Chubby Chicken: Chubby is the New Sexy!
Big is beautiful. Especially when it comes to food, the heftier the serving, or the bigger in taste, the more people will surely be enticed. When it comes to chicken wings, I always scrutinize two quintessential features: the size and the flavor. Yes, this blog is about wings again: my habit-forming comfort food.
Katipunan Avenue is replete with chicken wing shops. There's Flaming Wings for the traditional buffalo version, the Korean invaders Bon Chon, and the local twist Manang's Chicken. But tucked ostensibly along the back-streets is a quiet favorite among students and foodies alike. Away from the brighter and busier main street, Chubby Chicken occupies a small spot in a building it shares with a convenience store, a classy shawarma shop, a frequently visited steak joint, and then a tea spot. On a usual school day, it's pretty obvious which gets filled up first. Not the convenience store, of course.
The Cheeky, er, Chubby fellow.
I got my first dibs on Chubby Chicken even before I found out they had a stand-alone branch. In one of those bazaars at Rockwell, we were looking for a cheap and quick dinner after shopping around the stalls. The scent of fried chicken and the sight of gleaming drumsticks were enough to tempt us to try out this hitherto unknown brand. We were already fond of Chicken Charlie and Bon Chon and the like, but we were quite curious about this homegrown brand. What's more was that we noticed that the servers were very liberal with the sauce, scooping it freely onto the steamed rice. We thoroughly enjoyed our little discovery that night, hoping to chance upon that wondrous chicken again someday.
Until one night on the way home, we saw the familiar sign of a chicken with chubby cheeks. I looked it up on the net and soon concluded it was the same chicken we had tried months before. And so, on a rainy late night, we dropped by their small shop. It was almost 9PM on a Saturday, and the place was nearly deserted. Perhaps, since it was May and classes had not yet resumed, so it felt relatively empty.
The most wanted list. Reward: lifetime supply of Chubby Chicken.
The shop was quaint and cozy, but didn't feel like a fast food joint. There were montages of simple art decors and a bulletin board studded with satisfied customers, mostly students of the nearby schools along Katipunan.
Living up to its claim as Katipunan's best!
It was almost closing time, yet the wait staff was still eager in taking our orders. We weren't too hungry to order rice with our chicken, so we wondered if we could have it ala carte sans the carbs. Surprisingly, they obliged even if it wasn't even allowed on the menu. They willingly deducted the charges (15 bucks) for the rice. The chicken comes in only two mixes: sweet or spicy. Naturally, we went for the latter with a special request of overflowing sauce and amped up kicks.
Oozing with sex appeal.
We actually ordered for the two-piece set (which should have consisted of a drum and a wing), but we were delightfully surprised to be served with three wings instead. So now it really felt like a chicken wing joint.
For a shop that labels its chicken "chubby", the sizes of the wings were anything but. I wonder if the drumsticks they dished out here were diminutive as well. I could distinctly remember that months ago, the size of the drums we had were fat and plump. So I was excitedly expecting huge wings. I was taken aback at first sight of these. However, at first bite, I realized where the "chubby" part was.
Chubby Chicken, 2-piece, P118 (with rice; if without rice, P15 deducted)
The wings looked glorious as it bathed in its glistening spicy sauce. The sprinkling of chili on top was a hint of what to expect with a mouthful of these delectable wings. The skin was impeccable: deep fried to a crisp. The breading was light, just enough to give a crunchy texture. The meat remained juicy and oozing in its natural flavor. The liberal ladle of spicy marinade penetrated the meat within. It was reminiscent of the sweet chili sauce commonly present in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, although this mix was tangier and exuded a home-made vibe. And in case the flavor dampened a bit, there was more than enough to go around. Talk about finger lickin' good.
But the superlatives don't end with the wings alone. We ordered for a side of Chubby Fries, which was available in Cajun and Cheese flavors. It goes without saying which variant we picked.
Chubby Fries, Cajun Flavor, P78
The fries were cut thick from true potatoes. No lard here, I can assure you. However, the secret to this marvel was the cajun powder. It was similar to a dry rub on barbecued meat, with its fine sandy texture and the zest of the different spices. Nowhere have I tried anything like this. It had cajun written all over it, the taste of New Orleans exploding with each piece. It was highly addicting, and I wished I could take home a jar of that magical powder. A definite steal at less than 80 pesos, the Chubby Fries upends my other favorite Potato Corner barbecue fries on all counts.
Fries like no other.
To dissipate the intense flavors, Chubby Chicken offered imported sodas like Dr. Pepper. Too bad for us that it was out of stock that night. It would have partnered well with the kicks we got from the wings and fries. We ended up with a glass of root beer.
He's not happy. But I am.
Chubby Chicken is the perfect example of the phrase "more than meets the eye", or "don't judge a book", and other cliches. Even if the size of the wings were average, they were fat with flavor and pregnant with oomph. This was not a dedicated chicken wing shop anyway, so it is forgivable that they only offer two basic flavors. Although I may suggest that they should come up with third one, using a concoction of that magical cajun powder. I certify it will become a hit. At least for me.
One thing sure though is that Chubby Chicken has been a blockbuster among students on a tight allowance and foodies looking for no-frills fried chicken. For less than 120 bucks, you already get a value meal with 2 piece of chicken. Not bad, considering the colonel's fast food joint nearly costs the same but with an already boring flavor. The flexibility with the menu they showed that night is a downright plus factor in service. There's free wi-fi so you can slowly ruminate your chicken while browsing the web.
Chubby Chicken offers a whole array of stuff, from pasta to ribs, and even all-day breakfast! I would definitely return and try out their other offerings. But those fries have been the object of my fantasy ever since. I do hope they find a way to expand to other areas. Now green-blooded Lasallians have something to envy from their arch-rivals other than somebody named Ravena. And with the difficulty in locating this hidden gem, you'd think those Eagles were concealing it on purpose.
Jones
Chubby Chicken
1B Xavierville Residences
Esteban Abada corner Rosa Alvero Street, Loyola Heights
Katipunan, Quezon City
Written by Jones
they are so delicious..i can't wait to eat.
ReplyDelete