Had a KFC Fix, Thanks to My Weekend in Bordeaux

A couple of weekends ago (okay, if we're being honest, it was a month or so ago), I had to fly to Bordeaux city for a work-related requirement. Besides a work trip, it also doubled as a vacation of sorts. Some officemates are currently based in the city and because of them, I was able to go and see the pretty sights of the city (some photos here).

Mesmerized by this sight (more for the Col. Sanders sign than anything else)

And then of course, after all the walking (it's big here in France), we needed to take a pitstop. My friends new exactly where to take me- KFC.

I know, I know. It's not exactly a five star restaurant, not even close. But KFC is near and dear to my heart. If I have a fling with Manang's Chicken, I have a full-blown love affair (sorry, babe) with KFC. My heart goes thump-a-thumpin' for the fried chicken recipe perfected decades ago by Colonel Sanders himself (who wasn't really a colonel, but that's another story).

Drooling right now.

In Lyon, where I'm based, the nearest KFC is in another town (in Bron), which is more than an hour's commute away. Not having my mistress close by is heartbreaking so I was ecstatic more than glad to be FINALLY having KFC's finger-lickin' good fried chicken in Bordeaux.

They had long lines too (it felt just like home).

A bucket of 8 chicken pieces, 8 hot wings, 8 crispy tenders, 4 side dishes, and 4 bottomless drinks is priced at 20 euros (about Php1,816). It's a lot more expensive than our KFC buckets, but compared to other restaurants, this deal isn't too bad. The set is more than enough for four (hungry cows).

I am happy to report that France's KFC chicken is as crispy, tasty, and juicy (and unhealthy) as it is back home. But they don't have gravy nor rice. Boo.

McDonalds of the World: Twisty Pasta in Hong Kong

Haven't gone outside the country for the longest time nor am I scheduled for a trip anytime soon (which is a bummer because I really want to feature in flight meals) but luckily, I have friends who travel abroad regularly. So as a follow up to the first post in this McDonald's of the World series, I asked my friend Alvin, who was recently on a trip to Hongkong (to be a kid again), to take pictures of whatever unusual thing he can find on the McDonald's menu there.

McDonald's of the World: Hong Kong

He did me one better by trying some of the food and taking as many pictures as he can! Awesome! Thanks to Alvin, Kid Repetitive, we have a second serving of McDonald's of the World, Hong Kong edition. Here are some of the pictures that he took of the menu-

Double Down Ala Jollibee?

Have you hopped on to the KFC Double Down bandwagon yet? It seems that everyone already has. Since the guilt-laden sandwich has been introduced a few weeks ago, the buzz has been tremendous. Hordes of hungry chicken-lovers are flocking to KFC like the world is running out of chicken.

The problem with the KFC Double Down (besides the massive calorie count) is that the sandwich is always sold out. Many head over to the fast food store and leave disappointed because they didn't get their hands on this heart-stopping snack. We need more chicken on bacon on chicken! We need an alternative! And this could be it-

Whose brilliant idea was this?

This picture of a Jollibee sandwich similar to that of a Double Down, but with a burger patty instead of bacon, has surfaced on the Internet a few days ago and the news is spreading like wildfire. This could be the answer to KFC's lack of Double Down supply! That is, if it were real.

Sources say that this is the work of a brilliant dude behind a computer and NOT the people of Jollibee. Too bad guys, there isn't a Chicken Joy Double Down. Or is there? Who knows, the Jollibee team might actually pick up on this idea and make it a reality (please?).

Last year's Jollibeer (also a brilliant idea)

It is rumored that the creator of last year's Jollibeer ad is also the  same guy who made the Jollibee Double Down poster. If you are that guy, please step forward, we would like to hear your story.. and also shake your hand.

Thanksgiving Turbaconducken

Belated Thanksgiving everybody! The holiday isn't big here in the Philippines, we don't celebrate it at all, in fact. But in honor of the holiday that turkeys fear the most, we at BaconTunaMelt present to you the TURBACONDUCKEN! *cue lightning and thunder* 

It's not human body parts

What in the name of all that is holy is that, you ask? That was exactly my question when I first saw it so I did some Googling and found out that the people of BaconToday cooked up this.. thing.

McDonalds of the World: McArabia in Abu Dhabi

Besides social culture, there is also a diversity of culinary cultures around the world. We Pinoys love rice, the Americans go for mashed potato, the Italians prefer bread. Unsurprisingly, this also applies to fastfood stores. McDonald's, possibly the world's largest fastfood chain, is one good example. Although they have a preset list of menu items like the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and Filet-o-Fish which can be ordered from any branch, each country with a McDonald's franchise has added their own personal touch.

McDonald's of the World: Abu Dhabi

Here in McDonald's Philippines, we have fried chicken, the McSpaghetti and rice meals. We don't think anything of it and it's nothing unsual for us; besides, local fastfood chains sell it too, we're used to it, it's nothing special for us. But bring a foreigner to a McDonald's here and he'll be surprised to find them on the menu (they'd also be surprised at the smaller sized drink cups and french fries, but that's another story). In other countries, they have different specialties as well, and you'd be surprised at how unusual some are.

KFC Double Down is the Talk of the Town

Everyone's been talking about it since it was launched locally just last Friday. I just had to see what all the hype was about so I dialed 887-8888, KFC's delivery hotline, and had a KFC Double Down delivered for lunch today. And yes, my arteries have survived the onslaught of cholesterol and are fine for now, thank you.

So what's the fuss all about? Why is everyone lining up over at Colonel Sanders famous fastfood chain to get a KFC Double Down or two? Check out this week's talk of the town-

KFC Double Down (p100 over the counter; p110 if delivered)

KFC's latest item on the menu, the KFC Double Down Sandwich is a sandwich with no bread at all. What it has is strips of bacon smeared with a dollop of mayonnaise and melted cheese sandwiched between two juicy slabs of glorious KFC Chicken fillets. And as expected, the Double Down did not disappoint. 

The heavy sandwich is an overload of rich flavors- the taste of the chicken seasoned with KFC's secret recipe combined with the flavorful trio of mayo, cheese and bacon tastes like a delicious party in your mouth. A party not unlike those drinking parties you enjoyed but regretted as soon as you wake up with a headache the following morning. This new food craze is not recommended for the weak of heart. Literally. 

There's no denying that it's not an ideal healthy snack, its ingredients spell h-e-a-r-t-a-t-t-a-c-k-i-n-t-e-n-m-i-n-u-t-e-s. But if you're young and healthy, go for it, the KFC Double Down Sandwich is undoubtedly yummy and addicting. Call KFC Delivery now and don't be the last one to try this delicious treat!

KFC Delivery Hotline

Contact Number: 887-8888

Other Info: -a minimum order of p200 is required

                  -the delivery charge is 10% of the total amount

                  -waiting time is 30 minutes or less

Max's Restaurant - The Old Reliable

There are some days when I don't really feel like being adventurous with food choices. Trying out new restaurants can result in one of two things- it may end up being the best meal you've had in a long time or it could also be the worst, which kind of ruins the night. Sometimes, we all just want to have a sure dinner.

Sixty years of good chicken

This is why we each have our own favorite restaurant lists. These are the places that we have fond memories of and go back to time and again for a number of personal reasons. On my list, there's Conti's because their baked prawns are fantastic, Bag of Beans for their lovely cheesecakes and coffee, Sonja's Garden because they serve the best dalandan juice on the face of this earth. For their incomparable fried chicken, Max's Restaurant has also been there for as long as I can remember. They're comfortably in the Top 10 and won't be getting dislodged anytime soon.

Max's menu from decades past- one whole chicken is just five pesos!

The same goes for a number of Pinoys, it seems. Max's Restaurant has been serving their "sarap to the bones" fried chicken for sixty years and counting. While they've modified their menu (they sold scotch and steak back in the day) and cooked up exciting offers (the most recent is their Chicken All You Can Promo) through the years, what has remained a staple in their menu is their original fried chicken. Max's original fried chicken is meaty, juicy, and fried to a golden crisp. Like their tagline says, it's sarap to the bones!

Budget Meals - Big Daddy's (BIG) Chicken

If you're in Greenhills Shopping Center and you get some major hunger pangs but you have just a hundred pesos left in your pocket, I suggest you look for Big Daddy's Chicken for a cheap and satisfying big meal.

This was my situation last weekend after window-shopping at Greenhills tiangges. I was looking for a place to grab a quick dinner when their sign, the brightly lit orange logo that had 'CHICKEN' in huge block letters, easily caught my attention.

Taking a quick look at their menu assured me that this was a place well within budget, so I promptly got a tray and decided on what to order.

Big Daddy's Chicken's sign says HELLO! EAT HERE!

Big Daddy's Chicken serves huge slabs of chicken (or pork) chops coated in crispy golden breading together with rice and soup. As a twist, you can choose one of these as flavoring for your chicken- spicy, lemon, nori or plum (yes, the fruit).

I like my food with a bit of a kick, so I decided to get the spicy flavored chicken with rice and soup (p85). I was debating with myself whether to try out the plum flavoring (just because it sounded so weird) but in the end I stuck with spicy.

Perfectly spicy!

The first thing you notice when you get your plate is the giant slab of chicken chop. From the picture's angle, it doesn't look too big but trust me, it is. The chicken is fried to a golden crisp and I liked the spicy chili powder they used (reminds me of the chili flavoring from Ersao- another fast food joint I want to revisit).

See that big chicken slab?

Here's a picture of a different meal- the original chicken with pasta (p90). The pasta wasn't anything special, it's your typical spaghetti noodles in creamy white sauce. While the unflavored chicken was also good, I still prefer the spicy flavored one.

All in all, it was a yummy and very filling meal for less than one hundred pesos. Sulit!

The idea for Big Daddy's Chicken came from Taiwan's famous street food called Ji Pai. These are huge pieces of fried breaded chicken chops that can be bought from food carts along the streets for cheap. It turns out that the ones from Taiwan are even bigger, looky-

Taiwan's famous Ji Pai are insanely huge.

Chicken-All-You-Want at Max's Restaurant!

Max's is celebrating it's 65th anniversary and there will be a month-long chicken fiesta! Starting June 17 up to July 17, Max's Restaurant will be offering a Chicken-All-You-Can promo. For only 165 pesos, you can avail of this fantabulous anniversary offering and eat all the chicken that you want and can!

I've always been a fan of Max's best-selling chicken and this, for me, is an awesome way to celebrate 65 years! Thank you, Max's!

Dude on the poster is kinna cute. Anyone know who he is?

Terms and Conditions:
1. Chicken will be served in quarter pieces, and parts will be based on availability.
2. Add P39.00 for bottomless Pepsi Softdrink.
3. Promo period is from June 17 - July 17, 2010 and from 6 PM to 10 PM only.
4. Promo valid for dine in only. Not available for take-out, delivery and bulk orders.
5. Cannot be combined with other offers. No sharing. No Leftover. Chicken will be served after each piece has been consumed.

Source: Manila Life