KFC's BBQ Rods

Just recently, KFC started re-promoting a new offering called the Barbeque (BBQ) Rods. To put it simply, it's an original recipe chicken fried [not barbequed, as the name implies] with a special "barbeque sauce" that makes it different from other menu items in KFC. They have released it before, but it seems they put it in the backburner until recently. Not being able to try it before, I ventured today and tried it out for lunch. To say the least, it was an interesting choice. For 85Php (the price of this meal as of this time of writing), you get two BBQ Rods, one serving of "Java" rice, and your choice of regular drink. Here's my snap on my meal. 

The sauce is sweet, and gives it a bit of a barbeque feel, and since I tend towards sweet sauces, I found it enjoyable at least. The rice was uhm... yellow, but I don't recall Java rice being white and yellow, so it felt like it was a half-hearted effort to make Java rice. That might just be the order I got, I'm not sure about others. The Rods themselves are okay, though I got the impression that I was eating KFC's Fun Shots on a stick. It had the same bite sized chicken, and fried and prepared the same way. All in all, it was an okay dish. Would I try it again? Sure, it's something different, although I don't see it becoming a long-time staple for KFC.

Banchetto in Cubao

While walking around Cubao, me and my dad bumped into a row of food stalls right outside of SM Cubao. Offering a wide variety of choices for food from viands, pizza, pasta and dessert, it is proof that banchetto is alive and well in Cubao. But as we spoke with.some of the people there, this is a this weekend only event in line with the big 3 day sale of SM.

Here's my haul from last night:

Soy Garlic goodness brought by Bon Chon Chicken

Special flavored home-made chicken has been a staple of so many restaurants around the world. Wherever you go, there's always a resto or two that has a special recipe that regularly draws its patrons on a regular basis. Thanks to the recommendation of my Team Manager Bebot, I might have just discovered one.

Bon Chon Chicken brings to life its home made recipe with its top secret [presumably, top secret] spices to a wider audience. Already hailed in many countries like the United States, Singapore, and Dubai among others, this Korean resto brings to Manila its own blend of both hot and soy-garlic recipes to the Filipino audience full of foodies left and right.

Having gone to two branches [SM Megamall and the one near Eastwood] this past week, it is very clear that I'm late to the party. Then again, eating good double fried chicken is a good thing no matter how late I am. I've tried both hot and soy-garlic recipes and both are really good. Their double frying technique seems to be really pat down as the chicken remains really crispy, without sacrificing the overall quality and texture of the meat.

... and the sauce! Scrap the KFC gravy, this top secret recipe should be revealed!

Note: Be patient. My experience has been to wait around 10-15 minutes before getting a seat since there are so many people waiting in line. Imagine Max's Chicken All You Can promo on a daily basis.

McDonalds now has grilled food

McDonalds recently launched a new offering for their loyal customers and may be an attempt to possibly health conscious eaters. Grilled food is generally accepted as a healthy alternative to fried food and in this vein, Mickey D's shows off two new items in their menu.

How does it stack up? Well, to say the least, I was disappointed. While it claims that it is made from "100% chicken muscle", and it may be so, but the serving size sure seems very small.

You might think, well the patty is bigger than the sandwich bread itself, or may be questioning what I expected coming in. I expected a fairly regular sandwich, but for the price, it is too pricey. The patty is thin and after a few good bites, it's gone. Did it taste nice? Well, it was a bit tangy and is surely different, it is not as good as I hoped it to be. Also, considering that McDonalds has a much thicker chicken burger for one-third the price, it is not such a good deal for me.

How about having it with rice? Well, it sure looks enticing, and it does work pretty okay as a McDonalds dish. After all, one cannot expect fine dining at a fast food restaurant. At least, not at McDonalds. The only problem is that while the picture I have here looks oh so good, that's roughly the size of their small chicken fillet, which can be purchased for half the price with a drink.

Taste-wise, it is okay. Nothing horrible, and the sauce is always something different and can easily be appreciated. The only issue I have with this on their menu is the price. Would eating grilled food from McDonalds be worth that much premium? My two cents say no, then again everyone has their take on it.

McDonalds has a limited Coke Can Glass promo

I just saw this today, and I just had to get one. In particular, I got the blue one.

I'm not sure about the duration of this limited offer, but if anyone's interested, it can be had for 25Php each, with a value meal purchase [excluding the 50Php McSavers meal].

First, they come up with a glass that has the same contour as the classic Coke bottle. Now, they have a glass that has the shape of the Coke in can! I wonder what could come up next in this McDonalds-Coke partnership.

Krispy Kreme has a GOAL for Father's day 2011

Doughnuts and coffee shop Krispy Kreme is surely not letting off on the promotions to bring more people into their stores. While they continue with their tie-in with the Green Lantern movie, they also take the opportunity to remind everyone that this upcoming Sunday, June 19, 2011 is Father's Day.

Though football in general is only starting to take root in Philippine soil, the company opted with this theme for their Father's Day offering. I'm not sure, about it though, because the Philippines is still a basketball-heavy nation, as evidenced in the just recently concluded NBA Finals. Still, the Philippine Azkals might have something to do with it.

What doughnut is this, you might ask? It is a chocolate doughnut with confectioner's sugar outlined to form the football design on top. I was discussing this with my friend and photo provider Peej Rainer on how the sugar was placed on top with the said design, and we did not arrive to a firm conclusion on how it was done.

Yes, Krispy Kreme DOES serve their doughnuts with forks. Don't laugh.

You might be wondering, this is a pretty plain boring doughnut, but here's something I did not expect initially: it has Bavarian filling inside. As a fan of glorious bavarian from other doughnut companies, I'm pleasantly surprised to say the least.

Krispy Kreme gears up for the Green Lantern

With DC Comics set to take center stage later this month with their own superhero movie offering, Krispy Kreme doughnuts surely took the time to work a partnership with Hal Jordan and his associates, and they come up with a limited edition flavor just for the occasion.

So, what makes a Green Lantern doughnut, you might ask? Their promotional poster was more than helpful in that regard.

How did it go? Well, to say the least, it DID have Hershey's chocolate, just not the whole doughnut as it sure seemed like when I was reading it out. There is a piece of Hershey's chocolate under the green jelly. In simpler terms, it is not as I had hoped it was. Then again, I might have been expecting too much for a promotional-only, movie tie-in doughnut which only aims to get sales mainly from the movie it is helping promote. Whew, that was long.

Special props to my good friend Peej Rainer for the pictures. You sir, are awesome.

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Cooling down at White Hat

Frozen Yogurt is one of the newest hot things going on these days. From various stores offering their own variation of the frozen treat, and even Google naming one of their Operating Systems' version 'Froyo' in honor of this dessert, it sure looks like Frozen Yogurt has arrived and is here to stay.

One such store is located in Gateway, and I've been a regular for the past month or so. The store is called White Hat. Making the claim that Italian Frozen Yogurt is 98% Fat Free, it gives customers so many topping choices, from various chocolate candies, fruits, even cheesecake, the possibilities are endless. It is a perfect alternative to ice cream, that's for sure.

Bear Brand brings out their version of Yakult

So it surely looks like Yakult isn't the lone dog running the probiotic drink show these days. Last week, while walking around the neighborhood [and seeing that everything is closed due to the Lenten holiday], I stumbled upon what looks to me like Yakult's new competitor.

I tried it and wasn't too impressed. It doesn't have the same taste as Yakult, which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask, but more like milk mixed with a teensy bitsy amount of Yakult. Then that's Bear Brand's Probiotic drink.

Are you... Wafu?

So, just middling around Eastwood netted me this new snack from Oishi. It sure looks like a cheese-flavored Stick-o packaged in individual sticks, per se. That's fine, although I'm not sure who would buy it one stick at a time, but hey, that's their choice. However, I'd like to ask... why name it Wafu?



As far as I know, the term "Wafu" pertains to someone who is handsome, or in general terms, is awesome. From the original tagalog word "gwapo", I encountered the term during my online gaming days, but hey, back on topic. Why name it wafu?

Mystery Meatballs

The power of marketing can turn just about anything into something delectable. That's a fact. I think that's how Jollibee managed to hike up interest in their newest budget meal. Their 39ers have always had its set of supporters because it's both filling and inexpensive. However, while I find nothing particularly wrong with their latest offering, there's just a question that begs to be answered.



Jollibee, who I think is the biggest fastfood chain in the country, is now offering Sweet and Sour meatballs in their menu. I've tried it a few times and it's pretty A-OK to me, outside of the question: why are the meatballs black? That's not a racist question, I am merely referring to the meat on the inside. Is it pork, is it beef, is it alien meat, or something entirely different is something I couldn't tell.


Jollibee Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Watermelon Sprite Float

The meatballs themselves don't really have any defining sense of taste, prolly because the sweet and sour sauce [which is identical to the sauce they use for their lumpiang shanghai] is all over. It works for what it's intended for, the budget meal that can fill you up without forking over too much dough. I just couldn't figure out why the meat is black inside.

Mini Stop's Strawberry Banana Chillz

Summer's coming just around the corner, and it sure seems like the good folks at Mini Stop are starting early with their cold offering. In the same vein of fruit combination shakes like Mango Banana and Pineapple Orange, Mini Stop's Strawberry Banana Chillz just hits the spot, and is a good fruit combination overall.



The dispenser for their chilled goodness. The flavor to the left is their original, Mocha flavored drink.



26 Pesos for a 12 ounce cup, which should be more than enough in most cases.



Just had to bring that brand name in. I'm guessing that this should be available in all Mini Stop branches nationwide. Living two blocks away from one definitely helps.



At the end of the day, this is a good way to cool down. I normally get home at around noontime during workdays, so this is a somewhat nice day-ender for me. As the tag line itself says, Perk up. Chill Out.

Brothers Burger gave me the Blues

I love burgers. I think that is very much evident in the number of places I frequent for either a.) a quick bite b.) a taste of something new c.) comfort food. I am no stranger to Brother's Burger. I wrote about it before and raved about the awesome freshly grilled burgers they have.

I went and looked to try out one of their so-called "Designer Burgers" called the Blues Brothers. Well, what does it contain, you might ask? Well, grasshopper, let me list it down for you:

- Half pound grilled burger patty
- lots of creamy blue cheese
- mushrooms
- bacon
- lettuce
- a couple of slices of tomato
- kaiser buns

These things aren't cheap, the burger alone costs Php285 (roughly around US$ 6.30), and it was HUGE. What's left for me to do, you might ask? Well, take a couple of snaps of it, of course!



I took a bite, and for some reason, it felt strange. At first, I thought it was the sauce, or just a bad combo of the bacon, cheese and burger. I took another bite, and it sure felt hard for me to finish the whole sandwich. I'll say this: Blue cheese has an acquired taste. It's just not for me. I'm pretty sure some people like it, but as far as I can tell, it should not be for burgers. Here's another snap, I guess to finish this off. I'm quite disappointed, but of course I still finished the meal. It was much more difficult finishing this one, though. It felt like a chore!

This is Carrot Juice... seriously?

On my way to work, I normally drop by the nearest convenience store before heading into the office. I happened to see this new Carrot Juice by Pokka and was drawn into it. I'm not really up for the healthy stuff, but I'm curious regarding the taste. I got one and before I opened it, I read on the label and took a snap.



A quick sip got me thinking that I might've gotten the wrong can since this tastes exactly like concentrated orange juice and nothing like carrots. Upon further review, it's more orange than carrot juice, but is actually packaged as a carrot juice. What's wrong with this picture?

Guilty Pleasure: Shakey's Mojo Potatoes

While thinking of this entry's intro, I kept on thinking on how to start this journal without going straight to the food I'm writing about. I came up with two entry points: comfort food, and potatoes. I'm a fan of both, but what I'm writing about doesn't seem to fall as comfort food, mainly because I define comfort food as something that I reach out for and eat in huge and unhealthy amounts whenever I'm feeling down, depressed, or both. I couldn't do a decent intro that deals with potatoes in general, and I don't really want to copy elsewhere, which led to this first paragraph. Wow, I got away with having a first paragraph that has zero relevance to the topic at hand! I'm a geeh-niuzzz! Kidding.



Now let's see: What exactly are mojo potatoes? They are evenly cut deep-fried potatoes which may be crispy on the outside, but are soft and fluffy on the inside. These potatoes are deep fried with it's own recipe batter. It comes with your choice of dip. It is an awesome addition to Shakey's line of pizzas. There are some days that I go to Shakey's for them instead of their pizza.

The potatoes alone are already great on their own, but the different dips perfectly compliment them. Two options are currently available: garlic or caesar. I normally go for the garlic dip and for me, it just works. Make sure to give it a try.

Wendys' Steakhouse Baconator

This new offering from Wendy's drew my interest. The world's 3rd biggest fastfood chain has dressed up their Baconator with various toppings [See: Bacon Mushroom Melt Baconator, and Mexican Baconator], as they try to lure in consumers to their stores, and compete with the top 2 [McDonalds and Burger King]. Since I'm a few blocks away from a Wendy's Restaurant, I tried one out. One might wonder what a Steakhouse Baconator consists of, so without further ado, here's the contents:

2 beef patties [which are always bigger than the bread]
6 strips of bacon [which for some reason is never cooked crispy, and I end up eating a whole strip in one bite]
sauteed or caramelized onions
mushrooms
Wendy's hamburger buns

Without further ado, here's a couple of snaps before I gobbled it all away. Nice burger, for sure. For the meal's price of almost 300Php (USD 6.50) for the Steakhouse Baconator, large fries and Wendy's Lite Iced Tea, it better be, since it is quite a pricey offering.