I started my week with a nice lunch at Chili’s in UP Town Centre, which wasn’t the easiest restaurant to find especially when you come from the opposite entrance the mall complex. Chili’s is a global chain of casual dining restaurants is known for indulgent tex-mex inspired fare like fajitas, burgers, ribs, and fries. Inside, this restaurant was bright yet the decors we’re simple, the relaxed atmosphere is perfect for family and friends especially on warm afternoons. We we’re able to try out their “Lunchtime Favorites” as well as new menu items called “Flavor Creations” perfect just in time for the summer. Here’s the rundown!
Appetizers:
↝↝Crispy Corn Masa Fries: A generous serving of thick potato slices topped with chicken, cheese, and tex-mext sauces, served in a hot plate. This was a delicious way to start the meal, it was a glorious marriage of tender chicken, crispy fries, sticky cheese, and a nice herb-ey spice kick from the chimichurri sauce. Love!
We were presented with a pretty selection of sliders with a huge side of fries. These sliders were plated perfectly for instagram so if you want something that looks great and tastes great, check these out:
↝Sunrise Burger: This was basically breakfast in a bun, this is a beef slider topped with eggs and bacon. It was tasty but it didn’t blow my mind, the eggs kind of made it a little more bland but the veggies on top made up for it an added extra crunch and flavor.
↝Shrimp Masterpiece: This one had a shrimp patty instead of the regular beef patty, it also had a melted white cheese on top. I wasn’t particularly a fan of this dish because shrimp patty which didn’t pack a lot of flavor and tasted mushy.
↝↝I would also love to talk about their Garlic Parmesan Fries which were beyond amazing! The thick cut fries were sprinkled with parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and some herbs and each bit was like heaven. One of the best iterations of the classic french fries that i’ve ever had!
Lunch Time Favorites:
↝↝Grilled Baby Back Ribs: As one of their signature dishes i had high expectations and i wasn’t disappointed! Their ribs were sticky, sweet with a little tanginess covered in their original barbecue sauce it also fell right off the bone. You can’t go wrong with such a classic crowd pleaser and even if it came later in the meal, the ribs were gone within minutes. I also liked that you can ask for the corn to be prepared elotes-style so you can have the sweet corn kernels coated with savory spices. A reliable classic!
↝Country Style Pork Belly: Two thick slices of grilled pork belly with some herbed rice and a side of salad. Think of a tex-mex version of Liempo, the however i would’ve preferred if it sat longer in the grill so it could’ve developed a deeper crust and caramelization.On the other hand Chili’s Rice was amazing, the fluffy rice was buttered with herbs and spruced with a citrus twist it's a fantastic way to jazz up our favorite staple.
↝Bacon Ranch and Chicken Quesadillas: The chicken had a smoky flavor which was quite overwhelming but it can become a wonderfully balanced dish once transformed into a soft taco topped with cheese, salsa, and a squeeze of lime. If you’re craving for mexican food like me this one will surely be a hit!
↝Beef and Shrimp Burger: Chili’s newest addition to their menu, its a gigantic burger packed with loads of toppings including a thick beef patty, a shrimp patty, and avocado slices. This burger was so big that it wasn’t easy to fit everything into my mouth. Although it was good, the shrimp patty didn’t really register as shrimp to me and it was easily overpowered by the beef patty, the addition of avocado slices also made the dish a little bland. Overall, it's an inventive and filling burger which could be a great option for health and fitness buffs.
Desserts
↝For dessert we had Salted Caramel Molten which was a caramel lava cake, topped with vanilla ice cream, and sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar. This dessert looked to good to eat and was a hit especially among instagram savvy folks in our group. Everyone was anticipating the moment where you crack open the cake and it released a decadent caramel syrup and it sure did! However the dish was a little bit too sweet for my liking largely due to the sprinkling of brown sugar made but the vanilla ice cream provided some balance to this dish.
↝↝Creamy Molten Shake: Since everyone opted for the Coffee TOffer Shake i chose the chocolate option since i wasn’t really into coffee and it sure paid off! They didn't hold back on the indulgence on this shake as it was rich, creamy, and just the right amount of sweet. The consistency was almost like ice cream which i loved. The 10 year old me would probably go insane over this smoothie LOVE!
↝↝Strawberry Margarita: I wouldn’t miss out on a chance to slip in some alcohol to end the meal. Chili’s is famous for unlimited margaritas and if you still don’t know that (do you live under a rock?) hurry and try it out! For less than P300, they have quite a variety of flavors of blended margarita to choose from, this one was bright pink, tasted like sweet strawberries, and sprinkled with some sour candy powder. If you don’t have a high tolerance for alcohol or want a lighter beverage, this doesn’t really have a strong alcohol taste so you could really go on and on drinking this margarita!
Overall, dining at Chili’s was really fun, i loved the variety of flavors that i got to taste and the atmosphere was perfect for bringing friends, the service was also pristine. The dishes we tasted were delicious, quite affordable, and the servings were generous. Since its quite near my school, this would be a good place to have a nice meal and some great drinks!
Ambience: 3.5
Food:3.5
Drinks: 4
Service: 4
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