chicken fingers – Jellybeans in the City

#TheBistroGroup Trinoma Food Crawl: Denny’s

Renowned writer Robert A. Heinlein once said “One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast.”

I can definitely agree: breakfast fuels you at the start of the day, readying you for all the challenges you will face from then on.

And where do we go to get a tasty and nourishing breakfast, in the morning or any time of the day?

Denny’s, of course!

The first stop of an epic food crawl that my foodie friends and I undertook at the Trinoma Mall, Denny’s whetted our appetites for a satisfying day of eating.

Denny’s is known as America’s diner. It started in the 1950s as a donut stand called Danny’s Donuts. Since then, it has evolved into a global restaurant chain with 1700 locations, as well as adopted a slightly changed name.

In the Philippines, it is one of the restaurants managed by The Bistro Group, a collection of international and local hospitality brands.

In response to the need of the times, The Bistro Group has instituted safety protocols for safe dining-in at its restaurants. These include: regular health checks for all its personnel, compliance of all outdoor and indoor seating to physical distancing guidelines, hand sanitizers available at the entrance and on every table, as well as contactless menu ordering and payment.

These protocols require diners to submit to temperature checks, provide contact tracing details and using the hand sanitizers and sanitation mats prior to entering the restaurant premises, as well as wearing their personal protective equipment (PPEs) while inside. Would-be diners who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to people who do, have underlying health conditions or have concerns about contracting the disease when dining out are advised to stay home and avail of the restaurant’s contactless delivery options.

With these measures in place, diners can just focus their attention to the hearty and flavorful dishes that Denny’s offers, such as:

Denny’s Share for All (Php695). A filling collection of appetizers such as pancake puppies, quesadilla, chicken fingers and fries served with ranch dressing, honey mustard and caramel sauce.

Lumberjack Slam (Php675). Two buttermilk pancakes, a slice of grilled ham, two bacon strips and two sausages. Thanks to Denny’s BOGO (Buy One Get One) Everyday deal, you get a free Garlic Smoked Bangus with your order of the Lumberjack Slam.

Filipino Breakfast Platter (Php1,395). Good for sharing by up to three persons, this is a smorgasboard of home-grown flavors which include bangus belly, crispy pork, sausage, eggplant, saba and side veggies accompanied by three pieces of pancakes.

Fill up on your brekkie faves and enjoy great savings with these great offers:

Buy One Get One Everyday: 15pc Wing Basket + All-Time Breakfast (Php395), Lumberjack Slam + Garlic Smoked Bangus (Php675), Any Ribs Dish + Fried Chicken & Waffle (Php395)
Bundles: 4 pcs pancakes + 4 pcs waffles + 6 pcs wings (Php795), 2 pcs pork belly + 2 pcs Denny’s Fried Chicken + Rice (Php795)

If you’ve got a monster-sized appetite or a major craving for breakfast food, head on to Denny’s!

You can also get great savings with the BFF Card, The Bistro Group’s loyalty program that gives members exclusive perks across 15 restaurant brands such as:

30% off on Mondays
20% off on Tueadays
Complimentary coffee or hot tea single-serve with entree purchase
Online seats reservation
Six Php250 e-vouchers with minimum purchase of Php1,000 per voucher

This Denny’s branch is located at Fourth Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 8pm and Fridays to Sundays from 10am to 9pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 77723371 or +63 905 3713998.

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City
Ground Floor, Venice Grand Canal, McKinley Hill, Taguig City
Ground Floor, Uptown Parade, 9th Avenue Corner 38th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Second Floor, Ayala North Exchange, Ayala Avenue Corner Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Ground Floor, Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Ground Floor, AllHome, C-5 Road Extension, Manuyo, Las Piñas City

Denny’s delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

Check out my posts about other restos of The Bistro Group:

Birthday lunch treat at TGI Fridays, South Triangle

TGI Fridays holds a lot of memories for me.

It was the first American-style restobar for as long as I can remember, and back when I was in college, its Glorietta branch was where I had my first taste of Long Island Iced Tea (guess who got drunk on that! Hehehe!) and I started my love affair with Chicken Fingers.

TGI Fridays started in 1960s New York when Alan Stillman established a bar at the corner of 63rd and First Streets. There, he served big American burgers and beer always on tap for his guests, making sure that they’re having a great time.

When TGI Fridays came to the Philippines 25 years ago, it sought to bring the same kind of good times to Pinoy diners.

Fast forward to 2019 and TGI Fridays is still bringing fun times with its hearty servings American comfort food and drinks.

I was at its Tomas Morato branch together with my office teammates (who all happen to be December birthday celebrants) for lunch when TGI Fridays celebrated its 25th anniversary in the Philippines last December 11.

On that day, diners were treated to a free platter of Chili Ballpark Nachos and Seafoam and Dream Punch Splashers at 1pm and 7pm as the service crew break out into their version of the Happy Birthday song.

TGI Fridays in Tomas Morato is also notable for being the last remaining store to feature music memorabilia in its decor to complement its classic American diner furniture. This branch also made some improvements in its interiors to let in more light, giving it a cheerier atmosphere compared to my last visit.

I treated my work buddies to Bucket of Bones Platter (Php2,795). It includes TGI Fridays signature tender, falling-off-the-bones glazed pork ribs, 8 pieces of chicken wings and 2 large pieces of porkchops, along with sides of mac & cheese, garlic rice and fries. Plus, for every order of this platter, a portion goes to supporting Action Against Hunger, the movement that fights hunger and malnutrition in the Philippines.

Any visit to TGI Friday’s won’t be complete without an order of Chicken Fingers (Php450). These hand-battered chicken tenders fried to a beautiful golden brown and accompanied with by a side of crispy seasoned fries and honey mustard dip remain among my all-time favorite food.

For dessert, we had a Mocha Mud Pie (Php365). This sweet treat is made of chocolate almond and coffee ice cream, hot fudge and toasted almond slices.

Along with the free nachos and drinks, these were more than enough to fully satisfy or group of four. Yey!

And since one in our group has a Bistro Card, we got 20% off the total food bill!

A happy birthday treat for all indeed! Well, except me, because my birthday is still in April, sigh! Oh, well…

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Happy 25th birthday, @tgifridaysph! Foodies, join in on the celebration and drop by your nearest TGI Fridays by 7pm today and get free Ballpark Chili Nachos and Seafoam & Dream Punch Splashers! #TGIFridaysPh #TGIFridays25YearsOfGreatTimes. . . #foodieph #foodph #pinoyfoodie #yummyph #foodiegram #foodgasm #thefoodiestation #whattoeatph #saansaph #ssphfood #welovetoeatph #wlteplus #foodbloggerph #manilaeatup #beingjellybeans

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on Dec 10, 2019 at 9:30pm PST

This TGI Fridays branch is located at Ground Floor, Hotel Rembrandt, Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Bayoran Street, Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 11pm.

Other branches are located at:

Eastwood Citywalk, Libis, Quezon City
Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City
Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill, Taguig
Glorietta 3, Glorietta Complex, Makati
Greenbelt 3, San Lorenzo, Makati
Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay
SM Southmall, Almanza, Muntinlupa
Evia Lifestyle Center, Almanza, Las Pinas
Ayala Malls Circuit, Olympia, Makati

Christmas Lunch with the Family at Fireside by Kettle, Rockwell

As the fam was spending Christmas Day with the in-laws, we decided to hie ourselves off to the Rockwell Powerplant Mall for lunch and a bit of holiday window-shopping.

Most of us are confirmed carnivores so it’s not really surprising that we gravitated towards the hearty grilled meats and All-American dishes offered by the Fireside by Kettle branch located at the outer premises of the mall.

The restaurant has a warm and casual vibe with smartly dressed wait staff and modern/industrial-style interiors accented by holiday decor. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of natural light, giving the space a bright and airy feel. There was also ample space for our group of six, as well as the other diners.

For our Christmas Day Lunch, we ordered:

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Fingers (Php549). Slivers of chicken breasts brined for 24 hours, covered with Cajun Ritz cracker breading then deep-fried, then served together with Cajun honey and cornbread doughnuts. The chicken pieces were crispy to the bite but with tender and juicy meat, well complemented by the gravy provided. The cornbread doughnuts doused with honey provided a sweet break from the chicken’s savory flavor.

50/50 Meatloaf (Php409). Half of this is made of ground bacon while the other half is made of ground Angus beef and served with a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. I’m not a big fan of meat loaf per se but I found this iteration more flavorful and juicier than most versions I have tasted.

Double-cut Pork Chop (Php539). Two thick slices of tender pork chops brined in honey cider and served with peppercorn-mustard cream sauce with grilled apples and grilled vegetables. We availed of two orders of this dish, given the number of carnivores in our group.

We ordered Garlic Rice (Php79), Steamed Rice (Php59) and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Php119) to accompany our hearty main dishes.

The dishes were promptly served by the wait staff and with their large servings, our group was well satisfied.

This Fireside by Kettle branch is located at Ground Floor, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 12midnight. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 8018457.

Another branch can be found at Ground Floor, Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 12midnight. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 8243043.

New and familiar chicken flavors at Wing Zone, SM Megamall

While my daughter and I were waiting for her newly-ordered glasses from Sunnies Specs, we decided to have a late lunch at nearby Wing Zone.

Wing Zone was started in 1991 by then University of Florida students Matt Friedman and Adam Scott who sought to provide their fellow students who are burning the midnight oil or suffering from late night munchies with an alternative to the usual pizza delivery. They made the kitchen of their fraternity house into their test kitchen, trying out sauces and techniques for preparing their chicken wings. They sold out their first two nights of business.

Wing Zone has restaurants in 25 states in the US, and now, a branch right here at SM Megamall.

It has a spacious dining area with casual, sporty vibe further enhanced by the upbeat mainstream pop music is playing in the background.

Thanks to an Eatigo offer, we were able to enjoy 30% off on our orders:

Mozzarella Sticks (Php225 for regular). The sticks have a crunchy bite which contrasts nicely with the melted cheese inside, well-complemented by its accompanying marinara sauce.

Signature Boneless Bites (Php185 for 6 pieces) with Thai Chili sauce. My daughter ordered the boneless bites – lightly breaded chicken breasts coated with our sauce of choice – because she finds biting through wings bothersome. Recommended by our server, the Thai Chili sauce had an interesting fusion of sweet and sour, plus a bit of a spicy kick.

Strips (Php165 for 5 pieces) with Liquid Gold Sauce served on the side. These strips of chicken breast are marinated for 24 hours in a special spice blend, then hand-breaded fresh with every order. I found the Liquid Gold sauce – this resto’s version of honey mustard – a little too smokey for my taste.

Considering both boneless bites and the strips are made of chicken breasts, it is notable that they are tender and juicy.

Some areas that the resto can improve on are:

The serving portions. Our entire order fit into 2 itty-bitty plates. Wingzone should consider adding a few fries or other sides to the chicken servings just to add some visual volume to the dishes, perhaps?

An efficient way to call the wait staff. The wait staff’s station is located at the back of the store, well away and hidden from the counter where we were seated. I had to stand up and walk to the counter three times – once to request for the bill, second to ask a question about it and third to get the pitcher to refill our water – simply because I couldn’t catch the attention of the wait staff.

Wing Zone is located at the 2nd Floor, Mega Atrium, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 6374149. Another branch is slated to open in Glorietta Mall in Makati soon.

Register to Eatigo using this link and get up to 50% off your food bill in various restaurants in the metro as well as Php150 worth of rewards.