Taiwanese Invasion: ChickenZilla

I guess by now, you know how much Gus and I love food. A few days ago, we decided to drop by Banchetto Forum after work to eat. We had something in mind already since we've been going to Banchetto for quite some time now. We had regular food stalls we'd go to for certain dishes, but we would still go around at least once, to see if there was anything new. (We usually discover new food spots whenever we're out, or whenever we visit old places.) Like always, something caught our attention. CHICKEN CHOPS.

The first time I tried chicken chops was almost a year ago. I discovered this chicken chop shop inside Theater Mall in Greenhills. I know fried chicken is very common in the Philippines but because of my obsession with Chinovelas and everything Chinese, I was instantly attracted to chicken chops.

What are chicken chops anyway? A chicken chop is a big fillet of chicken, breaded and fried, then peppered with chili and your choice of spice. It's like a big chicken fillet, but instead of gravy, different spices are sprinkled all over the breading to give it flavor. This is apparently a big hit in Taiwan. A common snack that the Taiwanese have everyday, so I was instantly hooked.

 The photo above is NOT mine.

The image is courtesy of this website.

 

While we were looking around Banchetto, a Chinese guy invited us to try his product. He was selling chicken chops! It was their own recipe, developed after seeing it in Taiwan. They had samples available so we decided to try it. And since I am a fan of anything Chinese (or Taiwanese), I decided to try it. They had three sizes available: Junior, Regular, and Jumbo. Since we weren't sure about it since it was our first time to see the stall, I just got a regular-sized chop with rice. We had to wait for a few minutes because they cook the chop upon ordering. They also give you the option of selecting how spicy you want your chop to be.

SPICE LEVEL                         SIZE
            100+%                         Junior    P79

             100%                           Original  P89

               75%                           Jumbo   P105

50%                                  

25%                                  
0%                                

Aside from the chili powder, they also add other flavors, depending on your choice. During our night out, we decided to try their Plum-flavored Chicken Chop. According to the owner, it is one of their best-sellers. The sweetness of the plum mixes well with the spiciness of the chili powder. Their other flavors include mushroom, pepper, and BBQ. I tried the sampler of the mushroom-flavored chicken chop and I liked it too. But I have yet to try a full piece before making any judgements. :)

For only P99 (P89 for the regular-sized chicken chop + P10 for rice), I had one BIG meal. The regular size didn't look regular to me. Gus and I could've ordered extra rice and shared.

Look at those pieces!

I couldn't believe how many pieces of chicken cutlets I got. I thought the regular size was enough for one meal but I was mistaken. After finishing my cup of rice, plus a few more pieces of these chicken bits, I still had enough pieces left for pulutan (drinking snack).

The regular size could definitely be shared by two people.

This is definitely worth trying. It's not your typical bland chicken covered in flavored breading. The chicken meat was tasty enough, the spices complementing it. The only thing I didn't really like about this meal was the rice. It wasn't freshly cooked and I thought it was a bit too dry. Then again, it is difficult to keep freshly cooked rice in a food market like this. But for a rice lover like me, having a hot cup of rice with any dish is a must.

Price Range: P79-P105/person

4.5 out of 5 for ChickenZilla

ChickenZilla

Banchetto Food Market

beside Robinson's Forum