Chic-Boy, it's in the details

Chic-Boy came into my life in a styro, cold and unflattering. What’s this? I ask myself, one of hubby’s untouched office lunch boxes again? Chicken na naman? And what’s his claim that this one is different? Whatever, I tell myself. Might as well eat it, don’t want food going to waste, sayang. Okay, so the meat wasn't warm, in fact, it was clammy from the car aircon. The flavor of the chicken was passable.

But ah, the sawsawan, the dipping sauce, that’s what we’re talking about, the secret weapon, the crown jewel of this chicken food chain. It was tangy, acidic and.. sweet.  Unlike any vinegar-based dipping sauce I tried before. Yes, you can attempt to put a dash of sugar in vinegar to recreate it. But this was different, it tasted like it was aged or fermented well. Honestly, the chicken meat’s flavor was enhanced because of it.

In fact, I love it so much, that whenever I drop by Chic-Boy now, I can empty a sachet or two of this sour/sweet combo on my entire chicken meat. No more dipping for me, ha! Then if I have extra, I’ll  sprinkle some of it on my warm rice to make it extra tasty, yum!

I may not be a big fan of their Lechon manok but I like their Lechon Cebu liempo. It is crunchy and meaty, rubbed only with the basic spices then grilled to a crisp. It’s hard to think of dieting when a platter of perfectly grilled pork pieces is dripping in front of you. How can you resist that? Then bring in their dipping sauce, wow. Good combination. Fatty and salty then sweet and crunchy. Sarap!

Yes, it’s all in the details and with Chic-Boy, their winning detail is their deliciously fermented sweet and sour vinegar sauce J Glad I tried it, no wonder their branches are expanding.