Charlie's Grind and Grill : Reversed Wings and Wagyu Swag

Charlie's Wagyu Cheeseburger

FOOD

I have work every 1st and last Saturdays of the month, some people would think this is drabby but what really helps alleviate the pain is that my office is right smack in the middle of one of the food districts of Metro Manila. Kapitolyo Pasig. 

My officemate, whom I shall now forever call as Bonsai, asked me if I wanted to eat out a while ago. Where to? Charlie's Grind and Grill.

Buffalo Wings are usually made by deep frying wing sections unbreaded and then coating it with some vinegar-based cayenne pepper sauce. It then comes served with a bleu cheese dip on the side. But what if we strike that and reverse it? Imagine, deep fried wings coated with a Bleu Cheese based sauce and then served with some spicy red sauce on the side. For cheese lovers like myself, HEAVENLY. 

This is what lured Bonsai and me to Charlie's despite my hesitation. The premise seemed promising and the risk would be worth it.

The only downside to eating in Kapitolyo is the parking. Luckily, we found an empty stretch of space just a few houses away from Charlie's and parked. Tip to those who aren't familiar with Kapitolyo yet, you can park most anywhere except directly outside structural gates. Kapitolyo is a residential area that houses a rising "hole-in-the-wall" type of food district and it's best we avoid getting the ire of the residents. We don't want to come back after a meal and find our tires clamped.

We ordered the half dozen reversed buffalo wings (P265 for half a dozen and P495 for a dozen) and a burger for each of us. Charlie's prides itself for its "handcrafted" burgers and not the commercial type patties that you can buy molded already. Bonsai opted for a Mushroom burger (He says he needs to cut down on the carcinogens after having eaten grilled food for 3 weeks straight) and I on the other hand chose a Wagyu cheeseburger (P205).

When we got inside, there were still only a few people there as it was still quarter to noon. When the last couple left, I got up and changed the channels. I saw the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremonies featured on an Indian channel and figured I wanted to see it.  So I sat down while waiting for our order.

When the Reversed Buffalo Wings came, I immediately got one and tried it. Wow. I relished that moment of the first bite. The deep fried chicken was still crispy and the bleu cheese coating chunky and creamy. Definitely delicious!

The Wagyu Burger came as a surprise. Seriously one of the best burgers I've had in ages. The beef was just juicy and had every right to claim it was of that famous japanese cow. God Bless the Japanese! The yellow bun and the choice vegetables just blended well with the beef. It took on the role of being good support actors that helped tell the entire story and let the Wagyu beef patty rise up and be the star of the show.

 

The worst thing that can happen to any eating spree is when you start thinking that you didn't get your money's worth and the price you paid for the meal would've been better spent elsewhere. I didn't get that feeling a while ago. I felt Charlie's gave us value for the buck and even more. The price might be a bit steep for those who frequent the more popular fast food burger joints but the break from the norms is refreshing and definitely worth it.

That was a perfect lunch right there. I implore my readers to head on over to Charlie's to give this duo a try. Worth the money you will pay for it and more. 

When we left, the Olympics feature was over and I smiled as I figured that the rest of the crowd that was piling up now, would be forced to watch some foreign channel for the rest of their stay there. A lot would be too shy to switch channels thinking that someone amongst them chose to watch that Indian drama series. The Question is, who would stand up and risk offending someone by changing the channels. hehehehe. Awkward and I like it. =)

Charlie's Reversed Buffalo Wings