Max's Restaurant in Greenbelt

Today, the Makati Brunch Club visited Max's Restaurant in Makati. Located in Greenbelt 1, along the strip of Legaspi Street - that whole row of Chef D'Angelo, Mercury Drug, Chubby China, etc. - that most cars pass by but few people actually know, Max's restaurant in Makati would be long-forgotten were it not for the quality of its food.

This morning, Leigh and I decided to go for brunch, and what better way to enjoy a heart breakfast than to help ourselves to the new Power Breakfast selection at this homey restaurant in Makati?

The breakfast choices at Max's Makati restaurant consisted of the following:

• Sausage Meal, featuring frankfurters, caramelized onions, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P150);
• Tocino Meal, pan-fried pork seasoned with salt, pepper, and sugar, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P120);
• Adobo Flakes Meal, shredded chicken and pork adobo, fried to a crisp, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P120);
• Longganisa Meal, two pieces of cured sausage, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P120).

You could also select:

• Tapa Meal, marinated beef, served with garlic rice, eggs, and coffee (P155);
• Pepperoni Omelet, spicy pepperoni seved with four half-slices of toast, orange slices, and coffee (P150); and
  
• Triple Chocolate Champorado, sticky rice in a glutinous chocolate porridge.

I had the adobo flakes, which was delicious and crisp. The eggs were perfectly done, as was the garlic rice. Delicious, delicious, delicious. Unfortunately, it took them almost 40 minutes to serve my adobo flakes, virtually unforgivable for a restaurant meal. Leigh and Samira had long gone before I was served my food.
The service at this Makati restaurant was, as usual, quite good. Save for some confusion when management and servers could not agree on whether or not to charge us for the champorado when we were initially told it was not included in a lovely gift voucher we received last week as courtesy from the restaurant, it was still a good experience.
I would recommend you try the adobo flakes - although those of you with heartier appetites may prefer the tocino meal, as it seemed to have larger portions - along with the champorado. Delightful!
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An Early Morning for a Chocolate Rush

I am not a breakfast-eating person. Don't get me wrong, I love all Filipino breakfast items. Corned beef, longganisa, tocino...I love them all, just not at breakfast or to be more exact, just not so early in the morning at a time when my stomach can't take anything in but liquids.

I however, will willingly brave an upset stomach and eat breakfast in only two situations: (1) if it's a breakfast buffet in a hotel or (2) it's free. Our early-morning trip to Max's was thanks to #2. And well worth the effort. ;)

I ordered their Triple Chocolate Champorado. (Don't you just love the name? Chocolate Champorado would have been enough for me but TRIPLE CHOCOLATE? Who can beat that?) I was not disappointed at all. When they say triple chocolate, you can just imagine 3 bars of chocolate melted into the sticky rice. It was sweet, rich and just simply delicious.

The champorado purists may not like it because of it's sweetness but knowing the Filipino penchant for sweet food, it'll be a hit. I wouldn't mind another bowl of their Triple Chocolate Champorado. I wonder if it's available for snacks...

~ Leigh