OK, right off the bat, allow me to admit that this isn't a review of Manang's Chicken, the sleeper success of the Korean-style chicken craze (curiously, with a home-bred all-Pinoy recipe, hence the name). At least, not a review in the traditional sense.
See, I have no issues with Manang's Chicken. That is, the actual chicken itself. The chicken wings are perfectly-fried, perfectly-coated, and come topped with a light dusting of sesame seeds that, for my money, give it an edge over most of the other truly Korean and Korean-style wing joints.
No, my issue is with what they did with their chicken. Allow me to explain. I used to be able to walk up to the counter, order 6 pieces of extra hot (don't worry, it's not that hot) wings, and take those bad boys back to my table.
As I'd recently learned though, Manang's Chicken has decided to stop selling 6 piece orders of wings. Instead, they decided to go the 1 piece or 2 piece with rice--like Jollibee. But when I want Korean-style chicken, I prefer to fill up on the chicken itself. The way it is now, I would have to order THREE two-piece orders just to get what I used to in one dish. Without changing her Chicken at all, Manang has made sure that I never get to enjoy them again. read more