Pleasurable food finds: From rotisserie chicken to fruitsicles
How pleasurable to find something good to eat. Wildflour’s hamburgers, rotisserie chicken and coconut pie, Stevie’s tamarind prawns, and Sebastian’s Fruitsicles top my weekly list.
‘Perfect’ burgers Through the years, Wildflour has delighted us with their offerings, and nothing has changed. My son Diego devoured Wildflour’s cheeseburgers the minute he saw them. When I asked why he liked it, he quipped, “Everything about it is nice! The bread, the quality of the meat and its seasoning, and even the cheese were all perfect!”
According to Ana Lorenzana, “We make sure that every single ingredient of our burger is of the finest quality”—from the succulent, never-frozen patties of superior meat made with Canadian beef, sandwiched between brioche buns that are straight out of the oven, to the generous portions of excellent American cheddar, made complete by the addition of fresh, organically grown crisp lettuce, tomatoes and onions.
Wildflour burgers can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways, from the classic cheeseburger, to the double cheeseburger, the BBQ bacon cheeseburger, or the chili cheeseburger.
For the more adventurous, dress it up further with a variety of toppings such as housemade guacamole, bacon, jalapeños, fried eggs—build your burger as you wish!
For me, it was the quality of the fries that I was impressed with. The potatoes, though delivered, stayed crisp even after they had cooled down. A rarity.
Chicken and sides
Pleased by our Wildflour burger experience, from packaging to fries, and longing to savor more of their specialties, I tried their rotisserie chicken a
few days after. Mine came with kimchi-cucumber salad, garlic rice, mashed potatoes coleslaw, and ginger and honey mustard sauces. There was bread and butter, too.
I loved how versatile the charred roast was; it was complemented by both the Asian sides as well as the mash, slaw
and mustard sauce. I switched from one flavor to the other, with pleasure. I think it’s wonderful how one chicken can satisfy the cravings of many, by simply picking one’s preferred sauces and sides.
Honey Gochujang Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Grilled Octopus Salad, Kimchi Fried Rice, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Baked Macaroni Bolognese, Kimchi Fried Rice— the choices seem endless.
I describe Wildflour’s rotisserie chicken as flavored to perfection, though rather subtly (which is why it pairs so well). It was flavorful. The breast meat—tasty, tender and not dry.
The happy ending to my roast chicken meal was Wildflour’s coconut pie!
Their rendition is sublime, made with a flaky bottom crust, young tender coconut meat, a creamy filling and a streusel top. It is served with crème anglaise.
This is buko pie at its finest—so delicate and refined, that one must eat it with the “pinky up”! A sugar-free coconut pie is launching soon. (wildflourtogo.com or @wildflourtogo on social media)
Tamarind prawns
Stevie Villacin is also known as the Chicken Man, for making one of the best Hainanese chickens in town, and needs little introduction.
Stevie cooks with much passion. His repertoire of dishes is prepared and presented exactly as he enjoys eating them.
A recent addition to his menu: tamarind prawns—a must-try! Not only does it pair perfectly with his Hainanese Chicken Rice set but, by itself, it’s a standout.
Large prawns are baked and glazed in a sweet, tart and lightly spiced chili sauce. It is generously sprinkled with crisp fried shallots and coriander sprigs. It was an explosion of flavors in one bite! The prawns were tender, too. Simply delicious! (Tel. 0906-5084155; @chickenmanila on Instagram; @Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken on Facebook)
Refreshing finish
To complete your meal, have a Kamias Fruitsicle by Sebastian’s for a refreshing finish. This Fruitsicle is simply kamias with sugar syrup, and it is delicious!
To the palate, it is fresh, bright and alive. Tart, but not offensively so. It’s the sweetand-sour character that makes it so enticing. On a hot day, this has become my choice of refreshment.
I also have a penchant for Sebastian’s Triple Melon Fruitsicle, a combination of Japanese cantaloupe, honey dew and watermelon, churned separately then layered by hand in a mold to make one pretty fruit pop.
Why I love these Fruitsicles is simple: They’re simply sweetened fruit, blended and chilled to make a most pleasant summer quencher.
Other summer flavors are Mango Raspberry and Buko Passion Fruit.
This is ‘buko’ pie at its finest—so delicate and refined, that one must eat it with the ‘pinky up!’