Caught in the crossfire

Of the food chain war, that is. These wars have been in our midst for quite some time - both perceived and palpable. Perhaps, it's the "war" (competition, of course, is the better word) between Jollibee and McDonald's that is the most obvious and perhaps the longest existing. And then, there's the rivalry between Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donut, Red Ribbon and Goldilocks and others. In very recent years, a new war of two food chains emerged -- between Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy -- with the bone of contention being barbecued chicken (plus pork, in the case of Chic-Boy). Mang Inasal started in Iloilo in 2003 and became wildly successful that by 2012, there had been almost 500 stores opened nationwide. It popularized (not started, take note) the "unlimited rice" concept, which probably catapulted it to the top spot in the list of the most popular restaurant chains in the Philippines, aside, of course, from its great-tasting Ilonggo-style chicken barbecue. Since Mang Inasal serves huge chicken portions, many people are not satisfied with just one cup of rice, thus unlimited rice appeals to a lot of consumers. Well, Filipinos are really a bunch of rice eaters, aren't we? Anyway, many people know, of course, that 70% of Mang Inasal was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation in 2010 for a whooping sum of P3 billion. 

On the other hand, Chic-Boy first opened its door to the public in 2010, but to date, it already has over 120 branches. I never realized there's been fierce competition between Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy until last year when I found myself reading a forum wherein fans of each of these two chains cast their vote as to which one served the best-tasting roasted chicken.To this day, however, though I've eaten at both Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy, I can't cast my vote because what I eat at Mang Inasal, I don't at Chic-Boy and vice versa, so there's no point of comparison. Though I'm figuratively caught in the crossfire, I don't know which camp to run to. I'm just quite happy that there are now more food chains offering food that is truly Filipino (at very affordable prices!) and that you can go to them when you get tired of hamburgers and pizza.

Recently, my youngest child and I were at Chic-Boy along Quezon Ave. in Quezon City and these were what we had:

Cebu Lechon Liempo, P125. Good!

Pork Barbecue, P45.

Spaghetti with iced tea, P57. My son says it's delicious.

Chic-Boy stands for Chicken at Baboy (pig or pork). Cute logo!

Ice cream, P30 per scoop.

Soup is complimentary.

Soy sauce, vinegar, barbecue oil (left-right).

The little boy just loves ice cream.

Meanwhile, my family and I have eaten at Mang Inasal on several occasions since 2010, the last being on New Year's Day 2013. On those times, these were some of what we've tried in their menu:

Pecho with rice, P99. Our all-time favorite!

Pancit Bihon, P49. Quite good, too!

Dinuguan at Puto, P49. I love this as well.

Pork Sisig, P99. I haven't tried this but my son loves it.

Halo-Halo, P49. The ice cream is forlorn-looking but this halo-halo is quite good.

Mang Inasal used to have Calamansi Juice on their menu but it has been scrapped.

Mang Inasal has a simpler logo.

Soy sauce, chicken oil and vinegar. I love Mang Inasal's chicken oil. I pour a lot of it on my rice. :-)

Inside Mang Inasal along Tandang Sora Ave. in Quezon City.

Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy: Which one's for you? Both have branches scattered all over 
Metro Manila and in some areas, they're right beside each other.:-) 

Deliciosa comida!

Dulcinea has been around since 1963 but it was my first time eating there three weeks ago or in early January. Since Trinoma Mall opened in 2007, I rarely go to SM North Edsa anymore (to avoid the huge crowd) but I'm glad I did that Saturday afternoon, tagging along my daughter, because I got to see restaurants that are not found in Trinoma. One of such is Dulcinea, a restaurant known for serving Spanish cuisine like Paella Valenciana, Lengua Estofada and Pollo Rollo. Dulcinea, however, is more synonymous with Churros con Chocolate. A churro, according to Wikipedia, is a fried-dough pastry dipped in hot chocolate and usually eaten for breakfast. It can be considered as the Spanish doughnut. Churros we were not drawn toward on that occasion, however, as my daughter and I had other things in mind (and they're not Spanish. haha!), even for dessert. I had set my eyes on the Fish Fillet Sandwich, while the daughter could not be swayed from having Pesto Linguine. And how we both enjoyed our meal! The pasta, sandwich and fries all tasted great and were extremely satisfying. We ended our meal with a slice of Sans Rival which was delicious as well, although the coffee which I paired it with was not really awesome. I hope to be back soon to Dulcinea for lunch to try their paella. :-)

Fish Fillet Sandwich with Fries, P99.

Pesto Linguine, P190.

Sanz Rival, P62.

House Blend Coffee, P60.

Iced Tea, P50.

Other Dulcinea branches are at SM Megamall, Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 1, Glorietta 4, Greenhills Shopping Center, Robinsons Galleria, Tomas Morato, Ali Mall, Eastwood, Power Plant Mall and SM City Fairview. 

Food for warmth

Pretty cold these days, the nights especially, huh? Even at noontime Monday last week, Pam, my co-worker-friend, and I were still feeling a little cold, what more with an overcast sky. Thus, at the nearby Panciteria Lido restaurant (near our office, that is), it didn't take us long to decide to have something to warm our tummies for lunch. Wanton Mami for me, Beef Brisket Wanton Mami for Pam. As side dish, I went for Bola-Bola Siopao while Pam had Chicken Feet. My soup was mildly seasoned (there's no overwhelming flavor, which was good to me) , comforting and filling. The siopao, however, wasn't much to my liking. I sampled Pam's beef wanton mami and chicken feet and liked them as well. Overall, it was a nice second time for me at Panciteria Lido. A third time is in the offing, for sure, as there's so many other things I'm looking forward to trying here.

Wanton Mami, Solo, P80.

Chicken Feet, P75.

Beef Brisket Wanton Mami, Solo, P85.

Bola-Bola Siopao, P65.

Chili sauce and toasted garlic to make my day. :-)

Inside Panciteria Lido

Bigger, better burgers indeed!

Though I love sandwiches, I'm not really a burger person and I could go for months, even a year without a hamburger. So when we were about to eat at Big Better Burgers, I wasn't excited nor eager, I felt I just wanted to try something new. In fact, when I was actually at its branch at the Robinsons Magnolia mall, I didn't go for a burger but a fish fillet sandwich. My two kids, however, ordered burgers - my daughter a sandwich (with fries and drink) while my little boy chose to have burger steak with rice. The two allowed me to have a taste of their burgers and was I impressed! They do make very good burgers at Big Better Burgers! The patties were big and thick, juicy and flavorful! What's more, they're not fried but grilled, thus are healthier - a bonus! My fish fillet sandwich was not to be left behind, though. The fillet was crusty and crunchy on the outside but tender inside. Yummy! Even the fries here were delicious. Though they came in thick slices, they were no way soggy. They tasted great, too. I'm convinced they were the best fried potatoes I've had in my four decades (Well, a little over. Hehe.). I was definitely sold about the food at Big Better Burgers. And good eats deserve a repeat, don't they?

Bistro Rice, P115.

Fish Fillet Sandwich, P130.

It's as delicious as it looks.

BBB Value Meal with fries and iced tea, P140.

Skin on fries, P60.

Big Better Burgers has around 11 branches around Metro Manila. Go find one near you and have a good burger today. :-)

Aussie for an hour

Australia fascinates me although I've never set foot in that country. Why am I interested in the land down under? It's because my favorite band vocalist was Australian - Michael Hutchence, probably the sexiest man alive while he was living. Haha! Michael was the vocalist of the rock band INXS which was popular in the '80s. He lived a fulfilled, colorful rockstar life but he stunned the music world when, in 1997, he took his own life at the age of 37. I've finished reading two books about the life of Michael Hutchence, and stories about his childhood in Australia enchant me the most. 

Before Christmas 2012, while malling at SM North Edsa with my second child, we stumbled upon Kangaroo Jack and I learned when I read the menu that it's an Aussie restaurant. I scanned the items and thought, "So these are what Australians eat. These were what Michael ate." Haha! After much contemplation, these were what my daughter and I ordered:

Pasta, Clubhouse and Soup Combo Meal, P135.

Creamy mushroom soup (came with my meal).

Mini Burger, Chicken and Pasta Combo Meal, P125.

The mini burger was so cute I had to take a closer shot.

Cafe Americano, P35.

Iced Tea, P35.

Strawberry ice cream, P50. per scoop.

I loved everything on our table. Haha! My carbonara, fries, and clubhouse sandwich were tasty and satisfying. The soup was good too. My only complaint was that my bowl was only half-filled. :( Also, I wished they didn't put chocolate syrup on my ice cream because it made it way too sweet. My daughter loved her food, too. At one point, I noticed she was almost done with everything but her mini burger was still untouched. "Saving the best for last, huh!" I commented. "Yeah," she agreed with a smile. She was as enthralled as I was with the cuteness of the teeny weeny burger. Hehe. What made me happier, though, were the affordable prices at Kangaroo Jack. I definitely want to go back here to try their steaks and experience Aussie dining once more. :-)

Yuletide eats

What added to your waistline during the holidays? With all the Christmas parties and New Year revelry we attended and did, I'm pretty sure everyone was stuffed and gluttonous. My family spent Christmas in our hometown in Quezon so I was fortunate to just lay back and wait for Mom to finish cooking before I get to taste what she prepared. Haha! My mother, who is now 84 years old, makes really mean morcon, I tell you. She does this special beef dish only once a year, served as "queen" of our Media Noche spread, which makes it much anticipated. For this year, however, Mom made morcon in time for Christmas because we wouldn't be welcoming the New Year with them in Quezon but in Manila. As always, it was very delicious, even better that those I've tasted in some restaurants. I have yet to learn making morcon from mother, though, and I hope to do that this year. Anyway, aside from morcon, Mom also fried some chicken marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, while my brother-in-law cooked kare-kare and pancit bijon. My two daughters, on the other hand, prepared carbonara which was perfect! I'm so proud of my kids. Their carbonara was heavenly even though it was their first time preparing this pasta dish! As for me, I did the eating. Haha!  

Mom's mouthwatering morcon.

Fried soy chicken somewhat burned on the surface. Haha! Still good, though.

Delicious kare-kare by bro-in-law.

Mom's yellow rice (rice mixed with corn).

My kids' carbonara. T'was the first time they cooked this but it was perfect!

My bro-in-law makes really mean pancit bijon.

To welcome the New Year back in Manila, I prepared spaghetti and tacos while my daughters made the desserts - refrigerator cake using broas (ladyfinger), and coffee jelly. We had barbecue too but I just bought it from Andok's. I was a little bit sad because I wanted to prepare a special Media Noche spread but failed to do so because I still had to report to work on December 31 and also January 1 and thus had little time to cook. And to top this, my househelp went on vacation to her boyfriend's place in Rizal on December 30th and returned only in the afternoon of January 1. Needless to say, she was of no use at the time I needed her most. Sigh...Oh well, better luck next New Year. Hehe!

My spaghetti.

Pork barbecue from Andok's.

Tacos.

My taco. Notice the large-cut cabbage strips. Hubby cut them. Hehe..

Garlic toast by my eldest daughter.

Refrigerator cake also by my eldest daughter.

My second child's coffee jelly.

For dinner on New Year's Day, my family plus two nephews ate at Mang Inasal. It wasn't a very good idea, though, because at a little past 8 p.m., they had no more soup, no chili (very important to me and my nephew JC) and no more dessert! Aaargh! But since I came from work and we had no more time to go the mall after hearing the 7-8 p.m. mass, we settled for Mang Inasal which is the only restaurant apart from Jollibee that is near our place. Still, it was a happy occasion for the family, especially since my two nephews, the sons of my sister who passed away on this date (January 2) 11 years ago, only get to stay with us for a few days during summer and Christmas.

At Mang Inasal, Pork Sisig.

Chicken Pecho.

Dinuguan at Puto.