Weekend Eating at Manang's Chicken SM Fairview

My sister and I anticipated the opening of Manang's Chicken at SM Fairview, but it was just last Sunday that we finally got to go out and enjoy our favorite double deep fried chicken with soy garlic sauce.


Chicken and Spaghetti Meal
It was very early to eat dinner, so I just went for the chicken and spaghetti meal. I chose the mild spicy sauce and it was a little spicier than what I remembered, and it surely went well with the slightly sweet sauce of the spaghetti. If there was one thing I was sad about, it would be the amount of serving of the spaghetti - either it was little, or I liked it so much that I ate it quite fast. I had lemonade as my drink :)


Two-Piece Fried Chicken Meal
My sister got home early that morning and went to bed right after and it was already mid-afternoon when she woke up, totally not able to eat breakfast and lunch. I guess she was so hungry that she went for the two-piece chicken, also with the mild spicy sauce.

As soon as the meal was served, my sister thought the rice had a small serving. Recalling a food trip we had at Manang's Chicken late last year, the restaurant introduced a bigger rice serving and she was sad that it went back to the small rice serving. The thing was, the rice serving might be small, but they now offer unlimited rice, so the initial rice serving doesn't matter anymore... as one could have as much rice as they want.

Also, we found out that on two-piece (or more) chicken meals / packages, the customer has the privilege to choose different sauces - one opt to have a mix of the original or mild spicy or the extra spicy sauce.


Large Potato Chips
This is a staple whenever we eat at Manang's Chicken, and was served as soon as we placed our orders, so this became our appetizer, if I can call it that. As usual, we went for the Mayo Garlic and Cheesy Cheese dips because we just love combining these two dips for our potato chips.


Red Velvet Sundae
Another one of my sister's usual order. She just love the contrast between the warm cake and cold sundae and the texture and the feel of the cake in the mouth.


Free Sundae Cone
For a limited time, Manang's Chicken SM Fairview is offering free sundae cone for rice meal orders amounting more than 100 pesos, and because my sister ordered the Red Velvet Sundae, I ate the free sundae cone. Sweet!


Ultimate Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Something sister took home. Like I said, it was early to eat dinner that time, so she decided to take home this sandwich or her to eat for late dinner. She ate this around 9pm and loved it a lot because the sauce soaked up the chicken good, the way she liked her Manang's Chicken to be.

The overall dining experience was great. As with every Manang's Chicken outlet we visited, we were treated with respect and bubbly friendliness, which made us love this restaurant more and more.

Manang's Chicken at SM Fairview is located at the lower ground floor, near Dulcinea and Office Warehouse.

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Food Trip Flashback | Tokyo Tokyo

There was a moment when Tokyo Tokyo at SM Fairview was closed for renovations. My sister and I happened to be at the mall when it re-opened, and because it was near lunch time already, we decided to eat there.

There was a very big change - for one, the counter was directly across the entrance of the restaurant and the dining area became spacious with ample amount of lighting.


Chicken Karaage
As usual, my sister went with her favorite Tokyo Tokyo meal - the Chicken Karaage. The place may have changed, but the food remained the same... it was still as delicious as we once tasted it.


Chicken Oyakudon Donburi
My favorite Tokyo Tokyo meal is the Beef Misono, but because Tokyo Tokyo just released new dishes, I decided to try it out. Japanese food is something I am teaching myself to appreciate and love, and this didn't fail me. Serving was more than enough to fill the tummy, the sauce was just right, and it gave me a new reason to come back at Tokyo Tokyo.

I am liking Tokyo Tokyo more and more. They provide good Japanese food at affordable prices, and whenever cravings for Japanese food arise, we know eating there would satisfy that.

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Manang's Chicken to Open at SM Fairview Soon

My sister and I just love Manang's Chicken! We do have different preferences - I love to eat my Manang's Chicken hot off the kitchen, while my sister loves to wait for hours so the chicken meat would absorb the sauce. We find ourselves craving for it every now and then, but even if the nearest branch to us is the one at the Wilcon City Center, we usually dine at either SM City North EDSA or Glorietta branches because those were the most accessible.

One weekend afternoon, my sister and I food tripped at their Glorietta branch and we had:


Manang's Fish Fillet Meal.
My meal. I wanted to try this as soon as I saw it on their menu, but it was just this moment that I finally tried it out. I love battered fish, but I usually pair it with aioli or coleslaw, so tasting this with the Manang's Chicken sauce was a great revelation. I loved the sweet-salty-spicy blend and it really went well with the soft, flaky fish and its lightly crunchy covering. Just like the sauces for the chicken, diners can opt to go with their choice of sauce - original, mild spicy, and extra spicy.


Manang's Chicken Cut Meal.
One thing we loved about Manang's Chicken, the flavors seeped through its meat, unlike the others we tasted that tasted bland on in the inside. The amount of sauce was enough... but should you want more, you can just avail for extra sauce. As for us, we buy several little cups of sauce to take home, so we could still have a taste of Manang's Chicken.


Cheezy Spaghetti.
Something sister and I shared. Their spaghetti won't win any awards, sure... but there is just something about their spaghetti that makes sister and I crave for it. This is marketed for the kids so it was a little on the sweet side, but instead of adding grated cheese, they added cheese sauce. Sister said it felt like eating spaghetti when we were kids... kinda like having a flashback of the past, which is maybe why we love it a lot.


Manang's Chips and Dips.
Another favorite at Manang's Chicken. This was the large size, which came with one dip of choice (we ordered another dip because we loved mixing the two dips together). Aside from this and the regular sized one, they also sell this by tubs (small and big). One trivia... we love this so much that we actually ordered two tubs of their chips as part of our media noche - the family shared the big tub, the small tub we gave to our neighbor so they could taste it, too.

It's been a while since we last dined at Manang's Chicken, so when I received news that they are opening a branch at SM City Fairview, we were very happy. No word yet as to exactly when it will open, but they are targeting the month of November. As soon as it opens, the girls and I will definitely visit and binge (mommy loves their Crispy Pancit, by the way), and of course share the experience here on the blog.

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Kebabers (SM Fairview)

My sister and I had an agreement that if I win in any of the Samsung Galaxy Mega Giveaway I joined, I will give her my Cherry Mobile Flare phone. When I received the good news that I won the gadget via NomNomClub, my sister was rejoicing because it also meant she can say goodbye to her Nokia C3 phone.

It was a day before our Boracay trip, and because my sister wanted to use the Flare during our trip, she asked me to buy my new phone a flip protective sleeve as well as the plastic screen protector so I can finally turn over the Flare to her. My expenses almost ate up the budget I brought that day, so for our lunch, we decided to eat at a budget friendly food place - Kebabers.


Food places in SM City Fairview come and go, so whenever a new restaurant opens, we try to visit it as soon as we can. It took a while though before we dined here because we always had hesitations in trying their food, and since we usually dine with our mom, we couldn't tell for sure if she would like to try the place out.


Checking the menu and realizing they offer food as low as 99 pesos, we figured it was time to finally try it out. Given the fact that it was still early for lunch (just 11am) and that there weren't much people in the mall, we were glad to share the place with other diners.


Fish Kebab Rice (3 pcs.)
I went for the 99pesos meal. The Kebab Rice had three variants - beef, chicken, and fish - and I obviously went for the fish variant. Let's start with the rice first. I couldn't tell what seasoning they used for the rice, but it wasn't the fried rice kind, something I appreciated. It was lightly seasoned and it was more than enough to satisfy one hungry tummy. The fish looked more like a burger patty, and it was very tasty. I loved pairing it with the provided tomato slice, but I sure hope they add more tomatoes to the meal. The garlic dip was also a good compliment to the fish kebab, and I seriously loved my meal.


Beef Shawarma Rice Bowl
My sister went for the rice bowl instead of the traditional shawarma in pita bread, and she, too, liked it. If there was something to complain about, she said the beef was a little bland for her liking, which made her get more of my dip just to up the flavor of the rice in her meal. She also didn't appreciate the big cuts of onions, but overall, it was something she would want to eat again.

There are still a lot more to choose from their menu, and now that we have tasted their food, we would surely ask mom to dine with us there given the chance. Kebabers in SM City Fairview is located at the ground floor, in between the main mall and the annex, near Rai Rai Ken and Mister Donut.

The pictures in this post were taken using the camera of Samsung Galaxy Mega. All images are SOOC (straight out of camera) just to show you the kind of image it produce, and I was very pleased with it. It captures images very fast (no need to hold the camera for a few seconds) and very user friendly. I had to adjust, though... because the screen was so big. :) Also, it produces a long rectangular image, very different from the images from my camera and my old cell phones. Normally, I crop images to 640px on the longer end and auto crop would end up at 640 x 480, but images from the Samsung Galaxy Mega produces 640 x 360 images. I don't see any big problems with that, although of course that would mean not having the usual space I have when capturing images.

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Zigla! (Robinson's Magnolia)

I have been trying to lose weight for as long as I can remember. I am still my own enemy as I always veer away from the tracks, but the thing is that, I refuse to give up completely, so even if I haven't reached my goal yet, I am always trying my best to keep up and start again whenever I stumble.


Part of managing the weight is to find ways to eat correctly. I admit, it is difficult for me to do because I have always had a hearty appetite since I was young, but I am happy that as more and more restaurants open, some of those cater to healthy eating - like the newly opened Zigla! at Robinson's Place Magnolia.

Last Saturday, together with some blogger pals, we attended the opening of Zigla! and of course, that included sampling their dishes, too!


One thing to take note of is how open their space is. Every food is prepared in front of you, and even if some ingredients are already prepared beforehand, the meats are still raw to ensure freshness.

Speaking of freshness, Zigla! only uses beef from grass-fed cows, free-range chicken, and farm-fresh organic vegetables.


The food are cooked en papillote - a method of cooking in which the food is placed and sealed in parchment paper before baking.

Zigla!'s menu are divided into three categories - rice, pasta, and classics (bread). Here are the dishes we tried:

E.C. Rice


e.c. Chicken
High-fiber gluten-free black rice + free-range chicken + barbecue sauce with EFA and fiber (300 cal)

The only time I got to taste black rice was when someone gave us some "pirurutong rice," but we don't cook and eat it as is, what we did was add a handful of this black rice into the regular white rice. I have tasted brown rice and found it to have a nutty taste, so tasting this I was already prepared to taste the same. Surprisingly, I found the black rice much better than the brown rice because it was softer - kinda like eating binatog. Anyway, the barbecue sauce was a tad sweeter for my taste, but my companions loved this so much.


e.c. Salmon
High-fiber gluten-free black rice + salmon + pesto with EFA and fiber (300cal)

I was blown away by this dish. I didn't know pesto and salmon would taste great together!


e.c. Beef
High-fiber gluten-free black rice + grass-fed beef + teriyaki sauce with EFA and fiber (300 cal)

I loved the salmon, but this was the best dish! The beef was tender and flavorful and the teriyaki sauce just went well with the rice, beef and the veggies.

E.C. Pasta


e.c. Spaghetti with Salmon
gluten-free spaghetti + salmon + pesto with EFA and fiber (300cal)

It's practically the same with the e.c. Salmon except that this one had spaghetti instead of rice.


e.c. Spaghetti with Meatballs
gluten-free spaghetti + meatballs + pomodoro with EFA and fiber (300cal)

I forgot to ask what meat they used for the meatballs, but it tasted a little different for me because it didn't have any salt in it. Not my favorite dish, but it was okay.


e.c. Spaghetti with Chicken
Gluten-free spaghetti + free-range chicken + pesto with EFA and fiber (300cal)

We all know that chicken and pesto is the usual food pair, and this tasted pretty much the same, but the raisins, chia seeds, and goji berries added some texture and taste.

E.C. Classics


e.c. High-Fiber Burger Slider
High-fiber slider bun + beef patty + homemade catsup and mayo (269cal)

The patty tasted the same like the meatballs. This is a small sandwich (of course, it's a slider), but it was surprisingly enough to satisfy the tummy.


e.c. Chicken Sandwich

We forgot to ask what bread they used for this sandwich, and because I opted not to taste it (as I had the burger), I have no comment for this sandwich.


e.c Juice Blends
Blended with fresh veggie-fruit fiber, pH-adjusted, non-acidic.

To quench the thirst, they offer freshly made juices in different combinations

• Yellow - pineapple + apple + celery + lemon (100cal)
• Orange - orange + carrots + celery + lemon (100cal)
• Green - kale + parsley + apple + lemon (100cal)
• Red - beets + turnips + carrots + ginger (100cal)

They also offer Kombucha Tea (13cal) and Kombucha Ginger (30cal), but both Kombucha tea drinks tasted too sour for my taste. To go with my food, I went for the Green Juice Blends, which at first tasted bland. These juice blends don't have added sugar, and it only relies to its natural sweetness. Well, my drink did start tasteless, but as I sip more and more of it, I got to appreciate the natural sweetness, which I think came mostly from the apples. 


Classic Chocolate Cookies
sugarless, gluten-free, high fiber cookies

One of the people behind Zigla! is Annabel Tanco, who is the owner of Bizu Patisserie. Because of that, Zigla! also offer different kinds of breads and cookies, although the ones sold at Zigla! are high-fiber, some even sugarless and gluten-free. I got to taste the dark chocolate cookies and the classic chocolate cookies, which are totally different from the usual chocolate cookies I have tasted.

Zigla! combines three essential things to promote healthy eating - high-fiber carbs + lean protein + essential fats. The people Zigla! wants us to take care of our bodies just like we take care of certain things we own (like a car, a pet) - that if we care so much to the things we own by buying only the best accessories and whatnots, we should also take care of our bodies by eating correctly. Zigla! follows a paleo-esque way of eating, because they believe that to eat correctly is to eat paleo.

By the way, the combinations for the dishes can be altered to your taste. Basically, the e.c Rice and e.c. Pasta dishes all have 300 calories, which are broken down into three - 100 calories for the carbs, 100 calories for the meat, and 100 calories for the sauce and the veggies. Now, if you want to go for beef but prefer to have pesto or barbecue sauce instead of teriyaki, you can just request it and they will prepare it for you. One thing to know, the protein used in the dishes don't have salt, so don't get surprised if it would taste bland. If you want to have your protein seasoned, please request for them to season it for you.

Zigla! is located at the food court of Robinson's Magnolia, and next month another branch will open at Zuellig in Makati.

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