans of omurice in general will enjoy this filling plate.

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Our table also got the Molten Mozzarella Hamburg (Php440). I didn’t get to taste these sliders but I was told they were quite good, if a little basic. They were also served with potato chips.

Finally, it was time for the star – dessert. To be fair, it didn’t feel like an hour had elapsed. Either they overestimate the time to avoid complaints, or we really just didn’t notice the time go by. My sister got the Plain Pancake (Php210), which were as fluffy as advertised and served with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and maple syrup.

I decided to order the Crème Brulee version (Php265), despite not being a ‘pancake person’. I braced myself for the overload of sweetness but was pleasantly surprised to find it a well-balanced taste. The rich creamy sauce was so incredibly addicting that the caramelized sugar bits almost felt like an afterthought. The pancakes were very light and fluffy in the mouth without being too airy or mamon-like. Not that there’s anything wrong with mamon, but I wouldn’t pay more than Php200 for it.

They also have a number of coffee drinks that you can pair with their desserts.

Overall, I found the food to be satisfying if a little on the pricey side. The only thing that marred my experience was the poor service and/or miscommunication. When I asked to order the Milk Pie, I was told they were still being prepared and that I would be informed once there were any updates. Because I assumed they’d forgotten (after all, the restaurant was packed), I asked four more times and each time was told there were still none. I understood completely. Until I saw four different people being served milk pies – people who had gotten there after me. When I asked a server about this, she said that perhaps those people had made reservations to have the milk pies once they were done, an option that had never been offered to me in all the times I asked about the pies. And when I asked if I could just order one now, I was told there were (again) no more available. I’m not sure if this was favoritism or just bad service, but I hope it doesn’t happen again.