Checking out IHOP’s new WONKA menu: Are there Oompa Loompas in the kitchen?

 I’m a sucker for a gimmick…even when it comes to food. In the past, I’ve been known to indulge in horror hamburgers and even green GRINCH-themed pancakes. Lately my food intake has been rather…pedestrian. The other day, however, my dreary diet had cause to kick up its heels! A new gimmick, er… promotion had come to IHOP. In honor of the upcoming movie, WONKA, the restaurant chain has announced a new WONKA-themed menu. How scrumdiddlyumptious is that?

I have been a life-long fan of Mr. Willy Wonka. When the original movie WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY debuted (1971), I wanted to see it so badly. I remember that the next door neighbor boys, George and Craig Perry, had gone to see it when it first had come out and were given a Golden Ticket,  which they had taped up on their bedroom wall. The movie was pure imagination; an instant classic in my book. (Although it was considered a box office flop at the time.) I bought the Wonka bars that were sold back in the early 70s. (Although the real deal paled in comparison to those incredible chocolates on display in the movie.) The movie got me to read the two WONKA novels by Ronald Dahl. (I have a vivid memory of laying atop my treehouse roof, reading about Charlie Bucket and Mr. Wonka’s adventures in the chocolate factory and beyond.)

The Tim Burton remake, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY was fascinating—-and Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Wonka was wondrously weird. It didn’t capture me as the original film had, but it was interesting none the less. 

I’ve gotten to meet all of the original movie’s kids as well.

For my 50th birthday, I found myself in New Orleans—-with hardly any money to my name. Mr. Wonka came to my rescue, showering me with hundreds of dollars in winnings to get me through my stay comfortably. What a great birthday present. (Thank you again, Mr. Wonka!)

With the new WONKA prequel coming (based on the original film), while I am not expecting to be overwhelmed, I am looking forward to seeing it. With the IHOP tie-in menu, how could I not try it? Although I had not been to an International House of Pancakes in years (I don’t believe there are any in Washington state), I was bound and determined to go.

As luck would have it, I am visiting California at the moment. After visiting the post office this past Thursday, I decided to stop in at one in the same shopping center as the post office and check it out.

As I was seated, I was presented with two menus; the regular one and the special WONKA menu. I didn’t even bother opening the regular one. The WONKA menu was hopefully going to be my Golden Ticket to a strange, culinary adventure…or a diabetic coma. I couldn’t wait to dive in. 

Oh my! The WONKA menu was quite more extensive than I’d thought. There are breakfast items…as well as lunch! Hmm. Decisions. Decisions….

I have been trying to cut out carbs—so I went with the most basic breakfast offered. It came with bacon and eggs and hash browns…and a short stack of Wonka’s Perfectly Purple Pancakes. Tossing my glycemic  index to the wind (Sooooo much sugar!), I also ordered the Scrumdiddlyumptious Strawberry Hot Chocolate. I figured, since this is only a month-long promotion, I’d never have this chance again.

The hot chocolate came out first. It wasn’t as pretty as the one pictured on the menu, but that was okay.

The chocolate was covered with whipped cream, a chocolate drizzle, and gold glitter sugar. Zowie!

Soon my Wonka pancakes emerged. They were frosted in a purple cream cheese icing, whipped cream, and more gold glitter sugar. 

But were they “perfectly purple”? On closer inspection, the pancakes turned out to indeed be what they claimed! They truly were a light purple. In between the layers, I also discovered a creamy cheesecake mousse. Oooo!

My Wonka breakfast was served…

How was it? Well…. It was sweet It was also interesting. The cream cheese icing and mousse were tasty. I’m not gonna lie. But a little went a long way. The strawberry in the hot chocolate was lost on me—until I got down to the bottom and had a couple of big jolts of the syrup that had been used. I was also ever so fascinated by the golden sugar glitter. I don’t think I’d seen that before. Wow!

There was still so many Wonka choices left on the menu. I couldn’t stay all day. I did get an order of Hovervac Pancake Tacos to take with me though. I figured I could share them with my friends Erich and Greg who were back home where I was staying. 

Although they got a little jumbled in my walk home, they survived the trip fairly well. While I’m not quite sure what the “Hoverchoc” of their name refers to (It must be something in the new movie.), part of the word must refer to chocolate—-as these were clearly small chocolate pancakes folded to resemble tacos. They were filled with more of the cheesecake mousse, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, and strawberries were included as well.

I enjoyed mine. Erich ate his (and gobbled up the rest of the strawberries). Greg declined his and Erich didn’t want to split it…so I got a bonus one for myself. Hooray! They were sweet like the pancakes, but the chocolate and strawberries kind of balanced it all out.

But my whimsical, Wonka wanderings were not over. A few days later, I found myself back at the post office. Hmm. I seemed to hear little voices calling out to me as I passed the IHOP on my way home. They seemed to be calling me back inside. Was it my imagination, or were there Oompa Loompas - those strange orange-faced, green-haired workers of Willy Wonka’s— singing one of their songs to me from inside of the restaurant? Before I realized it, I was standing back inside of the eatery!

As I was being led to my table, I told the server that I didn’t need a menu. I was going to have the Wonka burger (the Fantastical Wonka Burger, actually) and the Wonka lemonade (Dreamy Lemonade). As I sat waiting, I noticed a woman and her children all enjoying Dreamy Lemonades themselves.

Alex, the delightful young man who would be my server that afternoon, brought me the Dreamy Lemonade. 

Dreamy it certainly was. Such a creative presentation. Cream cheese frosting covered in candy  sprinkles covered the lip of the glass while a cloud of purple cotton candy floated on top. Wow!

I held off trying the beverage while I waited for the food. As Alex passed again, I asked him if he had tried any of the Wonka menu items. He said he had tried the burger and it had been really good. That was encouraging.  I chatted with him a bit more and he confessed to being more a fan of the original, Gene Wilder film version over the Johnny Depp incarnation. Bonus points for Alex. He showed good taste.

A young woman walked by. I noticed her shirt and complimented her on it. She stopped when she noticed my drink sitting on the table and asked if I had tried the Wonka pancakes yet. I told her I had and she asked my opinion of them. Her name was Ally (Alli? Aly?) and she is an assistant manager. I asked if I could get a photo of her in her shirt. She was happy to comply.

She said I really needed to see the back of the shirt as well…

And then, the burger arrived…

Oh my stars! It was much bigger than I’d anticipated it being.

The Fantastical Wonka Burger is a concoction of Black Angus steak burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, a four-cheese blend, avocado, bacon, hash browns, IHOP sauce (whatever that might be) and a ranch drizzle, all served on a brioche bun.  It certainly was impressive. (Although I couldn’t quite see the tie in to Willy Wonka… What? No Chocolate?))

And how was it? Alex hadn’t been lying. It was good. Darn good. And big. I could hardly get it in my mouth. It had been my favorite Wonka food item. The Dreamy Lemonade was also wonderful and different, being a prickly pear-flavored lemonade, it was outside of the usual taste experience and very satisfying. 

I’m not sure what I’ll think about the upcoming WONKA prequel movie, but I enjoyed the IHOP promotion. (The only menu item I didn’t try was the Daydream Berry Biscuit.) It was whimsical and fun, if not down right (cream) cheesy and sweet. (Although my teeth didn’t fall out and I didn’t need an insulin chaser.) It was a gimmick, for sure—-and not for everyone. But for the young and the young at heart, it was a merry moment of fantasy feasting. Thank you once again, Mr. Wonka!