Chicken barbecue. Pork barbecue. Sinigang soup. Soy sauce with calamansi. Pinoy sorbetes. Pinoy style sisig. Daing na bangus. And of course, UNLIMITED RICE!
I first heard this fast food in 2009 when my friends was talking about the best Chicken Inasal in Manila. Before Mang Inasal, my first chicken inasal experience was at Bacolod Chicken Inasal. Chicken is good, rice is good, services is good but the price is not good. Too expensive for an extra rice which is Php25.00 and above. Mid-2009 when I've tried Mang Inasal along C.M. Recto Avenue in Manila. I have no idea on their Unlimited Rice promo so I've ordered the Sulit Meal + 1 extra rice and an iced tea for atleast Php70.00. It's cheap. But when I've saw the TV ad about the unlimited rice, I planned to satisfy my hunger again at Mang Inasal.
My 2nd Mang Inasal experience was at SM Sta. Mesa with my college mates. I really want to try the unlimited rice promo for just Php99.00. WOW SULIT! And then the waiter gives us the quarted-sized chicken. Leg part. I ate almost 6 cups of rice. Whew! Unlimited rice plus if you have only the 99-peso budget, you can still have free drinking water, sinigang soup (unlimited) and you can consume all the condiments including the toothpick haha!
Mang Inasal's other best sellers are the barbecue, sisig, sinigang na baboy and the daing na bangus. They have also the unlimited rice promo for two sticks of pork barbecue. The sisig and the daing is also good. I like the sinigang soup especially when warm.
Mang Inasal also have their merienda meals. Actually it's an American meal with Filipino flavor. Small sized hamburger, Filipino style spaghetti or a small part of chicken inasal for only Php50.00 and above. They have halo-halo and Pinoy sorbetes for deserts.
Average budget for a Mang Inasal meal is Php99.00. That comes with a quarter sized chicken (leg or breast part) or a 2 sticks stuffed barbecue, sinigang soup and unlimited rice. Just ask the crew if you want them to serve you your rice or if you want to refill your soup and drinking water.
You can try Mang Inasal (great service) on the following branches that I've tried:
- SM Taytay
- SM Mall of Asia
- SM Megamall
- Eton (in front of Robinson's Galleria)
- Riverbanks
- Sta. Lucia East
- C.M. Recto (beside Cartimar)
- SM Sta. Mesa
- Quiapo and Raon branch
There are a LOT of food establishments here in the Philippines, especially here in Manila. Fast food, fine dining, carinderia and street foods. What I like of the most is the street foods. When I was in college, I don't have enough budget when it comes to food because I spend all my money playing Counter-Strike. After we hang out and play, we usually eat street foods. Every street or "kanto" in Manila has it's own local food stalls. Mostly, these food stalls offer foods that can be eaten while walking for a budget-friendly price. Many of the foods being sold on a stall comes from pig or chicken's part. Some are fried or grilled. If you have 10-20pesos budget, then street foods is the man!
Here are some street foods that can be seen in Manila streets
1. ISAW (Chicken or pig intestines)
This intestines are cleaned before they put it on a barbecue stick so don't worry. This is great when grilled and dipped on a spicy vinegar with a lot of onions. Fried isaw are good too but they're a bit oily. The best isaw that I've tried was at Antipolo near Lores Plaza, UP Diliman, Tiendesitas and somewhere in Baguio City near the Grotto. The price is depending on the size of the isaw. Pork isaw is a bit expensive than chicken isaw. Pork isaw's price is ranging from Php5.00 - Php10.00 when being sold on streets, Php15.00 - Php25.00 at Tiendesitas or Isaw Haus. Chicken isaw is cheaper than pork isaw, Php2.00 - Php8.00 on streets at Isaw Haus while Php15-Php25 at Tiendesitas. PHOTO IS FROM patxi.tumblr.com
2. CALAMARES (Calamari)
Deep fried squid rings. This is not the calamari that is being served on fine dining restaurants, these are low budget calamari but this tastes better on some on the restaurants. Ranging from Php3.00 per piece or Php10.00 per stick, this crispy calamares is best with sweet and sour sauce or spicy vinegar. Best calamares that I've tried was on Cainta, Junction near STI College but that stall is missing, one day I will find it! :) PHOTO FROM mychismis.blogspot.com
3. KWEK-KWEK (Quail Eggs)
Quail or duck eggs. Wrapped with orange coating (some spices and flour). Deep fried. Soaked in spicy vinegar with a lot of onions. Heaven. At first, I do not eat kwek-kwek because I am curious of that orange coating but when I've tried it, I want to eat again and pour some vinegar and eat again. Kwek-kwek must be soaked in vinegar to blend it's taste then add a lot of onions. You must eat the egg and the coating at the same time. This is more addictive if the coating is a little bit crispy and salty. Price range is between Php8.00-Php15.00. Best kwek-kwek I've tried was at the side of San Juan the Baptist Church in Taytay, the others was at malls, I forgot the stall name. PHOTO FROM rdravina.tumblr.com
