Chicken for the Road

I was sent to Gen San to do some field work back in October and I got to go to one of the many "Chicken Hauz" es. As I did my field work, one of the questions I asked the locals was "Ano masarap kainin dito?" ("What is good to eat around here?"). They would all say the same thing : GARLIC CHICKEN

Chicken Hauz Chiken

It was good cheap Chicken, a tad small on the servings, but just enough bang for your buck. (I think that was around 50ish?). Almost every establishment in Gen San I visited had their own version of Garlic Chicken, it was like the Sisig of the Mindanao! (maybe even Pacquiao loves the sruff too!)

Then I found this place:

Where is this? It's in the Home Depot thing near Metro Walk in Pasig. Just go there and ask around for the place. (If I'm not mistaken... It's across one of the entrances to Home Depot)

And they have Garlic Chicken! Surprisingly, its almost the same stuff from way down south!

Now ain't that pretty? Crispy Garlicky Chicken Goodness at a sweet price! Chicken on the Road offers all sorts of chicken on the menu... but the Nostalgia of Garlic Chicken really caught me in a choke hold!

I also tried the traditional Fried Chicken... but it was a bit plain, not too dry but nothing special. The other menu items look pretty promising though!

If you're in the area, check out this place... you have to look around a bit, but its well worth the effort!

Here is Home Depot on Google Maps (just in case you don't know where it is)

View Larger Map

Whats with Small Fancy Food Servings?

I went to a fancy event for work recently and they fed us a bunch of good tasting food, real top notch gourmet stuff.

Problem is: size matters

It's fun to eat yeah... but eating small things always leaves me wanting more, you know what I mean? (thats why I still don't get Sliders, and Slammers)

It's like a trap of sorts... they invite you to some event, tease you with good food... you get tricked into thinking its just the "appetizers"... then you're surprised to find out that the little pastries that you shove down your throat is already considered "dessert".

In the end... you stayed for the entire event. The organizers successful in keeping their guests in the venue while you leave wanting more.

It's kind of cruel in a way... I eat for enjoyment, and part of that enjoyment is that sense of satisfaction: a full tummy, silenced by bribes of gluttony. To be honest, the food was great, great to the point that i just wanted more and more (the fact that it was free made it all the more enjoyable)

Here's to hoping Christmas Parties don't do the same!

Happy holidays!

- Pinoy Baboy

The Sandwich Guy, the next Subway?

I've always loved Subway, but the prices have always been keeping me away when I was younger. Now that I could afford to eat a Subway, they all seem to be gone. You have to look real hard to find a Subway restaurant thats still in business. (the one in Rockwell is gone, and I think the one in Eastwood is gone also).

Then there is this place: The Sandwich Guy... they actually started back in '08 but its only this year that I started noticing their food.

Click Here for the Full Menu

First thing you'll notice, Sandwiches under 100 pesos! Now thats a good deal! relatively low prices for prime ingredients! They even bake their own wheat bread! And they have a bunch of cool "flavors" to choose from.

I tried the Bacon Chicken Combo, "Italian Style" and the Grilled Cheese. The first two were great! ingredients real fresh with crisp cold veggies and warm chicken and bacon to the nice cold cut hams of the Italian Style Sandwich. The Grilled Cheese wasn't very good though, felt like a bunch of cheeses put together (imagine Eden Cheese and Chiz Whiz Sandwich). Not a good choice if you're "on a budget". But everything else was good! Not super great, but good enough. A good snack but not a full meal.

Bacon Chicken Combo

Italian Style

Grilled Cheese

As I said, It's a snack, not a meal. The Sandwiches are just as big as a regular sandwiches with regular square  bread so don't go here expecting to get full. (I had to eat 2 sandwiches to be "satisfied"). So their prices aren't really the "best value for money" proposition, Its just about right.

Oh yeah, don't try their pastas. Unlike the Sandwiches, their pastas are just microwaved straight from the fridge (or at least halatang microwave lang). They even served it in a microwaveable plastic container! I DO NOT RECOMMEND.

The Sandwich Guy needs to stick to what it does best and remove "FAIL" things from their menu. If its not a great sandwich, it has to compliment the great sandwiches on the menu. And maybe give more options for bread (like add XX pesos for panini bread) or hold a "design the next Sandwich Guy Sandwich" Contest to keep things from getting stale. Its not a Sub Way, and it shouldn't try to be. There is a lot to be bad here (i think they're Filipino owned too!).

Lets hope they keep making more interesting food items and take out the bad (SISIG SUB anyone?) In the mean time, visit their website and go to the branch nearest you.

Chicken Joy 2 the World

Have you seen this ad lately? Chicken Joy 2 the world... Jollibee's answer to KFC's Double Down... Or is it? This monster is a Jollibee Champ patty sandwiched in between 2 Chicken Joy Steaks! Double Down? you have teh baconzz? Jollibee be bringin 1/3 lb beef patty AYUN O! Do your eyes bleeeedd? are you craving this crispylicious, juicylicious snack for merienda?

WELL TOO BAD!

The above ad is a Hoax... a cruel prank made to break the hearts of men like me. I called up 8-7000 and went to two Jollibee restaurants... There is no such Food Item... But that shouldn't stop you from experiencing Chicken Joy 2 the World in all its Glory!

Total Investment Php 211.00

All you need is some Chicken Joy and a Jollibee Champ. It has to be a Champ patty! don't be kuripot and go with a Yum Burger! Champ is the way to go, trust me. Just got to put the both of them together (take out the bones from the Chicken Joy first!) and there you have it!

Awesome Sauce!

So how does it taste? AWESOME! its like eating a Crispylicious Champ! I only had Chicken Thigh to work with which explains how fail my "Joy 2 the World" looks. I think this is best done with Chicken breasts, but hey same great taste here. Crispylicious Chicken Joy Skin, Juicylicious Chicken Joy Meat all around a Beefy Burger Patty. The mix of flavors keeps you on your toes and the different textures make for a fun "chewing experience". 

On the aftermath though... its really heavy on the stomach... It went right through me like a lead brick. So consume at your own risk boys and girls!

Who knows, maybe if enough people demand this... Jollibee will make it happen! Here's to bringing Joy to the World! What a wonderful way to start the Holidays!

Double Down Ultimate Ulam

I know the point of the Double Down was to deliver the ultimate Chicken Experience. And yes, It does deliver just that. But as a Filipino, I've always had a hard time eating a meal with out any "starch". Starch meaning rice, potatoes, noodles bread etc. So even if the KFC Double Down is so darn right amazing... It just made miss rice even more! So inulam ko siya!

It really does defeats the point... But its something you have to try! I'm not the only one, a lot of people I know that have tried it say that it does need some rice. So what makes it so different than having a regular chicken meal? Just the mayo, cheese and bacon really. Maybe its just the "rice habit".... Ganyan talaga pag pinoy eh, diba?

The ultimate ulam?

Now IF the Double Down came in more flavors, if it came in Hot & Spicy and Chili Lime... now that could turn more heads now wouldn't it?

LECHON! PIZZA!

Finally, Pizza Huts answer to Greenwich's Top That! Pizza this Christmas Season. Behold the Pizza Hut LECHON PIZZA!

A Large Lechon Pizza with Stuffed Crust

The Lechon Pizza is basically Lechon on a Pizza. Instead of Tomato Sauce, there's sarsa under the cheese. Each Pizza comes with some extra sarsa for you to spread around (if it's not "Lechon" enough for ya). Its just like eating Lechon! with the cheesyness of a Pizza Hut Pizza! We had ours with classic Stuffed crust, now isn't that a recipe for heart attack?! It's amazing that BFAD allowed Pizza Hut to create such a thing!

Lechon + Stuffed Crust = Death

Other than the cholesterol overload... The pig skin is super crispy! its a nice contrast to the cheesy pizza underneath.

CRIZPY

Its priced like a premium Pizza Hut Pizza, which is quite alright really, this thing is a heart stopper!

Its good to see that Pizzas continually evolve like this. Thin Crust, Stuffed Crust, different toppings, sauces... and now this! I hope this Lechon Pizza becomes a mainstay on the Pizza Hut Menu when Christmas Season ends. I doubt I can eat another one within the next few months... gotta get my cholesterol levels down! (Lets see if Pizza Hut can come up with their own version of a Sisig pizza! haven't tasted a good one yet!)

Do yourself a favor, treat yourself to some Lechon pizza, bring it to the next pot luck or have it for Noche Buena, stuff like this may not be around any longer!

Epiphany: Global Cuisine Redefined

Wanna try something new this weekend? Have you tired everything on your favorite restaurant's menu already? Heres a fancy cozy restaurant I'm sure you haven't tried: Epiphany: Global Cuisine Redefined.

It's a nice cozy place hidden away in N. Domingo (ill put up the map later). Epiphany is a new place that offes food from all sorts of cuisines, food here is anything BUT boring! First thing's first... the place... Its not that big, but its really cozy, making every dining experience here an intimate one. Take a look at our shots and see for yourself.

Epiphany has that nice "Wooden Cabin" or "Inside of a boat" look

Fancy lights

No ceiling to make the place look bigger

sexy glasses of Iced tea

It's got a nice "Fancy / High Class yet Homey / Cozy" feel to it. Without tasting the food, you already get a feel of the quality you should be expecting. They don't have any fancy menus, instead, they chalk up the daily menu on small blackboard and bring it to your table. Yup, thats right, DAILY menu. Epiphany spices things up with a different menu for each day of the week! If you have a favorite, you can always ask them to cook it up for you if it isn't on the menu (if the ingredients are available and all). We went there on a friday and this is what they had.

Friday Menu

Heres some snapshots of the food we had. Ordered EVERYTHING on the menu, worth every peso!

Tea Smoked Squid: A great Appetizer

Tuna Ceviche: The Fancy "Kilawin" (raw fish!)

Seared Tuna: Nice Texture on the outside, awesome Tuna taste on the inside!

Stuffed Roast Chicken with the Best Potatoes I've ever tasted

Pork Trotter, This ain't your Mom's Crispy Tadyang.

Nice and RAW Beef Tenderloin

OVALTINE Kulfi

Though i love all the dishes, the dessert was my favorite. Who would have thought OVALTINE would make such a great dessert! Best Dish of the night. To top it all off, we had some foreign beers, they have a small yet varied selection.

Epiphany is a great find, restaurants like these don't pop up just anywhere. If you wanna try this place out here's how to get there:

View Epiphany Restaurant in a larger map

If Epiphany plays its cards right. they could be the next Uno. I'll come back here again (I'm excited about tasting another day;s menu!). In the mean time, why don't you visit Epiphany and tell us about the menu they served you. Heres their Facebook Page if you want to know more.

Who knows, maybe after a meal here, you'll have an Epiphany of your own!