mozzarella sticks – Jellybeans in the City

The city of Marikina is home to a lot of foodie destinations: some may be quite off the beaten path but some are endearingly familiar.

One of these familiar establishments is Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar located along Gil Fernando Avenue. Having opened in February this year, it’s conveniently situated to cater to residents of the surrounding areas.

In my family’s case, it’s the perfect stopover on the way to our staycation destination in San Mateo, Rizal.

During our several visits, we filled up on its delicious menu items, such as:

Create Your Own Salad Adventure (Php225) with Chicken Tenders (Php75)

We have proven that eating healthy need not be boring. With the Create Your Own Salad Adventure, we enjoyed fresh and crisp lettuce greens, pickled cucumber slices, tomatoes and crisp tortilla strips with our choice among three salad dressings (Caesar, Roasted Sesame and or Citrus Vinaigrette). We even made into a more filling dish by adding some juicy chicken tenders (alternative add-on proteins include shrimps or peri-peri chicken).

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (Php150).

We can all be a little cheesy every once in a while. With a few mozzarella cheese sticks, we can be a lot cheesy! Biting into crispy breading that gives way to warm gooey cheese is a great way to start any meal!

Peri-Peri Chicken Grupo (Php1,049).

It’s often quite a challenge to find a group meal that will satisfy the appetites of everyone in the family. The Peri-Peri Chicken Grupo stepped up to this challenge with awesome curation of flavors.

It starts with the Peri-Peri Chicken, a dish that originated from South Africa characterized by its appetizing blend of flavors and juiciness. The restaurant brings this world-famous dish by marinating a whole chicken overnight in a special mixture of peri-peri (bird’s eye) chili, herbs and spices. The chicken is then charcoal-grilled until it reaches that gloriously golden hue, resulting in a peri-flavorful and juicy chicken with every bite.

Peri-peri Chicken is best enjoyed with one or a combination of the restaurant’s eight signature sauces. These represent various gastronomic preferences, ranging from mildly sweet (Cajun Remoulade, Hoisin Sesame and Sweet Soy), medium spiciness (Garlic Brew, Spiced Vinegar and Mesquite BBQ) and fiery hot (Chili Peppa and Harissa Exotica).

To complete the group meal, the Peri-Peri Chicken is served with four cups of java rice, four side dishes and a liter carafe of house-blend iced tea.

Half Chicken Plate (Php430 with 1 side).

At one time, our party included two more persons so we augmented our group meal with a serving of half peri-peri chicken served java rice and pastels de nata (Portuguese custard tart).

Our lunchtime stopovers at this Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar branch always bring a smile to our faces and satisfaction to our appetites!

This outlet is located at 6 Mayor Gil Fernando Ave, Marikina.

Other Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar outlets are located at:

Las Pinas: Evia Lifestyle Center
Makati: Ayala North Exchange, Greenbelt 3
Mandaluyong: SM Megamall
Manila: Robinsons Place Manila
Marikina: SM City Marikina
Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center
Paranaque: Ayala Malls Manila Bay
Pasay: Resorts World Manila
Pasig: SM City East Ortigas, Ayala Malls Feliz, Capitol Commons, Robinsons Galleria
Quezon City: Eastwood Mall, Gateway Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, UP Town Center, Trinoma Mall, Banawe, Brittany Square
San Juan: Promenade Greenhills
Taguig: Uptown Parade BGC, Market! Market BGC, Venice Grand Mall

To enjoy this feast at home, order from Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken’s delivery website or call +63 2 73747374 for Metro Manila orders and +63 917 7747374 for provincial orders.

To know more about Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, browse through its website , or follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Check out my previous posts on Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken:

Peri Peri Chicken, SM East — Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, SM City East Ortigas

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Tomas Morato

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Capitol Commons

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.