Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me BBQ Is Not Barbecue
Tue, April28th of 2009
11:10 am
… or Barbeque.
BBQ stands for Best of the Best Quality. Yes believe it, and no, it doesn’t stand for Best Believable Quality chicken, as I read in one website. Come to think of it, there are several food-related meanings that BBQ could stand for; just some that come to mind: Best Banana Quickbread, Better Bacon Quiche, Better Than the Best Quesadilla, Brown Butter Quinoa … er, I’ll quit now before I get carried away.
BBQ is a Korean franchise that spans close to 4,000 restaurants in 37 countries. According to their flyer, BBQ uses “… the highest class of fresh chicken, sauce & powder and other materials for providing the world’s most delicious chicken and healthy food.” The “healthy” intimation comes from the fact that the company uses extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to fry their chicken. It sounds ideal at first glance but EVOO has such a low smoking point that its flavor breaks down at frying temperatures. But I digress.
Driving down Jupiter Street in Makati coming from Buendia, there’s a BBQ take-out stand (fire-engine red – you can’t miss it!) and a few meters down, there’s another BBQ but this time a dine-in establishment. I hear that the former is owned by a Korean and the latter a Filipino, where service is reportedly quite slow but don’t let that stop you.
During the weekends when I can’t be bothered to cook, BBQ is a fixture in my house. I especially like the Rice Syrup Chicken (P650/16 pcs) covered in a slightly sweet glaze that’s lighter than honey, and the Spicy Chicken (same price) which is red and sassy. Kids are fond of the Original Chicken (P600/8 pcs) because of the satisfying ratio of skin to crunch. Indeed, BBQ chicken is tasty because of its audible, surround-sound crunch, the juicy meat, and the glaze that pools at the bottom of the foil, perfect for cleaning up and licking off with a finger – very reminiscent of “finger lickin’ goodness,” yes? Each order comes with a small pack of pickled radish that’s awash in vinegary fumes. Once you get over the smell, the radish is a thoughtful counter to the chicken.
BBQ Chicken (Makati Branch)
896.7799
0917. 731 0999
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I tried BBQ in Subic. I was surprised that it was Korean. During my trip to Seoul, I never once saw or tried chicken made that way (except at “Finger Lickin’ Good”). Eitherway, it was good. Not too salty, not too greasy… and filling!
[Reply]
Comment by Kasseopeia — April 28, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
I’ve seen this in BF, Paranaque.
I’ve heard about the price, which has turned me off, but I don’t actually know anyone who has tried it.
Now that you mention it, I might want to try it!
Hmmm…
[Reply]
Comment by Hungry Dog — April 28, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
There is another Korean fried chicken franchise operating in Metro Manila called Twotwo. They have a branch beside the UA&P campus in Ortigas Center. Also pretty good!!
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Comment by Roger — April 28, 2009 @ 6:40 pm
Oh cool Lori! Actually I’ve been searching for a review of this in my usual foodie friends’ sites. I’m glad you posted ‘coz I’m just interning in the Board of Investments, and this place is so near to me. I’ve been wanting to try this since my first day there. Haha!
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Comment by Bong — April 28, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
i also first tried this in subic and enjoyed it – enough to try it at the jupiter branch. somehow i found my first taste of it better and felt a little let down with the second. maybe that’s because my expectations got a bit too high there.
but for a good, decent, filling chicken meal, it is certainly a pretty good choice
[Reply]
Comment by dishesandplaces — April 28, 2009 @ 8:57 pm
Hi Lori! I’m glad to see that you’ve reviewed this place as well. The first time I read about it was at my friend Anson Yu’s blog (http://mra2z.multiply.com/reviews/item/137).
Brian and I keep passing by the place but never get to try it. It’s one of those places to try on our list.
Btw, I love the photos, especially the first one.
Re: Engrish – we see alot of that on Chinese, Japanese and Korean signs and ads. They are so amusing.
[Reply]
Comment by Aina Luna — April 29, 2009 @ 12:48 am
I forgot to mention my concern regarding their use of EVOO for frying. Masyadong mabigat and it has such a low smoking/burning point. I totally get your point about it.
[Reply]
Comment by Aina Luna — April 29, 2009 @ 12:50 am
Great news! They DELIVER! Yay!
Just ordered from them. Apparently, it’s a whole chicken cut into 16 pieces. I ordered the Spicy Chicken. Will tell you how it goes later.
Thanks again for posting this, Lori.
[Reply]
Comment by Aina Luna — April 29, 2009 @ 11:36 am
sounds interesting but its a little out of the way from where im from. however, i might try twotwo as suggested by roger, which is just a few minutes away from work and home. hmmm, looks like were having chicken soon…
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Comment by MrsLavendula — April 29, 2009 @ 11:50 am
I would vouch for TwoTwo. Great with a tall glass of ice-cold soda. Or beer.
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Comment by Kasseopeia — April 29, 2009 @ 2:27 pm
They chicken arrived with freebies. We got a 2L bottle of coke, a BBQ Chicken menu magnet and a BBQ Chicken Clip button. Cool.
The chicken is sooo good. Not dry at all and each piece is deectble. Will be ordering from them again very soon.
[Reply]
Comment by Aina Luna — April 29, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
HI!
This is the first time i’m posting in your blog!! I super love BBQ! During our business trips to korea, we frequent this place! Their chicken tastes sooo good! I’m so happy you posted this! Thank you!
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Comment by Coco — April 30, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
ok… but where are the desserts?
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Comment by ian f. — May 2, 2009 @ 11:05 pm
@ian f.
They don’t have desserts. Well, at least, not yet.
—-
I want more BBQ chicken. Gawd, I wish it weren’t so expensive, though.
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Comment by Aina Luna — May 5, 2009 @ 2:46 am
For me, the extra cost in price for the fried chicken is worth it. I always believed in spending for quality and there is quality in their chicken. I think it is better than KFC. The fried chicken is less greasy and the batter a bit lighter but still has a nice crisp. The chicken is oh so juicy. If you dine in, the chicken comes with some nice tasting vegetable fried rice which is cooked in butter. I agree, the rice syrup chicken is also good. Be careful of the spicy dishes, they are really very spicy and my threshold for spice is above the average person.
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Comment by Adrian Cuenca — May 19, 2009 @ 11:14 pm
I love barbecued chicken wings – my favorite food snack!!! I will have to try these rice syrup chicken wings sometime. – Pinoy Pride
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Comment by Pinoy Pride — January 20, 2010 @ 11:33 am