Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger

Wendy’s is one of those foodie places that evoke memories of my youth. In the ‘80s when I was in high school and Wendy’s still had a branch in Nagtahan, my elder sisters would buy fresh garden salad (the one that you build as high as you could!) and fried chicken there once in while, especially on a certain day in November of each year when the househelp and I would do general house cleaning prior to putting up our Christmas decors, as a treat.

 In the years that followed when my sisters got married and moved out and I too, started building a family of my own, I was eventually weaned from Wendy’s especially in more recent years when Wendy’s-Nagtahan closed shop. Last month, however, I got to get myself re-introduced to Wendy’s in its T. M. Kalaw corner Taft Ave. branch after Sunday’s worship service nearby. Well, I thought Heart Evangelista looked pretty on the poster outside and the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger she was promoting looked tempting. And so I got one for myself, and ordered some other things for my daughter – fried chicken, fries, etc.

The Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger, P158. Looks like a mess, I know! I didn't do anything to it, I promise, 
except take it out of the box.

1-piece fried chicken with rice, P86.

Baked Potato with Bacon and Cheese, solo, P49

French Fries, large, P62.

Macaroni Side Salad, P49.

Fresh Iced Tea, biggie, P65.

Nice view of Times Plaza and trees from where we sit, across T. M.Kalaw St.

The brewed iced tea here is the best for me.

Wendy's at the corner of Taft Ave. and T.M.Kalaw

My verdict on the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger? Bleeh. What soft bun were they talking about in the TV ad (I heard it, right?)? Mine was everything but soft! it was a huge disappointment. The bun seemed like it had been left sitting around for two days!  As to the burger patty, good, yes.. and you can't go wrong with bacon and melted cheese. But the tough bun ruined everything for me...sigh..I hope it's not like this all the time. All the other things I liked, though, especially the Baked Potato with Bacon and Cheese (lots of bacon bits and cheese. yummy!) and my old favorite drink, the Fresh Iced Tea (so refreshing and because it's brewed, there's none of the instant iced tea taste). If only for these two, I enjoyed my return to Wendy's and I certainly want to visit again.   

Pain before pleasure

Sometimes, it pays to eavesdrop. Hehe. Last Saturday, my eldest daughter and her beau were talking about their day's 'itinerary' over breakfast when I heard about 'Zark's'. "What???You're eating at Zark's today?" I blurted out, my eyes sparkling with excitement, I was sure. In about three hours, they were there - at Zark's Burgers on Taft Ave. - with me. Haha! My other daughter and I had long planned to eat there on a Saturday before worship but due to her busy schedule at church, we haven't done so. The planning started after I read how big Zark's burgers were a few months back. My eyes widened seeing pictures of their Jawbreaker and Tombstone burgers which to me were really heart attack in between a sliced bun. Haha! They're that big! No, tall. Hehe. Anyway, thanks to my eldest daughter and her sweetie for tagging along mom to the first leg of their date (They went to Star City afterward without mom already, but of course. Hehe). 

But arriving at Zark's which is front of De La Salle University, I was shocked to see the long line outside! Good thing there were chairs all around and nobody needed to stand up in wait. But I came close to deciding to leave and just eat somewhere else because I was already having hunger pangs. But..oh well..sayang naman, I thought. This was my chance already so I persevered..even if it took some 30 minutes before we were finally called inside. Whew! Talk about pain before pleasure. Oh well..pleasure it was, yes, to finally be eating the burger 
of my dreams. Hehehe. 

Zark's Ultimate Burger, P130

Black Mamba burger, P120.

American All-Star, P120.

Nachos Galore, P85.

Deep-Fried Mars, P125.

The server gave us one free glass of iced tea. :-)

We enjoyed our burgers to the hilt! The patties were thick and juicy with a balance of flavors. My American All Star burger, as described in the menu, is classic bacon cheeseburger. My daughter's Black Mamba is cheeseburger 'in a bed of fresh lettuce, tomato, sauteed mushroom and caramelized onions then topped with a special rum sauce' that tasted like barbecue sauce to me. My daughter's beau's Zark's Ultimate Burger has cheese sauce, fresh veggies and topped with sauteed mushroom and bacon. Mustard added to our extreme burger bliss. All our burgers were 1/4 pounders, by the way. 
But before we had these, we whetted our appetite (as if there was a need for that. hehe) with nachos and bacon in a cheesy sauce. It was so good and the serving was huge it almost made me full with little room left for my burger. By the way, we added just P25 each to make our burger come with fries and a glass of iced tea. I didn't like Zark's fries, though. They were soft and bland. Anyway, I wasn't able to eat all of my burger but my two companions 'labored' to finish everything so that they they both felt full to the brim and wanted to sleep after eating. Haha! So, this was the feeling of everyone after eating at Zark's, probably the reason there's a small 'lying-in' area over at one side of the restaurant. No kidding! Hehe. Still, we cared for some dessert and so we had Deep-Fried Mars which is really fried battered Mars chocolate served with vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled 
with chocolate sauce. 
It was an unforgettable experience eating at Zark's with their really big and delicious burgers and kind-to-the-pocket prices. I was bragging about this to my hubby when he got home from work that Saturday. I knew he was envious but tried to look unperturbed. Hehe. 
I wish to be back there to try their other offers such as their buffalo wings and fish 'n chips.  See you there!
P.S. There a Zark's Burgers branch in Katipunan Ave. in Quezon City and another in BF Homes, Paranaque.