Daily Digest: Stuffed Wings at the Best Food Forward 2015

Who could resist buffalo wings? I mean really. If there's a non-Filipino food I would never say no to, it would be buffalo wings. The spicy, New York-style buffalo wings with bleu cheese dip. During the Best Food Forward 2015 weekend, I chanced upon this new buffalo wings stall. It looked like your typical buffalo wings but I just had to stop and ask about it because I found the price a bit too expensive -- P120 for two, TWO wings.

My bad. Apparently, I wasn't reading their price list in its entirety. The reason why it was expensive was because the buffalo wings were 1) deboned, and 2) it was STUFFED.

Buffed Wings

Buffed Wings is new in town. They introduced their Stuffed Buffalo Wings a couple of weeks back. Their buffalo wings are deboned and stuffed with a mix of rice, meat, vegetables and spices. Think buffalo wings stuffed with fried rice. It's like a meal on its own.

 Stuffed Buffalo Wings

You can choose one from three chicken flavors: Buffalo, Buffalo Wings Original BBQ Sauce, or Sweet Chili; and one from two dips: Ranch or Bleu Cheese. I went for the original buffalo sauce with bleu cheese dressing.

P120 for two stuffed wings, your choice of dip and flavor

It was a unique experience. Interesting concept and good choice of flavors. I liked how spicy their buffalo sauce was and how the bleu cheese dip complemented it (some "bleu cheese dips" claim to be such, but only taste like sweet mayo with bits of cheese).

Here's the however. However, I feel like there's something missing in their rice blend. I think they should either add or change their spice blend mixed in the rice. It doesn't go well with the buffalo wings. I'm not saying it doesn't taste good. What I'm saying is, they could improve the flavor of the rice blend so it could really complement the buffalo wings. They could also do away with the meat in the rice. The chicken wing itself is enough. The addition of the meat mixed with the rice inside the chicken just confuses one's tongue.

Either way, this is still a must try. It's a new concept plus, it's easy to eat. You have a complete meal with just one order. According to the owners, they still don't have a stall or permanent fixed location since it was their first time joining a bazaar. For more information, you can reach them in the number below.

Price: P120/serving (One Serving = Two Stuffed Wings)

4 out of 5 for Buffed Wings Stuffed Wings (the rice mix could be better)

Buffed Wings
0917 865 0801
0917 809 0516

Daily Digest: Wooden Spoon's Pancit Lang Lang

The past two weeks have been really stressful so food became our best friend. On the last day of midterms week, we decided to have merienda (mid-afternoon snack) in Wooden Spoon because I told my friend Pearl that I wanted pancit. Traditional pancit with the works. She suggested Wooden Spoon's afternoon menu because she swears their pancit (lang lang) is good.

Pancit Lang Lang

P175

I thought the noodles were a bit too overcooked because it looked and felt too soft. Whether or not it was overcooked became irrelevant because once I took a forkful of the pancit, the texture of the noodles mixed with the crisp adobo flakes on top and the poppy shrimp was just perfect! Add a squeeze of calamansi and you have the perfect afternoon snack post-exam. I had no complaints because she was right. It was good. Really good.

Price: P175

5 out of 5 for Wooden Spoon's Pancit Lang Lang

Wooden Spoon

Basement Level Powerplant Mall

Rockwell Center, Makati City

Daily Digest: Family Mart's Chicken Cheesedog Meal

Those who know me know that I cannot live without rice. I can eat a full cup of rice with just one tomato and be fully satisfied. Since I've been camping out in coffee shops recently because of midterms, I learned to take any rice meal come lunch/dinner time. As long as it had rice and some decent viand with it. 

So here's my recent rice meal discovery. It's inexpensive, filling, and surprisingly good. At P45, you get a cup of rice and a good chicken cheesedog with the usual condiments -- ketchup, mayo and mustard. Just make sure you get them hot. The hotdog becomes a bit chewy when cold (this is somewhat important when you use their utensils, given that they provide you with plastic utensils.)

Price: P45

4.5 out of 5 for Family Mart's Chicken Cheesedog Meal (sometimes they serve the hotdog cold :/)

Family Mart
Branches across Metro Manila

Daily Digest: More Adobo Flakes

Last week, I stayed up for 17 hours studying for our first ever midterm exam this semester. I was able to leave the coffee shop at around 2:30 AM but not without getting something on my way home. I know it was too late to eat a rice meal but knowing me, I would still grab something with rice over a sandwich or some snack. Since Army Navy was beside the coffee shop I just left, I decided to finally try one of their new breakfast items: Adobo Flakes.

I read good reviews about it but I'm very particular when it comes to certain types of food like sinigang and this -- adobo, so I was a bit hesitant. I eventually gave in and thankfully, I liked their version.

Army Navy's Adobo Flakes

P165

It tasted like adobo (not too salty, not too sour, and definitely not like beef pares), it was crisp (just how adobo flakes should be -- ALWAYS), and it came with garlic rice, sunny side up egg, and atsara. Forgive me for the photo. I was really hungry I couldn't wait to try it. This is one of the few adobos out there that I really liked, and for P165, this was definitely worth it.

Price: P165

5 out of 5 for Army Navy's Adobo Flakes

Army Navy

G/F Crossroads Building,

32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City

Daily Digest: For the Love of Soup

The rainy season is the perfect weather for everything hot. Hot chocolate, champorado, soup, you name it. The recent class suspension brought my blockmate and I to Wooden Spoon in Powerplant Mall. We were supposed to have a pre-agreed lunch but because of the weather, and me insisting that we have soup the day before, eventually led us to this: Beef Sinigang sa Bayabas (Guava).

Beef Sinigang sa Bayabas

P275

Guavas are supposed to taste a bit sour, right? Well, that's what we actually expected given that sinigang is supposed to be sour. However, (I think) the guavas they used in making this dish were a bit overripe already because the soup tasted so sweet! In the words of my friend Pearl, "Para kang kumain ng candy!" (It's like eating candy.) 

The only good thing about this dish was that it had generous slices of tender beef and vegetables. Too bad we weren't able to enjoy the hot soup. :( It was unbearably sweet. We already added fish sauce with crushed red chilies but it just couldn't overcome the sweetness.

Price: P275

1 out of 5 for Wooden Spoon's Beef Sinigang sa Bayabas

Wooden Spoon
Basement Level Powerplant Mall
Rockwell Center, Makati City

Daily Digest: For the Love of Adobo

Today's exams were suspended because of the typhoon. More study time? Yes. But first lunch. 

My blockmate, Pearl, and I agreed to have dinner at Wooden Spoon after today's supposed exam. But since it was suspended, we decided to have early lunch before hitting the books. She's been craving adobo flakes that's why we ended up in Wooden Spoon. 

The Adobo Flakes was great! Shredded and crisp, this is how it should always be. The only different thing about Wooden Spoon's version is that it came with a really garlicky mayo sauce. One would would expect the typical soy-vinegar adobo sauce on the side but nope. Wooden Spoon serves their adobo flakes with this creamy and really garlicky mayo sauce (which was surprisingly amazing too). I've already mentioned that I prefer the traditional version of dishes, but this is one dish with a twist I'm willing to come back for too.

Price Range: P150/person

5 out of 5 for Wooden Spoon's Adobo Flakes

Wooden Spoon
Basement Level Powerplant Mall
Rockwell Center, Makati City

Daily Digest: For the Love of Rice

This is my first "digest" for my Quickie Series. Our first midterm exam this semester was torts. We pretty much had the whole weekend to study for it but at that time, it still felt like the weekend wasn't enough. I had been awake for 17 hours last Saturday, and yet, the reviewing still wasn't over. I decided to study somewhere near our apartment the following day so I went to Century City Mall. 

I decided to have lunch first so I can just camp out in the coffeeshop afterwards. Most of the restaurants that fit my budget at that time were the same restaurants we had in Rockwell (Banana Leaf, Rustan's Marketplace). Big no. I was eventually left with two choices: Burger King, which had a chicken with rice meal, or Isla Cafe, a "stall" which serves Filipino food though a bit more pricey than Burger King. In the end, I decided to go for Isla Cafe since I can get a fried chicken meal almost anywhere I go. I just made a compromise and chose the more inexpensive dish that still had rice.

Cafe Isla

Basement Level, Century City Mall

(near Rustan's Supermarket)

The Arroz Caldo was a steal at P130. It had the works (well, except for the chicaron)! Hardboiled egg, spring onions, toasted garlic, and a twist -- chicken inasal strips instead of the usual boiled chicken. Cafe Isla was also very generous with the calamansi. People who know me know that I love, love, love calamansi! I need at least five pieces to add to my palabok or arroz caldo, and they very much complied with my request when I asked for more.

Serving-wise, I approve. It wasn't the usual regular-sized bowl but it wasn't too big too. It felt like the serving was made especially for me! Not too big, not too small. As for the taste, the chicken inasal strips did add more flavor and twist to the dish but I prefer the traditional version. I'm not saying it wasn't good, it was delicious. I really just prefer the classic version (and this is coming from someone who, as mentioned, prefers the more traditional version of dishes.)

Would I try it again? Definitely. I won't add some fish sauce next time though. The flavor of the inasal strips is enough to cover the "touch of saltiness" part of the dish.

Price Range: P50 to P225/person

5 out of 5 for Isla Cafe's Hacienda Style Arroz Caldo

Isla Cafe (Robinson's Magnolia Branch Facebook Page, but it's the same company)
Lower Ground Floor
Century City Mall,
Makati City

Digests: The Quickie Series

So.. I've decided to come up with a new "section" in my blog. In law school, we have what you call "digests". These are the shortened or summarized versions of the cases we have to read for class. It can be helpful, most times, especially when 1) you haven't read the case, 2) the case is very long, 3) the professor calls people in random during recitation, and/or 4) you actually read the very long case but you have no idea what the subject is looking for or what the issue is supposed to be. 

Since law school started, I haven't had the chance to explore new cuisines, new restaurants, new hole-in-the-walls. Not just because of the change in my schedule but because most of the time, these new restaurants have servings fit for more than just one person (and c'mon, who tries just one dish in a new resto? Where's the fun in that?!) I know I have a big appetite compared to most girls my size but sometimes, even that does not work. It's just so hard resisting that other main course because it looks oh-so-good, and the next thing I know, I have too many leftovers. Fortunately, the stress and the heavy load that this semester has brought upon us forced me to eat in new places (since I had to look for new study spots), ordering just one type of dish (enough to satisfy my hunger because I still have to stick to a weekly budget and mostly because I've been studying alone to focus more), and discovering new food finds in the process! 

As I've mentioned earlier, digests are shorter, summarized versions of cases. Since I've been eating by myself recently, I decided to post Penggorasbox Digests -- quick, short reviews of dishes, snacks, drinks, anything edible I come across in the course of my "studying". These reviews will feature just one dish compared to my other food reviews that usually include the whole enchilada. Stay tuned! :)

Daily Digest: Poor Man's Fish

I will always, always, always love fried galunggong. Especially if paired with hot sinigang soup and soy-calamansi-chili sauce. I usually get to eat this only when I go home to my momma's house but thankfully, a restaurant finally decided to include this oh-so-delicious fish in their menu!

Coco Hut just opened a store in Bonifacio Stopover and they serve this delicious fish all day, everyday! They also have other Filipino dishes and their famous fried chicken on their menu but if you know me, you know I'd pick the fish in a snap.

Poor Man's Fish

P175

The best part about this meal is that it comes with some kind of squash mash. It sounds icky, yes, but it goes well with the crisp fried fish and the soy-calamansi-chili sauce. It may not be hot soup, but it's the closest I could get to hot soup and a side of veggies.

This is a MUST TRY, believe me.

Price: P175

5 out of 5 for Coco Hut's Poor Man's Fish

Coco Hut Fried Chicken & Fish
2/F Bonifacio Stopover
Rizal Drive corner 31st Street,
Bonifacio Global City

Open 24 hours.

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