The Good and the Bad of Banapple

Why is the title like that? Because there is something to love and to hate (and I mean improvement, BIG TIME!) about Banapple.

For my niece Gabby's graduation lunch, I brought the entire family to Banapple where the kids can get desserts to their hearts content. The branch at Il Terrazo Tomas Morato doesn't take reservations and it's going to be quite a challenge during weekend lunch or dinner for there are a lot of diners on queue. I suggest you come in at around 10:30 or 11:00 am for lunch coz it really gets pretty crowded during lunch time.

We arrived at around 12:30 and the place is jam packed. We were told were on queue and asked to wait for a table so my sister and I decided to place our orders at the counter. The place is really small and my sister was actually asking if they can open the function room to accommodate everybody but they declined. We can't do anything then but to endure the heat since we are seated at the al fresco area. Good thing we were transferred inside as soon as a group of customers finished dining.

The waiting took us about 45 minutes, well roughly an hour! And what's worst is that the food came at our table one at a time with intervals of around 10 minutes. My sister was furious since my dad is diabetic and the kids were seriously starving. That failed to make us enjoy the food altogether since we allowed the kids and my dad eat the first few dishes served to our table (even if those weren't their preferred orders). Well, here's what we ordered.

Bacon Fried Chicken Steaks with Milk'shroom gravy (Php 175)

Glazed Pork Tocino with Creamed Parsley Eggs (Php 155)

Breaded Fillet of Cream Dory with Honey Thyme Mustard Sauce (Php 185)

Crisp Pork Scallopini with Sour Cream BBQ Sauce (Php 180)

Trio of Sausages Fettucini (Php 180)

We also ordered Hickory Smoked BBQ Country Ribs but failed to take a photo since were all starving. Generally, the rice meals are good and hefty for its price. I particularly liked the Bacon Fried Chicken Steak with Milk'shroom gravy. The pasta is ok too, though I find it a little dry.

Now the desserts. I could rant about this even if I am not a dessert lover. I find the cheesecakes not too sweet and the banoffee superb. 

Blueberry Cheesecake Slice (Php 100)

Oreo Cheesecake Slice (Php 100)

Banoffee Pie Slice (Php 95)

Now to sum up our experience at Banapple.

The Good - As what I've said earlier, the food is good for its price and the servings are hefty. The cheesecakes are very affordable and they aren't that sweet which I totally dig. As for the service, what I appreciated was the staff being apologetic. In a way I think that they are aware of what needs to be improved. 

The Bad - Service is very slow. I think this particular branch is undermanned thus the slow serving time. They should also allow the diners to use the function room during weekends and they must also anticipate mass of diners and provide a bigger dining area and more staff to attend to everybody's needs.

If not for the very slow service, I think I would be totally smitten by Banapple. Affordable food and great desserts. I just really wish they'll do something about the service. I don't think that they would always want to leave customers waiting and furiously hungry. 

Banapple
Il Terrazo
Sct. Madrinan cor Tomas Morato
South Triangle
Quezon City
(02) 4132675
Wifi - none
Parking - there are a lot of parking spaces around.