Four Dirty Fingers Are Better Than Your Middle Finger
Long before I found the audacity to write my own food blog, a hot craze was sweeping the nation from north to south. These winged creatures were taking the country by storm: from the invasion of BonChon to the local upstarts Chicken Charlie and Manang's Chicken. All three offered basically the same concept: the double-fried technique, drizzle them in your top-secret sauce, toss in a cup of rice, and you're in the game.
No fuss, no frills. Nothing fancy. Until one day, while watching Pop Talk on TV, I found one secret that I was so reluctant to share (hence this delayed post). This secret was so good that I would raise four dirty fingers to all three chicken champions. 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken was quietly hacking away at the competition, fighting for a coveted spot atop the chicken pedestal. Tucked ostensibly inside the deep bowels of SM North Edsa, 4 Fingers attempts to bring its own brand of uniqueness.
When one has tried the top 3 double-fried wonders, the palate often grows tired of the taste and too often they all tend to taste the same. But this is where 4 Fingers delivers a brash attempt to stimulate your other senses. We ordered two combo meals, and this was the delightful surprise.
Get those dirty fingers up!
Each meal came in a military-type tin box, which gives 4 Fingers its own distinct image. Whenever I see a tin box now, I'm reminded of that sumptuous chicken meal! But there's more than meets the eye.
Drumstick Rice Box (2 pcs), P129
My first reaction when I saw what was inside the box was, this was bigger! Each drumstick seemed larger than the other chicken chains. I immediately doubted that it might just be an illusion of the breading. But as I took my first bite, I was wrong. It was really big! In addition, the sauce penetrated deep down to the juicy meat, rendering each bite a wonderful experience. The same savory sauce was drizzled on my cup of rice, and that alone was heaven. (You know, of course, that Filipinos love to virtually drizzle whatever sauce there is on their cups of rice). I had 2 complaints, however: the rice portion was a bit meager (come on, you're giving 2 lovely pieces of chicken and I have to contend with this portion of rice?). And of course, even if missus and I ordered "hot", there wasn't even a remote presence of hot in there. Maybe we were used to eating spicier wings (we could tolerate Buffalo's Nuclear), but it simply did not suffice. IMHO, Chicken Charlie is the top spice, Bonchon is halfway (we always order double glaze of spice), and Manang's was all ditsy. 4 Fingers? Well, maybe just below Bonchon. Still, with all that pizazz going on with their presentation, I expected a heftier kick!
Chicken Rice Box, P119
If you adore wings more than the drumsticks, then you can opt for the chicken rice box which comes with 3 pieces of wings. And this is where it gets tricky. The wings seem a bit smaller, at first glance. But the taste more than makes up for it, and there is still more meat in there than it actually looks. Still, I would rather go for the 2 piece winner than the wings. But, to each his own.
Iced Tea (small), P25
Drown each lovely bite with their own iced tea with a hint of raspberry or some sort. A perfect combination to the powerful flavors of their glazed chicken. Again, the paper cup was distinctly garbed in the 4 Finger fashion. In fact, their store was distinct with its industrial New York vibe draped all over the walls, consistent in its aim to stand out among the chicken champions.
So, move over fellas. There's a new chicken in town. In fact, I believe 4 Fingers has opened another branch in Mall of Asia, and another one is coming soon at SM Aura. Too bad for me, this little secret is out. 4 Fingers offers more than just chicken. I would definitely come back for the other stuff: the chicken burgers and crispy calamari are definitely tempting. What really stands out however, is the distinct flavor that penetrates inside the chicken meat, and the bigger serving size, and of course, the unique presentation. So, if you're tired of the monotony of the other chicken shops, then join me in raising four dirty fingers instead of just one middle finger.
4 Fingers Crispy Chicken
Ground Floor, SM City North Edsa, Main Building
North Avenue, Quezon City
www.gimme4fingers.com
Written by Jones
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