lowbrow – Jellybeans in the City

Craving for some excitement? A taste of adventure? A journey to the new and unfamiliar?

Why not try a cuisine that’s off your beaten path?

One of the eateries managed by Lowbrow Casual Restaurants, Flower Boy, operates a stall in The Grid Food Market and offers diners a peek into the bright and rich flavors of Thai cuisine.

Fried Squid Platter (Php440). Large rings of succulent squid, dipped in Sprite flavored batter then deep-fried to golden brown crispiness. Served with crunchy prawn crackers and Jaew sauce.

Bagoong Fried Rice (Php290). Steamed rice topped with scrambled egg and Flower Boy’s own recipe for bagoong made with shrimp paste, rendered pork fat, crispy ham, and tamarind.

Chicken Pad Thai (Php350). Flower Boy’s version of one of Thailand’s national dishes is made to appeal to the Pinoy palate but still keep to its Thai roots. This stir-fried noodle dish is savory, mildly sweet with lots of umami, thanks to its sauce which is cooked for three hours. It looks gorgeous and smells wonderful, too, wouldn’t you agree?

Mango Sticky Rice (Php250). A classic Thai dessert made with succulent mango slices served with sticky rice topped with toasted coconut flakes and coconut cream.

Thai Iced Tea (Php140). Thailand’s popular refreshment made with brewed black tea flavored with spices and sweetened with condensed milk..

Flower Boy is open for pickup and delivery at thegridfoodmarket.com. It is also available for dine-in at Stall 3 at The Grid Food Market, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati. It also delivers via GrabFood, FoodPanda and Pick-A-Roo.

For more details on its menu items and offers, follow Flower Boy on Facebook and Instagram.

The Grid Food Market is the resident food hall of Powerplant Mall which offers a wide range of flavors to cater to various cravings.

Check out my previous posts on other cuisines available at The Grid Food Market:

Just when you thought fried chicken is already “gasgas” (tired) as a food concept, here comes Bad Bird with its own bold statement: the umami fried chicken.

While many restos would tout the absence of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in their dishes, Bad Bird goes all out with it, using this ingredient in its natural and processed forms: dashi, mushroom powder, furikake, miso, and more!

Through trial and error, it has developed its proprietary fried chicken seasoning, the one that produces that umami taste, the inherent savoriness of fried chicken brought about to tickle and delight our taste buds.

On our way to another food adventure, fellow foodies Jen of SandUnderMyFeet, Nix of IEatAndIWander and I decided to sate our hunger at Bad Bird by pooling our GCs (the currency of the blogger microeconomy, hehehe). Our winning repast included:

Torched Corn & Cheese Chicken Plate (Php375). A huge piece of Bad Bird’s badass umami fried chicken – all crispy and juicy ready for our tummies – with our new favorite side dish, the torched corn kernels in cream cheese.

We added Bad Bird’s refreshing citrusy Homebrew Iced Tea to this meal set for just Php69 and upgraded the set’s original steamed rice to Dirty Rice (fried rice with bits of bacon, kimchi, liver and tamago) for just Php89.

Mango Rice Milk (Php170). A sweet and slightly tart shake made with fresh mango and Korean rice milk.

Garlic and Butter Crispy 2-Fry Wings (Php275). Six pieces of chicken wings tossed in the fragrant and flavorful garlic and butter sauce.

Rich Pork Noodles (Php265). One of Bad Bird’s filling noodle dishes where every noodle is bursting with umami.

By introducing new flavors to the classic fried chicken, Bad Bird has certainly revived the dish and remade it into something new to enjoy.

Did you know that if you and a friend ordered two drinks at Bad Bird, you can get the same two drinks free when you unlock your Zomato Gold privilege?

Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 (Buy 1 Get 1) deals on food and 2+2 (Buy 2 Get 2) deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use the code VOLT0979 to get 10% off the membership fee.

This Bad Bird branch is located at Third Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City, open daily from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 77539729.

Other branches may be found at:

Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Hole in the Wall, Fourth Floor, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati City
Ground Floor, Pedro Gil Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila