The Mother of All Fast Food Restos

So there's a new kid on the fast food resto block. Called Uncle John's, it's best described as Jollibee-meets-Greenwich-meets-Chowking. I'm guessing "John" is Big John, the head of the family that has probably gotten into every imaginable industry.

It officially opened on Feb 1, but, lucky us, we got a taste of things to come the day before the opening--at 50% off! A brilliant strategy, I might add, as the place was packed with discount-hungry patrons--of course generating curiosity in the passing crowd. Got me the P100 buffalo wings which, on that day, were a mere P50. Aaaah! And I was thrilled that there was finally a place in the mall that sold chicken without rice or any other carb-y companion. I did opt for extra fries though.

I must say, even at full price (which I paid today, buffalo-wing whore that I am), the meal is really worth it. The wings are quite large, the sauce a bit tangy, and the accompanying dip this savory, creamy, onion-y concoction. I had one piece with my baon (yes, I am that uncool. Haha)--a salad of greens, mangoes, walnuts, cream cheese, and homemade al verde dressing--and it was a perfect lunch. Had to stop myself from eating the second wing, which I'm saving for dinner. (OK, so Don Hen still tops my list, but this is the cheaper, geographically more convenient alternative.)

Enough of this Ode to Buffalo Wings! Uncle John's has also got:

• Pasta (the cheapest being plain red sauce at just P45, the priciest at P80 for Hungarian Sausage, and the in-betweens at P75: Meatball Spaghetti, Putanesca, etc.)
• Pizza (P240 for the cheapest 14" one and P480 for the priciest 18" one) in the following variants: Cheese and Garlic, Ham and Cheese, Hawaiian, Pepperoni, Four Cheese, Italian Sausage
• Burgers (I'm sure I had my glasses on, but could a regular burger really be P25?! The big burger--which, I'm told, has a burger patty weighing in at a quarter of a pound--is P85. Burger Value Meals run from P65 to P110.)
• Rice Toppings
• Dimsum
• Noodle Soup
• Congee
• Lauriat Value Meals (Sweet and Sour is P110, Shanghai is P95)
• And, of course, C2!
  

And the reason I was able to write all this down was that service (though offered with a smile) still ain't as quick as in regular fast foods, so I had time to whip out my notebook. If they fix this little kink in their system, they really could give Mr. Tan Caktiong a run for his money!

Haven't tried anything else on the menu, but there's supposedly a press event within the month. Maybe I could get a decent photo then as well. And more of those buffalo wings...

Uncle John's is located at Level 3, Robinsons Gallera, EDSA, QC.