Dining Snippets: Poultry Stack x Chao Chao Gyoza x Ono Poke Bowl
POULTRY STACK
POULTRY STACK GARLIC OVERLOAD CHICKEN (P490) and GARLIC SALMON WITH TERIYAKI SAUCE (P368)
Replacing Buenisimo by Café Ysabel, the Poultry Stack aims to bring a fresh restaurant concept dedicated in showcasing chicken in a variety of ways. One of its best sellers would be the Poultry Stack Garlic Overload Chicken. This platter of chicken is perfect for sharing, especially as it comes with two sides of your choice. Each chicken piece is coated in a light batter which promises a satisfying crunch in every bite. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by its lack of garlic flavor, and its lack of marinade. Sure, it came with a handful of garlic cloves; however, the chicken itself was really bland. If its bestseller was this disappointing, I definitely am not looking forward to trying out its other chicken dishes.
UMAMI TOKWA (P125)
Despite the spotlight it gives to chicken, the restaurant also features a variety of non-chicken dishes such as the Umami Tokwa. These golden brown cubes may have been made from firm tofu (rather than tokwa); however, its delicate crisp edges and tasty spice seasoning would bring out the fan in everyone! Its Garlic Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce (P368) is also a delicious non-chicken dish you can consider trying out. The salmon may have been a tad bit dry, but its teriyaki glaze boasts of a perfect balance of flavors. End your meal with its Pandan Coconut dessert!
Poultry Stack
24 Scout Tuason St., Diliman, QC
Date of Visit: July 1, 2017 with Lily Chua
CHAO CHAO GYOZA
Hailed and awarded as ‘the best gyoza in Japan’, Chao Chao Gyoza opened its first shop in BGC. Once I heard about its heavyweight reputation, I was definitely excited to try it out.
SET A (P250)
Chao Chao Gyoza offers personal sets of its famed gyoza. One can choose to pair one’s block of gyoza with a side dish, can of soda, or can of beer. You can’t go wrong with the crunchy marinated beansprouts as a side dish. A block of gyoza features a row of eight small pieces of gyoza. Unfortunately, ‘the best gyoza in Japan’ was definitely underwhelming. They tasted okay, but were far from the best. The only thing that sets it apart would be the variety of sauces it comes with. Apart from the typical Soy-Vinegar combination, you can mix it up by pairing these up with Miso Sauce, Spicy Miso, Chili Oil, or a combination of these.
LONG STICK GYOZA WITH CRAB AND SHRIMP (P300/P480) and CHICKEN AND MOZZARELLA CHEESE GYOZA (P250)
Another distinct feature of the restaurant is that it serves a variety of gyoza fillings. Unfortunately, the Chicken and Mozzarella Cheese Gyoza was also mediocre. The Long Stick Gyoza was already the best tasting variant we tried; yet, it was just okay. I applaud the concept for its creativity in churning out unique flavors of gyoza; however, it fails to have mastered the art of gyoza. Although its gyoza variants were tasty, they were all forgettable and underwhelming. Yushoken’s Gyoza is more worthy of praise and recognition.
TAKO KARAAGE
The only food item that I thoroughly enjoyed eating was its Tako Karaage. The deep-fried octopus pieces had a perfectly crunchy exterior to them and featured well-cooked tender meat. It tastes best when dipped with mayonnaise.
Chao Chao Gyoza
W City Center, 7th Ave., cor Lane Q, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Date of Visit: June 17, 2017 with Lily Chua and Jared Chua
ONO POKE BOWL
The Pantree houses a range of interesting food concepts; a number of which are familiar faces in Salcedo and Legaspi weekend markets. Tempting as it is to try every single one of these concepts, I always end up ordering a filling poke bowl from Ono. Apart from being reasonably-priced, Ono offers delicious and fresh poke bowls conveniently packed in takeout containers that one can simply bring back to the office.
REGULAR MISO SALMON BOWL + KANI SALAD
(Regular-P250/Large-P350; +P50 for Kani Salad)
My go-to bowl would be the torched Miso Salmon Bowl, which features generous layers of fresh salmon, nori, furikake, green onion, and lots of delicious miso mayonnaise sauce on top of your base of choice. Choices for the base would be white rice, brown rice, and lettuce. A combination of bases may be selected for the large sizes. A regular-sized bowl will already fill you up; but topping your bowls with a serving of their Kani Salad is always a good idea.
Ono Poke Bowl
The Pantree, JCSO Building, 119 Dela Rosa cor Castro, Legazpi Village, Makati City
Date of Visit: June 15, 2017
