We just had a contract signing last week and such an event usually calls for Delifrance tarts and canapes. However, the technical partners for this particular signing are the “plain folks” sort who specifically asked that the food be as plain and as wholesome as can be.
Jeez, why can’t we get tech partners like this all the time?! 😀
Anyway, since they wanted us to keep things simple and wholesome, the organizing committee did the right thing by ordering boxed lunches from Pancake House. Participants had a choice between the Spaghetti Club Special Set (spaghetti Bolognese and half a clubhouse sandwich) and the House Special Set shown above. The House Special features three of Pancake House’s non-flapjack best-sellers: spaghetti Bolognese, Pan Chicken, and what they proudly refer to as the Best Taco in Town. (Seriously: it’s what’s written in their menu!)
The taco is good – very good, as a matter of fact. I can’t exactly call it the best in town (there are a number of really great Mexican restaurants here these days), but it sure doesn’t skimp on the beef and the salsa is deliciously tangy.
The Pan Chicken is, essentially, batter-coated fried chicken. In this case, the chicken was nicely colored: the proper golden brown sort. The batter-coated skin – the best part of many a dish of fried chicken, in my opinion – crackled when I bit into it and the crunch was made more appealing by the salty-peppery flavor. The chicken within was a surprise: I got a wing part – and I got rather iffy at first because I’m not really a fan of white meat. To my surprise, the meat was moist, juicy even, and beautifully flavored. I recommend at this point, however, skipping the gravy that comes with it; it tasted like Knorr Liquid Seasoning, go figure…
The spaghetti is, well, spaghetti: meaty, savory, with a slight sweetness that makes it appealing to Filipinos of all ages. Not bad, quite good, but not exactly something to write home about.