fried chicken – Page 5 – Jellybeans in the City

Have an Instant Party at Alex III, Tomas Morato

With the approaching holidays comes the much-awaited season of parties and get-togethers. Pinoys, in particular, love to celebrate with food, lots and lots of it. I recall my mom and titas slaving away in the kitchen, preparing their signature dishes for our family gatherings.

While I’m passionate about food, I’m not too keen on stressing myself out in the kitchen. Fortunately, thanks to a Foodie Meet-up held at Alex III’s Tomas Morato branch, I, together with my fellow foodies, discovered that I can treat my loved ones out to a feast of classic Filipino favorites, thanks to its Instant Party Menu.

Alex III’s Instant Party Menu consist of two sets of dishes. Both priced at Php2995, these feature home-grown Filipino party food enough for a group of five. These are all prepared and cooked with the same love and tradition that goes all the way back to Aling Asiang (or Mrs. Engracia Reyes), the matriarch of the family behind the Aristrocrat restaurant of which Alex III is an offshoot, being a business started by one of Aling Asiang’s grandsons.

Set One

This set includes:

Choice of 1 viand among Chicken Barbecue, Pork Barbecue, Barbecued Pork Belly and Whole Fried Chicken
Special Pancit Canton
Fresh Lumpiang Ubod or Lumpiang Shanghai
Kare-Kare
Crispy Pata
Steamed Rice

Set Two

This set includes:

Choice of 1 viand among Chicken Barbecue, Pork Barbecue, Barbecued Pork Belly and Whole Fried Chicken
Whole Fried Chicken
Whole Crispy Lapu-Lapu with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Camaron Rebosado
Special Pancit Canton
Shanghai Rice

Each set is served with garlic peanuts, a sushi sampler, your choice of soup (of which we sampled the Hototay and Sinigang na Salmon), bottomless iced tea and your choice of dessert (of which we sampled the Leche Flan and the Pandan Jellied Tapioca).

Both sets present diners with a combination of flavors that are dearly familiar, being dishes that were served during family reunions and fiestas when we were growing up. They also serve as a way for working moms like me to reconnect our present-day celebrations with the warmth and traditions of our childhood: that despite the hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles, we have a way to get together with our loved ones to exchange old memories and make new ones, while enjoying good food and good company.

With Alex III’s Instant Party Menu, the tradition of fun family celebrations with good food is made even better.

This branch of Alex III is located at Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Bayoran, South Triangle, Tomas Morato, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For reservations and queries, call +63 2 3711414 or +63 2 3711415. Its spacious, tastefully appointed and well-lit interiors make it a great venue for large family gatherings or office parties.

Other branches are located at:

201 Wilson Street, Little Baguio, San Juan City (open daily from 11am to 11pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 7240882 or +63 2 7264444)
29 Matalino Street, Diliman, Quezon City (open daily from 11am to 10pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 9261266 or +63 2 9268942)
53 Pontiac Corner Chevelle Street, Fairview, Quezon City (open daily from 11am to 10pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 3766286 or +63 2 3765179)

By the way, did you know that for your parties at home, you can have your favorite dishes from Alex III delivered right to your doorstep? Minimum order for delivery is Php500. For more details, contact the Alex III branch nearest you.

Disclosure: I attended the Bloggers’ Day held at this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Classic Filipino dishes with a twist at Locavore, Kapitolyo

I’ve been hearing a lot about Locavore Kitchen & Drinks in Kapitolyo for the past few years since it opened but having moved offices from Ortigas to Quezon City, I just haven’t had too many opportunities to explore the Kapitolyo food scene anymore.

Luckily, the fam was invited to a lunch treat by the in-laws at this resto which also served as our welcome break from hibernating at home due to the non-stop rain.

The recipient of the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Filipino Restaurant in 2017, Locavore champions local cuisine by revitalizing classic dishes with a new twist, no doubt influenced by the French cooking background of chef and co-owner Mikel Zaguirre. Its name Locavore sums up the resto’s culinary philosophy: a person who eats and appreciates food that’s locally grown, raised and produced.

The place has a decidedly young and hip vibe to it, with a nice blend of wood and industrial-inspired interiors, designed by one the resto’s partners, Eric Matic.

While waiting for the rest of our party, we munched on Salted Egg Gabi Chips (Php350) and Kinilaw na Tanigue (Php320). The gabi chips was a definite hit with me and my daughter #ExhibitA, both of us being fans of salted egg chips per se. Eating those kinds of chips made of a vegetable we don’t normally associate with snack food is actually an appetizing novelty. Also, the chips are accompanied by kimchi, chopped white onion and kesong puti, a local cheese made from carabao’s milk, the combination of which that produced an explosion of flavors with each bite. As for the kinilaw (the Pinoy version of ceviche), I liked the texture of the raw fish that has been cured in cane vinegar and aromatics. Hubby didn’t find it spicy enough for his taste, but I liked it just fine. 🙂

Once our party was complete, we feasted on main dishes that exemplify the concept of classic Filipino dishes given unique cosmopolitan twists. For example, the Boneless Lechon Belly (Php650) is a Cebu-style roasted pork belly that had a tender, mildly flavored meat with a crisp and crunchy skin. The Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken (Php270), has a thick yet crisp batter enveloping the juicy chicken (since this dish was intended for the little boys in our group, the wait staff served it separately from the spicy glaze). The Sugpo con Mayonesa (Php980) was a decadent dish of huge tiger prawns served with a rich sauce of aligue (crab fat), garlic, butter and Japanese mayo. The Ginataang Kalabasa (Php420) features the Pinoy version of the pumpkin cooked in gata (coconut milk) and accompanied by French beans, shrimp and sizeable pork chop slices; it’s definitely an upgraded version of the vegetable dish that Pinoy moms would force us kids to eat for our health. Not being a fan of curry nor spicy food, I didn’t sample the Green Curry Bicol Express (Php480) anymore.

Of course, the piece de resistance of the meal is the Sizzling Sinigang (Php550), the classic Filipino soup dish transformed into a sizzling viand. The sour sampaloc (tamarind) broth became a rich savory gravy that retained sinigang‘s characteristic sourness. Together with the sauteed French beans and garlic confit, it complemented the beef short-ribs slow-cooked to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

All of these dishes were wonderfully set off by the various options of brown steamed rice, garlic white rice and steamed white rice that we ordered to accompany the viands.

To cap the meal, we were treated to a tall tower of the house special Leche Flan (Php190), the Pinoy version of Creme Caramel, a rich and creamy custard served with a creamy caramel sauce on the side.

We experienced a minor panic when my son got some hives due to allergy to the shrimp and tiger prawns (which was unfortunate because shrimp is among his favorite food). Good thing sister-in-law came to the rescue with some antihistamine she happened to have handy.

Despite that, I’m happy to say that Locavore more than lived up to my expectations when it comes to food flavor and presentation, and I look forward to exploring more of its offerings.

This Locavore branch is located at 10 Brixton Street, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City (Tel: +63 917 684 2014). Other branches are located at:

Unit 5-7AB Forbeswood Parklane, Taguig City (Tel: +63 917 574 2017)
A1-A2 Three Central, Salcedo, Makati City (Tel: +63 917 178 2018)
Level 1 S Maison, Mall of Asia, Pasay City (Tel: +63 917 847 2747)

Barkada Brunch at Sunnies Cafe, SM Megamall

Being an introvert, I am happy to keep a small group of trusted friends who I can hang out with and dish on our pet peeves while enjoying good food. Our weekend meetup was several weeks in the making so we grabbed at the chance to come together when our schedules allowed it.

We decided to meet up for brunch at Sunnies Cafe at SM Megamall since it’s the location that’s easily accessible to most of us.

The cafe has a very posh vibe to it, with floor-to ceiling glass windows that lets diners look out into the bridgeway (and passersby to take in the IG-worthy decor of the resto).

My daughter, #ExhibitA, even tagged along to hang out with us #TitasOfManila (well, one of us is a Tito, hehehe!) as she claimed Sunnies Cafe as one of her favorite hangouts. She ordered a plate of Chicken and Pancakes (Php280) from the All-Day Breakfast Menu, which consist of country style fried chicken served with bacon and thyme pancakes, a sunny side up egg and some maple syrup, and a plate of Truffle Taters (Php190), which consist of large crisp potato cubes tossed with some parmesan and truffle oil.

I, on the other hand, opted to try something new: a Sunnies Risotto (Php370). A risotto dish made with grana padano cheese, bacon, an egg cooked sous vide, caramelized onions and homemade gravy, it turned out to be a bit too hearty for a breakfast meal. The caramelized onions also seemed too overpowering after a few bites. Fortunately, I got myself a cup of Hot Chocolate (Php140) to sip on; its rich chocolatey flavor is the dash of sweetness I needed as a break for the savory flavors of my meal.

My friends ordered Chicken and Pancakes similar to my daughter. One of them ordered Steak and Eggs (Php390) which we had to help her finish.

Sunnies Cafe is an excellent venue to meet up with friends for a leisurely meal. I would suggest ordering some of the lighter offerings like the Salmon Poke Quinoa (Php280) as the food may be too rich for most tastes.

That said, our group took full advantage of the laid-back atmosphere to chat up a storm and the cute interiors for our group photo opps.

This Sunnies Cafe branch is located at Second Floor, Bridgeway, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City. For reservations, call +63 2 7181862 or +63 917 7025829.

Other branches are located at:

B3, Bonifacio High Street, 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City (Tel: +63 2 9492251 or +63 917 7021158)
Corte de Las Palmas, Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City (Tel: +63 2 7776319)
Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

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The Max’s Group brings All You Can Wednesdays this June

Take your fill of all your favorite food this June with the Max’s Group’s All You Can Wednesdays promo.

The largest casual dining restaurant group in the Philippines, the Max’s Group will have eight of its well-known brands offer their best-selling products which you can eat all you want for only Php349 per brand, such as:

Fried Chicken at Max’s
Tacos at Pancake House
Pizza at Yellow Cab
Coffee and Doughnuts at Krispy Kreme
Beef Belly Strips at Sizzlin’ Steak
Ebi Tempura at Teriyaki Boy
Krispy Sisig at Dencio’s
Smoothies at Jamba Juice

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Click on the links above for more details.

This promo is available across 600 stores nationwide.

For tips on how to survive and make the most out of an eat-all-you-can scenario, check out my blog post here.

Check out my reviews of previous dining experiences at Max Group restaurants:

Got a taste of Bicolandia at Gata, Tomas Morato

Bicolano cuisine is characterized by spiciness and the use of gata (coconut cream): the spiciness gives the dishes a certain excitement while the gata gives them a distinct richness.

I’m not much of a Bicolano food fan myself (but I’m willing to give almost anything a try) so during lunch with my officemates, I found myself trying out a newly opened restaurant along Mother Ignacia Street – Gata: Flavors of Bicolandia, Atbp.

The resto’s interiors have a bright and airy feel; its walls are even adorned by a large colorful mural as well as paintings that depict food and food preparation.

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For our lunch, we ordered some of Bicol’s most popular dishes:

The ever-present Laing (Php235) made of dried gabi leaves sourced directly from Bicol
Adobong Bicolano Liempo (Php250), Bicol’s traditional way of cooking adobo characterized by the lack of sauce
Piniritong Manok ni Lola (Php230), homestyle fried chicken, cooked like how grandma does it 🙂

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The flavors are familiar and comforting but the serving portions are on the small side. That said, my dining experience here certainly merits another visit.

Update: I recently attended a Zomato Foodie Meetup held here. Together with fellow Zomato foodies, I was able to taste more of Gata’s signature Bicolano dishes such as:

Sinantol with Kamote Chips (Php190). Great for vegetarians, this dish pairs deep-fried kamote (sweet potato) chips with the tangy sinantol which consist of finely grated santol rind cooked in coconut milk.
Laing Bites with Gata Sauce (Php180). Another all-veggie dish, this features laing wrapped in deep-fried wonton and served with a homemade gata sauce.
Cocido na Buong Lapu-Lapu (Php495). Bicol’s version of Sinigang, it is less sour but still has a hearty broth.
Kare-Kareng Bagnet (Php330). At last I was able to taste this dish made of sizeable slices of pork belly served with a gata-infused kare-kare sauce.
Kinunot na Pagi (Php295). Flakes of stingray meat simmered in gata, quite a new foodie adventure for me! (Trivia: There’s a joke that when a Bicolano takes some gata to the beach, the sharks and stingrays get the hell outta the way!)
Halo-Halo Turon with Ice Cream (Php110). Classic halo-halo ingredients in lumpia wrapper then deep-fried and served with vanilla ice cream.

Gata: Flavors of Bicolandia, Atbp is located at Unit 3, The Grandia Place, Mother Ignacia Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City. It is open everyday from 11.30am to 3pm and 4pm to 10pm. For reservations, call +63 995 4627251.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato foodies, I was invited to attend a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. Food items specified here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Food nostalgia at Classic Savory, SM East Ortigas

Pinoys have an interesting relationship with food, particularly the tastes they have grown up with. A lot of the appeal of classic Pinoy fare has to do with the memories associated with the flavors you encountered during family gatherings and celebrations: the pancit canton that was your lola’s specialty, the turon that you used to munch on with your cousins for merienda and so on.

Such nostalgia came into play when Hubby and I took a break from shopping and errands, and dined at the Classic Savory branch at SM City East Ortigas.

This food chain started as a panciteria by the Ting brothers in post-war Manila, primarily serving lomi to its mostly Chinese clientele, before it introduced fried chicken to its menu, thereby attracting more Pinoys to its offerings.

That blend of Pinoy and Chinese flavors were present in the combo meal (Php485, good for 2 persons) that we ordered. It consist of a half chicken, pancit canton, fried rice, salt and pepper spare ribs, special turon and iced tea. Given its price and the mix of flavors, I think this is already good value for money.

This Classic Savory branch is located at 2nd Floor, SM City East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig City.

Ramen Choices at Ramen Nagi, Robinsons Galleria

Newsflash: I’m still in my ramen phase and the poor fam has no choice but to bear with me and my food choices.

That said, I don’t think they were too disappointed when we recently had our Saturdate lunch at Ramen Nagi at Robinsons Galleria.

Located at The Veranda, Level 2 of Robinsons Galleria, this ramen shop provides a unique experience to the ramen lover: the ability to customize your ramen experience.

You are given the choice of broth flavors: Butao King (its signature tonkotsu pork broth at Php390), Black King (broth infused with squid ink at Php410), Red King (the spiciest broth at Php 410) and Green King (broth infused with Nagi at P410).

From there, you can specify the following:

Richness of the taste
Inclusion of Ramen Nagi’s special sauce
Garlic taste
Pork Shoulder or Belly
Level of Spiciness, and
Firmness of the noodles

If you’re a ramen newbie like me, go for the chef’s recommendation (because he or she should know what tastes good, right?), but go easy on the spiciness, especially if you’re not much into heat.

I would also recommend adding a Tamago (Php60), a flavored egg that provides more richness to the ramen.

My daughter and I got ourselves bowls of Butao King, while the husband got himself a bowl of Red King. The little boy, on the other hand (being the only one who is not into ramen), had to content himself with an order of Chicken Karaage (Japanese fried chicken at Php250), which, sadly, he didn’t enjoy as much as the rest of us enjoyed our ramen bowls.

We also ordered a side of Gyoza (Php220) and a sheet of Nori (Php60) to nibble on while waiting for our order.

The service staff were attentive and helpful, prompt to answer our queries and assist our requests.

By the way, this year, birthday celebrants get free Butao King Ramen during their birth month. Remember, though, that you can only avail of this promo once (even though the originally announced mechanics indicated otherwise – a friend discovered this the hard, and apparently embarassing, way).

You can also check out my review of Ramen Nagi at SM North EDSA.

Lunch Stopover at Pancake House, SLEX

Driving home from our getaway at La Luz Beach Resort over the All Saints Day break, we stopped by at the Total Gas Station for lunch. We decided on Pancake House because its offerings are safe bets, especially when your picky eater son with you.

The resto features Pancake House’s signature orange-themed furniture and decor, with cute Halloween accents adding a more fun and festive air to the place.

The wait staff were quick to assist us with our dripping umbrella (it was raining pretty hard when we arrived) and usher us to a table.

We took advantage of an SM Advantage promo that entitles us to FREE two-piece Classic Pancakes (Php146) when our bill reaches Php700.

To reach this amount, we ordered:

Almondigas Soup (Php112). Many Pinoys grew up with this soup of steaming flavorful broth with miswa (rice noodles) and pork meatballs. Perfect for a rainy day!
Best Taco in Town (Php120). And it probably is! A crispy taco shell houses ground beef, lettuce, onions, tomato and cheese until they all find their way to your mouth.
Classic Pan Chicken (Php255 for 3 pieces) that Hubby split with little boy. My baby especially likes the buttery gravy that comes with the chicken and douses his rice with it.
Pan-Grilled Pork Belly (Php260). A thick piece of Cajun spice-marinated pork belly served with mashed potatoes and corn and carrots.

Together with the free pancakes, we had a filling meal that fueled us for the journey home.

This branch of Pancake House is located at the Total SLT, South Luzon Expressway, Malitlit, Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Mad for Steak at Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Easts, BGC

Mad Mark’s may be the go-to sandwich and ice cream place for some, but for me, it will always be a steak place. I do bless the day I discovered its Signature Steaks.

Oh, those slabs of tender, juicy and flavorful grilled beef! (served medium-well by my request, of course!) When partnered with Garden Grains (fried rice with bits of veggies thrown in), some corn and carrots and some dollops of homemade cream sauce, I already have a meal that I can (and do) look back on fondly.

I enjoyed this excellent repast at Mad Mark’s Creamery & Good Eats in Bonifacio Global City when hubby and I took our son to nearby Kidzania. Both hubby and myself ordered Signature Steaks (Php265 each; 150g USDA flat iron steak served with side dishes and your choice of sauce; he prefers his with plain rice while I like mine with Garden Grains) while the little boy preferred the Fried Yard Bird (Php170; fried chicken served with garden grains).