Tom Sawyer's Chicken!!!

This is actually a very late post.

Late 2014, we went to Tiendesitas to try the rumored comeback of the famous, Tom Sawyer's Chicken.

All I can say is that, the trip was definitely worth it! The food is really affordable.

We actually ordered 3 meals, namely, 1 Chicken and Spaghetti (Php 138), 1 2-pcs Chicken (Php 138), and 1 Hickory Ribs with rice (Php 198).

    

You can clearly see that their spaghetti sauce is loaded with meat, and they don't skimp on pouring sauce. I liked their spaghetti cause it had the right balance of Italian and Filipino style cooking.

Their chickens were definitely crunchy on the outside and very juicy on the inside! It was seasoned just right and the flavor is not left only on the skin. They also serve unlimited gravy, which perfectly compliments their chicken.

I have mixed emotions on the Hickory Ribs. It tasted amazing! The sauce was just wonderful (very similar to Racks), the flavor of the meat was just wow and the size was enough for two people. Unfortunately, it was tough, really tough. I had a hard time cutting through it using their knife, and a harder time chewing it. :( The ribs is served with a serving of their Hickory Rice, which I found to be nothing special.

Overall, our meal was nice, and challenging. Would definitely come back here, but I do hope that their Hickory Ribs improve.

Tom Sawyer's Old Fashioned Krispy Chicken

Ground Floor, Building A, Tiendesitas, Ortigas Avenue Corner E. Rodriguez, Ugong, Pasig City ; 02-966-22-91

A Not So Happy Meal

I’ve done a lot of research on good places to dine at the Tuscany. My interest was caught by SF Bistro by Rue Bourbon and The Burgery. Having just dined at Burgers and Brewskies a few days back, I settled with SF Bistro.

I had high hopes with the restaurant, specially when I saw that they had Grilled Cheese Sandwich on their menu (courtesy of zomato)

Since Kyle was getting out of work late that night, I made my way to Tuscany, Mckinley Hills.

I was greeted by a cheerful interior and very accommodating staff.

I was initially seated beside the window, but the outside diners were rather rude and just kept on banging on the window. So, I was offered the corner table. When I had myself settled, I ordered the Nutella Funtella.

   

For food items, I had my mind fixed on ordering the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Mushroom Duo Rockefeller and Boston Pork Steak...but to my disappointment, all three items were no longer part of their menu. I was heartbroken when I realized that they trimmed off so many good items from their menu and left the ordinary ones. I felt so lost and I just didn’t know what to order. Well, I guess I didn’t do enough research *sigh*.

I reluctantly chose the Slow Roast Beef Brisket and Roast Beef Sandwich, and guess what? Both items were also not available. I seriously wanted to walk out of the place, if not for my Nutella shake. I kept my calm and decided to check the menu again. This time I ordered the Beef and Mushroom Pot Roast, and guess what? It’s also not available. I just irritatingly asked the waiter what meat items were available at that time, and he suggested the Sizzling Beef Ala Pobre, which I obliged to get (as if there was much of a choice). I requested that the food be served for later since I didn’t want it to get cold before Kyle arrives. Apparently, the waiter was quite inattentive and served the food just after 10 minutes. Good thing that it was served on an iron skillet which kept the food warm for another 15 minutes.



The Sizzling Beef Ala Pobre (Php 295) was composed of chunks of beef belly, accompanied by a lot of vegetables and drowned in olive oil, with a serving of pilaf rice. It was just an ok dish.

The second dish I ordered was the Chicken Mac and Cheese (Php 295). They offer you a choice between Italian style and country fried chicken, I chose the country fried chicken.

  

I loved the chicken! It was golden brown and had a nice crunch and the meat was tender with a delightful flavor. This happiness was short-lived when I tasted the Mac and Cheese. I couldn’t really understand why the Mac and Cheese tasted a bit sour. I had no recollection of ever eating Mac and Cheese that had sour flavor. I knew it wasn’t spoiled, but it just tasted wrong…

To cap off our already disappointing experience, they allowed their 2 foreign guests (Koreans) to smoke inside the restaurant (they have an al fresco dining area for smokers). Mind you, their restaurant had no exhaust! We were seated beside these two Koreans and requested to be transferred since we could not stand the fumes.

I found this experience horrible! The food was just mediocre-to-bad and the management is very disappointing. This is a restaurant I would not go back to.

SF Bistro

Tuscany, Upper Mckinley Road, Mckinley Hill, Taguig City