FoodMetroManila

My girlfriend and I were walking down the Eastwood Citywalk and couldn’t decide where to eat. Then this beauty popped out of the blue, well not really.

Wingstop is right after Rue Bourbon. This used to be The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf that was right across their bitter rival Starbucks. It was only 9 am but the place opens at 10 and we couldn’t afford to wait one hour just to eat. So we were relegated to staring at the menu through the glass. We made an agreement to try it some time later and just went to grab some quick sandwiches. We already had our appetite set on eating spicy wings and were bitterly disappointed.

If you’ve been reading some of the previous posts (I like to think people actually read them) you’ll probably understand why my girlfriend is excited about this place. She-loves-spicy-food!

This is a Philippine franchise of an American chain of restaurants that focuses on chicken wings. The Philippine version serves  chicken wings, tenders, bites, a few sides (fries and rice) and some drinks that include CBTL canned caffes. CBTL Holdings Group owns the franchise, the same company that brought The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to ‘Pinas.

I picked my girlfriend up one day for a weekend getaway and we decided to get a light breakfast first. I was running some options to her including the newly opened early bird breakfast club in Eastwood Mall. Then we both remembered Wingstop and our previous agreement and went straight there.

Cajun Fries

Looking around the web, it seems that the Cajun Fries are new additions to the menu. The rice meals are also new, and the chicken bites we ordered were as well.

These fries are so aromatic. They were cooked perfectly, soft with a crisp exterior and a good bite, not mushy. The spice is not overpowering and just enough to stimulate your palette.  You really need to have a drink handy, however, as the powder will grab on to your throat.

Chicken Bites: Mild Buffalo

We just decided to get chicken bites because we didn’t want to eat something heavy but still get to try the awesome sauces. I’ll be talking about it in a few, but we both were not in the mood to eat chicken in their hottest sauce (Atomic) after they gave us a taste test. I got Mild Buffalo because I love buffalo wings but didn’t want it to be so spicy.

This is exactly what buffalo wings are supposed to taste like. It’s buttery, I get vinegar, and of course the spice. The spice on this is akin to tabasco sauce but again does not overpower. I loved these, especially in these bite size pieces.

Taste Test: Atomic Sauce

Here’s why it’s hot. It has Habanero Pepper.

Looking at the Scoville Scale it has 100,000 to 350,000 units and the fourth hottest so far. To put things into perspective, Siling Labuyo goes from 50,000 to 100,000 units. My girlfriend tried it and actually took a step back, albeit after a couple of seconds (this girl is awesome), from the spicy kick of the sauce. I immediately felt the burn and wimped out.

If you’re adventurous, get your chicken with the Atomic. But be forewarned, their only dairy products are some pricey ice cream and you have to buy one. Believe me you need dairy to counter pepper heat.

Chicken Bites: Louisiana Rub

It’s a dry rub, what else did you expect?

The chicken itself was juicy and cooked perfect. The dry rub, was really dry though. It features cayenne as it’s pepper and is actually weaker than our Siling Labuyo. This is pretty tolerable, but you really need a drink to get it down due to the dryness of the rub especially if you’re eating it with the Cajun Fries.

Ruminations…

This was a quick visit so it was not an extensive review. I love the ambiance, it makes me feel that I was younger. Like somehow you’re supposed to be eating at places like these when you’re still in college. The sauces/flavors are fabulous. We would definitely be back to tackle that Atomic sauce at a time when we’re more relaxed and in condition to fight evil.

It’s a simple, straight-forward menu but has a lot of depth to it with the different flavors. It’s taking what they do best and delivering on it everytime. Sometimes simplicity is optimal to give a good dining experience. The staff, especially the girl on the counter (apologies on not getting her name) was very accommodating and eager to walk first timers through the entire menu.

This was not a solicited visit by Wingstop or anyone connected to it. I will always post reviews on this blog after eating in the place as a civilian. One of my goals is to influence restaurants to uphold their standards every time to ensure that they only give the best to their patrons. In this case, it was a pleasant experience and I hope they keep it up even as they continue to expand.