Garando's Top 5 Chicken Wings

I've been hunting for the best chicken wings in Manila since 2004 and I thought I'd share my list of the best chicken wings around!


Garandee says chicken wings are best eaten with your fingers and I totally agree. There's nothing more satisfying than sucking the meat off every bone, then tossing it over to an empty plate or bucket. Besides, picking on the small thing with a spoon and fork just looks really wrong.

On to the list...



#5 Firefighters
This was a small fastfood restaurant in Libis that IMO, served the best chicken wings at that time. Their buffalo wings were spicy, juicy and tasty.. match it with their blue cheese or honey mustard dip and it's a sure winner! Too bad it's no longer around, I never got a chance to take a photo..


#4 Yellow Cab's Hot Wings
Around the time Firefighters closed down, along came Yellow Cab. The pizza's ok but I'm not too fond of the after-taste that came with the spices they used. The chicken wings however, was Firefighters re-incarnated and even better! They're bigger, juicier and crunchier!! Wish it came with the dips though...


#3 Hooters' Chicken Wings
My love for chicken wings started in the U.S. during my first visit to a Hooters branch. We ordered 50 pcs of breaded goodness and I was totally hooked after that. Now you can just imagine the excitement I felt when I heard out about Hooters in SM MOA (Mall of Asia).

Though I don't think it's worthy of the "Hooters" brand ("Hootlets" is more appropriate if you ask me... ehem!) the wings are almost as good as the ones in the States. Best of all, they have the dips!


#2 Garandee's Asian Wings Trio
Dee totally surprised me with these Chinese, Thai and Japanese inspired chicken wings! Chinese was deep-fried, very crunchy with that "home-cooked" familiarity you'd come to expect. Thai was done in a similar fashion, but had a hint of green curry for that extra spicy kick. Japanese had a subtle sweet-shoyu flavor topped with sesame seeds for that authentic nippon taste. Three kinds of chicken wings in one sitting, she sure knows how to make me happy!


#1 Garandee's Roasted Rosemary Chicken Wings
This takes the cake! It's slow-roasted making it very tasty, succulent and healthy. Perfect with Dee's chili pasta with baked cherry tomatoes marinated in balsamic vinegar and extra vigin olive oil. It's so good it makes my mouth water as I type this post, not to mention this is always a big hit with our guests.

Well, that's my list of the best chicken wings. If in case you're interested in the the recipes of #1 and #2, leave a comment and I'll ask Garandee for it. Trust me, #1 is so good!


Garando mode:
Now back to my oatmeal and normalizing my cholesterol...

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"Signature" Restaurants in Manila: Conti's

I have this thing about popular "signature" restaurants in Manila: Alba's, Antonio's, Abe, Som's, Razon's, Amicci's, Sango, etc. All do exceptionally well in setting high expectations for food bloggers/connoisseurs by serving outstanding grub! No matter how simple or fancy their menu is, you'll always find yourself leaving with a bloated stomach and satisfied burp.

Now there's Conti's... Garandee and I would always find one around the corner whenever we'd go shopping, and the place was always packed during lunch & dinner. Did it make it to our list of ICHIBAN "signature" restaurants? Here's what we ordered...



Garandee ordered:
Chicken Roulade with Saffron Mushroom Risotto - P145 + P25 (upgrade)


Despite the generous serving of gravy, it doesn't connect with the taste of burnt, blackened chicken skin. It seems the chicken was grilled enough to achieve just the right bitterness. And the risotto, oh the risotto. I never knew you can actually mold it! kewl, but you're better off with plain rice. trust me.

Garando ordered:
Pastel de Lengua (ox tongue) - P210


What's a coaster doing on top of my lengua? Oh! It's the baked crust! I moved that out of the way and I was delighted to see at least 3 chunks of lengua under all that potato and mushroom. Taste was ok, but nothing to write home about. IMO, P210 was way too much for 3 chunks of lengua, a coaster, and 2 tiny scoops of risotto (probably cost me P80 each). So mahal, but why so Conti?

Dissapointed: Maybe we ordered the wrong entrees because I heard some good things about the Baked Salmon and the Mango Bravo. I guess we'll probably visit Conti's again someday... I kinda feel guilty for stealing that coaster and was thinking of returning it.

Garando mode:
I have a bad cold... Read More......