With events like Suhoor Fest on the rise, many are looking for alternatives to the usual pre-dawn meals before beginning their fast. As the month of Ramadan stretches till March 19th, here is an alternative to having a date and water in your kitchen three minutes before it’s time to stop eating.
IHOP, the International House of Pancakes, advertises a Halal suhoor menu available during the early morning hours. When I arrived at the Queens location at 3:30 AM, my family and I were ready to eat. Since the fasting cut off that day was 5:18 AM, we thought we had almost two hours to finish our meal. Unfortunately, as it turned out, that was not enough time to eat. When we walked in, the restaurant was already crowded, with many tables full and customers ordering filling, appealing meals and appetizers. We ordered a wide variety of dishes, including strawberry cheesecake pancakes, hash browns, and scrambled eggs, along with a few other items that caught our attention. There was certainly no shortage of food to choose from. However, once we sat down, exhausted and barely able to keep our eyes open, we ended up waiting quite a long time for our food. Most likely because it was a weekend and so many people were ordering at once, our food did not arrive until 4:30 a.m. leaving us with less than an hour before the fast began.
Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
Critic Rating: 10/10
The strawberry cheesecake pancakes were a fan favorite. Everyone at the table needed a bite of the syrup-filled fluffy pancakes. The little bits of cream cheese inside added the additional variety in flavor; it was practically a pancake-ified slice of cake.
Chicken and Cheese Omelet
Critic Rating: 8/10
Running a close second was the chicken and cheese omelet. Fresh from the stove, the cheese inside was perfectly melted, but the cheese on top could have done a better job of blending into the dish. The egg was also adequately salted and seasoned, in addition to the chicken.
Hashbrowns
Critic Rating: 7.5/10
The third best dish here was the hashbrowns. Perfectly salted and paired with the ketchup, it was adequate. The outside was crispy and warm, but the inside was a little cold. The crispy texture left once inside the hash brown, which was disappointing, but was still a great addition.
Experiencing the variety of flavors was enjoyable just as a meal at IHOP usually is. The sweet, fruity strawberry syrup, the salty hash browns, and the crispy hush puppies all made for a satisfying meal at the moment. Even so, by the time we finished eating, none of us felt full enough. It did not feel like we had eaten a meal that could sustain us for the next 13 hours of fasting. Although the portions were generous they did not feel substantial enough for Suhoor. The limited time we had to eat also made the meal feel rushed, forcing us to eat quickly instead of comfortably. Overall, the food itself was excellent, as IHOP’s food usually is, but I would probably pass on it for suhoor except perhaps for the experience.
