Crunching our way through Big Daddy's Chicken

This 2010, we have witnessed the entrance of a number of food carts, restaurants and products that continues to take our taste buds and dining experiences to new heights. Gone are days when frozen yogurts would take the forefront of the trend race. Now, Asian snacks have invaded the dining scene -- here we see delicious milk teas, peppered corns and crunchy chicken pieces called Chicken Chops.

Then we have Big Daddy's Chicken. A local brand conceptualized by partners Kimberly and Jerry, who after graduating from college, were inspired to bring the authentic Taiwanese Chicken Chops to our market. Importing the exact machine that will enable them to create the right crunchy chicken and pork chops that have took Taiwan's food scene by storm, they have experimented with various flavors to make each diner's experience truly memorable.

I'm lucky to have one of the branches of Big Daddy's Chicken within the neighborhood. I've been noticing that a number of people would crowd around their stall in Greenhills Theater Mall at no designated time of the day. Be it during lunch hour or even during what is normally a dead hour for other restaurants in the afternoon, I see people carrying white paper bags while munching on bite-sized pieces of crunchy chicken strips.

One afternoon, before heading to Paul's favorite camera shop, we stopped by Big Daddy's Chicken for our afternoon snack. There I met Kim who treated us to all five (5) flavors of their Big Daddy's Chicken Chop (Php. 80). As we patiently waited for each chicken chop to be ready, we enjoyed their drinks too. I had the Royal Milk Tea (Php. 60) while Paul, the non-tea drinker, actually enjoyed the Iced Green Tea (Php. 30). I guess it's because their tea drinks are pretty mild. No bitter aftertaste, no herbal scent. It's very smooth and sweet that is sure to be a hit even with the little ones. Take the Royal Milk Tea for example. I've tried a number of versions from various stores and Big Daddy's Milk Tea is the mildest of them all. I don't even have to worry about my hyperacidity as I feel that the tea content is quite low. I enjoyed the milky sweet tea which was a good break from the hard core milk teas that I've been indulging myself with the past months.

Our bags of Chicken Chops are here! I was a bit overwhelmed with five huge white bags on the table. I'm sure glad that my two friends N and H passed by to say hi and I later convinced them to sit with us and try the chops as well.

I started with the Original. I tasted a slight hint of my favorite five-spice powder. I love the crunchy yet tender chicken strips. We were surprised to find tiny bones in some bites though. Kim later explained that if they use fillet then it won't be as tender as it is. Ok, let's stick to the bones then! :)

Next was my personal favorite, Plum. I love the sweet-salty mix covering my chicken chop. The flavor gives me wonderful images of Taiwan and boy am I excited to visit this country next year! My friend N who has been to Taiwan began telling me about the delicious street snacks that I have to watch out for. I excitedly listened to her while enjoying the Chicken Chops.

For the brave ones, the Chili flavor is for you. To be honest, it's not that spicy and it's something even I could take. You'll just feel the sudden zing probably on your second or third bite.

The Nori and Lemon were pretty mild. Paul liked the Nori as he loves the Japanese taste in his chicken pieces. While the lemon we all agreed was very light that you could hardly taste the tangy lemon there.

For those wanting to enjoy a meal at Big Daddy's Chicken, you can actually have your Chicken Chop with pasta or rice! I will definitely go back to have my own Chicken Chop in Plum flavor with pasta!

What caught the attention of my friends N and H, and was actually the reason why they ended up also at Big Daddy's Chicken was the Spiral Potato which is a really creative way of enjoying the ordinary potato chips. It's fried and placed on a stick where you can just dip and munch away. Unfortunately, this was not available during the time of our visit and I told Kim that I promise to go back to try this.

As we headed to Paul's favorite camera shop to get his new *ahem* baby, I couldn't stop raving about the delicious afternoon snack that we've just had. Will definitely be back, Big Daddy! :)

Big Daddy's Chicken is located at the Ground Floor of Greenhills Theater Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City. They also have a branch at the SM Mall of Asia. For bulk orders, call them at 345-8232.