southern fried chicken – Jellybeans in the City

Find yourself needing a little bit of comfort lately?

How about some good ole’ comfort food, the kind that envelops you in feelings of warmth and familiarity, just like coming home?

Chances are, you won’t have to travel far to treat yourself to delicious comfort food, thanks to House of Lasagna.

Since 2009, House of Lasagna has been serving up these homey flavors, starting from the time when founder Chef Erick Congmon expanded the reach of his homemade creations beyond his family and friends by opening a hole-in-the-wall outlet in J. Abad Santos in San Juan. Today, House of Lasagna has presence in three cities in the metro and one in Lipa, Batangas.

Together with my fellow foodies, I visited House of Lasagna’s main branch along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City to sample some of its celebrated comfort food.

These included:

Truffle Mushroom Lasagna (Php350 single | Php1,240 half tray | Php2,440 whole tray). Of course, our meal included one of House of Lasagna’s namesake dishes. This rich creation is composed of al dente lasagna noodles layered with rich creamy sauce made with shiitake mushrooms and white truffle. A welcome variation of the classic lasagna most of us are familiar with!

Southern Fried Chicken Skin (Php200 single | Php380 party). One of Chef Congmon’s family recipes, this crunchy and crave-worthy appetizer consists of seasoned chicken skin, deep-fried to a delicious golden brown and served with a side of vinegar dip.

Lemon Pepper Flavored Southern Fried Chicken (Php329/6pcs | Php649/12pcs | Php999). Flavorful wing pieces that are crispy and juicy to the bite but with a bit of lemony zing that will make this dish truly memorable

Classic Margherita (Php599). One of House of Lasagna’s stone-baked pizzas, this Neapolitan pizza is made with tomatoes, mozarella cheese and fresh basil. Simple enough when it comes to ingredients but it’s big on flavor and texture thanks to its crispy edges and bottom.

Frozen Brazo Vanilla (Php750 for 8x8x2in tray | Php1,050 for 8x12x2in tray). The classic Brazo de Mercedes dessert gets a makeover, adding a graham cracker crust and a layer of vanilla ice cream to the original custard filling. A decadent treat for dessert lovers!

Ultimate Ube Halaya (Php820 for 6in round | Php1,590 for 9in round). Another homegrown dessert gets upgraded into a decadent pastry which consists of moist ube-flavored sponge cake, a filling made of real ube halaya (jam made of purple yam) and covered with white chocolate truffle frosting.

With such delectable comfort food to be had, you won’t give in to the blues, would you?

Drop by House of Lasagna to treat yourself to its homey goodness! Its branches are located at:

240 Aguirre Ave. BF Homes Paranaque, Paranaque City
218 Katipunan Ave, Project 4, , Quezon City, Metro Manila, Quezon City
3/F Dela Rosa Carpark 2 Bldg., Dela Rosa St. , Brgy. San Lorenzo Legaspi Village Makati, Makati
Ground floor, SM City Lipa Batangas, , Lipa, Batangas

You may also order online through its website, which covers delivery in Metro Manila, Batangas (Lipa, Tanauan, Padre Garcia, Rosario,Cuenca, San Jose, Mataas na Kahoy, Malvar, Sto. Tomas), Cavite (Kawit, Imus, Bacoor), Laguna ( Biñan and San Pedro) and Rizal (Cainta, Taytay, Antipolo, Angono and Binangonan). It accepts payments via GCash, Visa and Mastercard.

To keep updated of its latest promos and offers, follow House of Lasagna on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting held by this restaurant wherein food items were served at no cost to the attendees to facilitate honest feedback.

The food of the American South is known for down-home comfort and hearty flavors.

One of the best known dishes that Southern cuisine brought about is the fried chicken: a viand with a rich and somewhat dark history.

Fried chicken is believed to have originated from the tradition of Scottish immigrants of deep-frying chicken in fat (as opposed to the English who baked or boiled chicken).

The dish has also become interwoven into the identity and cuisine of the Southern people, especially among the African Americans. In the 1800s, enslaved and segregated African American women were only allowed to own yard chickens. They would prepare the dish during special occasions (because the ingredients and flavorings were quite costly in those days), and eventually, they became noted sellers of poultry in the South.

Today, fried chicken is acknowledged as “soul food” and has branched out beyond the US to countries such as the Philippines where it became almost a staple dish.

The culinary roots of Southern fried chicken are re-explored and re-invented in a new restaurant in Mandaluyong called Alabama Mamma.

Here you can get a taste of Southern-style fried chicken by the bucket (Php399 for 6 pieces | Php499 for 8 pieces | Php499 for 6 pieces with rice and drinks for 4 people) or by the platter (Php80 for 1 piece with rice | Php 150 for 2 pieces with rice | add Php10 for drinks).

You can also opt for tender and juicy Chicken Wings (Php199 for 6 pieces) doused in your choice of flavored sauce from the Classic Buffalo, the slightly street barbecue-style Manila Wings, the kid friend Butter and Calamansi Butter and the rich Liver Pate.

These iterations aptly demonstrate how versatile fried chicken can be.

Biting into a piece of Alabama Mamma’s fried chicken is a piece of Southern comfort. Try it out for yourself!

Many thanks to Ms. Ani Conanan and the crew of Alabama Mamma for the meal and to Harvard of AlwaysHungryPH for extending the invitation!

Alabama Mamma is located at Ground Floor, Cluster Anaheim, California Garden Square, Domingo M. Guevarra Street, Barangay Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City. For inquiries, call +63 917 8384668.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself

Tag: southern fried chicken

Come home to delicious homey flavors at House of Lasagna, Katipunan

Southern fried chicken at Alabama Mamma, California Garden Square