4 Fingers Crispy Chicken in Manila

Tweet

By Lea Paz Torre

Almost everyone loves chicken, be it chicken ginger stew (tinola), roast, adobo, or just plain fried chicken. I bet anyone, minus the alektorophobic and those allergic to chicken, has a favorite chicken dish to picture in mind.

With the opening of 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken in Manila this year, chicken lovers have yet another addition to the loop of their must-try chickens in town. 4FCC boasts its double deep-fried chicken. As the name suggests, the chicken is twice-cooked, evenly fried to eliminate fat from skin. 

“It involves Korean-style which is double deep-fry, but some elements are Singaporean,” says Alfonso Hortaleza, President of Mindblowing Delicious Food and the first Manila franchisee of Singaporean food chain 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken.  Korean-style fried chicken involves deep-frying and various seasoning before and after it is cooked, another food craze that hits Filipino taste.

4FCC’s chicken wings are individually hand-painted and coated with special soy garlic sauce.

 You can request if you want it spicy. I always want my chicken in that way.  

Best moment is when you bite the juiciest part of the chicken. Somehow it’s crisp on the outside and soft in the inside.

All about Chicken

Spicy chicken katsu sandwich with kimchi coleslaw is another favorite. The sandwich is filled with chicken bits and healthy concoction, and it’s similar with our own empanada.

If you want a lighter meal, try the chicken wrap with perfectly mixed avocado, lettuce, cheese and tomato salsa.

Their double deep-fried chicken is in a burger too.

Enjoy it with fries or crispy calamari.

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken

SM North Edsa Ground Floor

Website: http://www.gimme4fingers.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Gimme4fingers.Philippines

Read more ...

Aubergine Restaurant and Patisserie

Tweet

By Lea Paz Torre

Authentic French Cuisine at its finest is what the Aubergine Restaurant and Patisserie  endeavors to offer to its customers.  Located at 32nd St. of  Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, the Resto always becomes the target of dating couples and even families on celebrations, for its romantic and cozy ambiance.

At times, it serves specialty set menus perfectly crafted for an occasion. I've once tried their Valentine's Day Degustation menu. I know this is a bit overdue, but their food is pretty worth the post! 

First on the list is the red salmon "Amuse Bouche".  Apparently, in French degustation, you have to delight on bite-sized starter first before taking the appetizer. Wiki says it literally means "mouth amuser" in French.

The very tender duck foie gras was served together with fig confit cake as appetizers. Yes, I've got to taste duck liver again after ages.

For the soup, you can choose between corn soup with scallop and lobster soup with crayfish. I choose... both!

Finally, the star of the menu, the oven-roasted lamb rack for main course was served. And this time, with wine.

I enjoyed watching this smokey Red Berry and Champagne Sorbet. This was served before the ricotta cheese with strawberries, the dessert. The sequence is actually crucial because your taste buds need to get some variation to better appreciate each fare.

The menu is "more on the sweet side, " says European Chef Stefan Langeham of Aubergine. There's really no need to complicate the taste. They make dish as authentic as possible. 

For reservations, you can e-mail the restaurant at dine@aubergine.ph or call (+632) 856-9888 or (+639) 17-557-1675/ (+639) 49-641-9468.

Read more ...

Chef Boy Logro's Yum Yum Yum Yum Treat

Tweet

By Lea Paz Torre

What you see is what you get. It may seem cliche' but I really love how spontaneous and dashing Chef Boy Logro is whether in television or in person. Aside from his culinary prowess, I think his funny antics brought him new fame and popularity. Those simple yet mouth-watering recipes plus his clever tricks always capture the heart of his fans and viewers.

 

I've been to Chef Boy's school in Cavite, the Chef Logro's Institute of Culinary and Kitchen Services or CLICKS and I saw how students enjoyed the cooking activities from their hands-on mentor.

For the Omelet project, Chef Boy taught them the tourne' cutting or the method of shaping vegetables for garnishes.

While cooking, Chef is assisted by his daughter Matet, who seems to be following his footsteps.

Chef bathed the chicken lollipop in wine and sweet chili sauce. Looks yummy! Well, it is.

Last dish of the day is Pork Salpicao. He always reminds his students not to be afraid of the fire, just the way this recipe was cooked.

Catch Chef Boy Logro on his noon time cooking show Kusina Master. It airs Monday to Friday (before Eat Bulaga) on GMA Network.

Read more ...

Food and Wine Pairing at Tosca

Tweet

By Lea Paz Torre

Some dishes are best served with wines, at least for Tosca, an Italian Restaurant at Dusit Thani Makati known for its wine and dine offering.

Food and wine pairing becomes a staple here, as their wide selection of wines grow in number. Yes, they have more than 200 labels of various wines from around the world. I've had the chance to taste some of the light ones. Ah, they're good.

Light wines should be matched with light food like salad says Katherine Santos, the Marketing Director of Happy Living Fine Wine . So this garden fresh salad in orange balsamic vinaigrette honey melon and grilled prawns should be paired with sparkling white wine.

US fillet mignon steak is partnered with Sauvignon Napa Valley Wine.

And this panna cotta with saffron and pineapple-orange carpaccio is never perfect without Founders Estate Pinot Noir.

Beware of mismatch. Doing so will ruin your fare.

Good news for wine enthusiasts. Tosca has a Wine Stock Market every Wednesday. It starts at 6 PM where a bottle costs PhP 600.  Price increases every hour by PhP 100 until 9 PM,   so better come here early.

Read more ...