Popeyes Philippines: Is it really as good as people say?

Popeyes Luisiana Kitchen's store opening was one of the most anticipated food events last year. The crazy queue, rain or shine, was enough to keep everyone curious. And it sure made me wonder too if Popeyes offers way better fried chicken compared to other fast food joints here in Manila. And after a few failed attempts, I finally got to visit its first store in Arcovia City. 

Hello, Popeyes!

I remember having Popeyes in California and it was pretty good. I'd drop by on Tuesdays to avail of its tempting price on its 2-piece dark or white meat chicken at $1.14 for thigh and leg; and $1.99 for breast and wing. However, it didn't really strike me as a superb dish worth lining up for hours. But I might be wrong given all the positive reviews I've read.

Restaurant Discovery: Tim Ho Wan

When there’s a hype, I get curious. When there’s a line, my curiosity disappears (unless I really, really want to try it). Tim Ho Wan has been one of the most anticipated restaurants this year. The line seems to be longer than when you process your NBI clearance. As much as I would love to try its famous pork buns, I always think of the long line and I’m not confident my tummy will like the wait as I am always hungry when I pass by Tim Ho Wan. I thought that the line would eventually disappear after a few weeks but it’s a totally different case for this place. Luckily though, grumpy W was in a good mood and lined up while I was busy looking for a paper bag to pack his late birthday gift. So…

Hello, Tim Ho Wan.

It was almost our turn when I arrived so I didn’t have to do the Trip to Jerusalem game (where you move seats every time someone gets a table) that long.

The menu is very straightforward. There are the famous pork buns, dumplings, a few rice toppings, and congee. They also have barley which happens to be one of my favorite drinks (thanks to Toastbox). W pretty much chose what we’ll eat. I just added two. We ended up with the following dishes: Pork Buns (PHP145/ 3 pieces), Rice with Beef and Fried Egg (PHP180), Pork Dumplings (PHP150), Prawn Dumplings (PHP160), Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp (PHP120), Steamed Egg Cake (PHP85), Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp (PHP190), and Mango Pomelo Sago (PHP90)

First to arrive was the plate of Pork Buns. It was served warm and I had pretty high expectations as people line up and wait to order this.

It was good. Not great but good. It tasted like your typical asado though this one had a stronger flavor. I also enjoyed the baked bun. I just find it slightly messy to eat. 

Next served was the Rice with Beef and Fried Egg which was rather soupy. It was also a bit bland for me.

Restaurant Discovery: Rollin' & Bowlin'

We had a hard time looking for our last stop for our Katipunan food trip as we were left with mostly fast food chains. Craving for something… different, we walked for about 45 minutes till we spotted… Rollin’ & Bowlin’.  

A new place! *and our eyes sparkled while our tummies smiled*

The place is quite hidden so it’s such a thrill for us to discover it! It’s the perfect place to mount our T3 flag and hold game nights (uh, days) there. We were also told that the restaurant was fairly new then so their menu was quite limited.