Cuteness Overload with Happy Pao

Cute, lovable animal-shaped steamed buns isn’t something new. Yet, I’m surprised how it didn’t really catch on any sooner here in the Philippines as it is very popular in other Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand.

But thankfully, Chowking has finally jumped on the bandwagon! 

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As soon as Happy Pao was launched, Instagram was on fire! These selfie-worthy treats were very hard to get a hold of considering they sell out faster than One Direction concert tickets. Haha!

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When we finally got our hands on the elusive Happy Pao, it seemed like the heavens opened up and all the angels sang a beautiful song just for us.

However, I am grossly disappointed that Chowking Iligan branches do not serve Piggy Happy Pao.

Yes, I understand that they are doing this because of “religious and cultural sensitivity”. But what’s puzzling is that they serve meals that contain pork anyway. So, I don’t get it.

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Disclaimer: This cute steamed bun does not contain any real pandas.

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Panda Happy Pao is a sweet steamed bun bursting with velvety, smooth chocolaty goodness. Although it is served hot, I prefer to take it home with me and chill it in the fridge for a few minutes before eating it.

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Happy Pao isn’t only yummy, it’s very affordable too! Get these adorable buns for only 39 PHP ala carte, 49 PHP with a drink and 117 PHP for a box of three. Happiness guaranteed! 😉

Davao-Gensan Trip Part 3: Lunch at Chicken BonChon

After that not-so-good breakfast, we booked ourselves at D’ Counter Pensione (we got our bags back of course), freshened up and took some much needed rest… And before we knew it, it was already 2 o’clock in the afternoon and we should go out to have lunch already

We didn’t know where to grab our lunch so we thought to just to go to Abreeza and decide when we get there. But one thing’s for sure though, we wanted something fast, convenient, affordable and preferably something we never had before…

And Chicken BonChon just fits the bill. 

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Chicken BonChon is a fast food chain that originates from South Korea. And as the name suggests, they primarily serve chicken but they do have other food items on their menu as well. Such as salads and rice meals that have nothing to do with chicken at all.

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Chicken BonChon has a global cult following on their crispy, less greasy (I won’t say non-greasy) double-fried chicken.

Let’s see if they get us to join the bandwagon…

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My pink hair has faded into this ombre color. I digress. Waiting for our chicken thighs and kimchi. 

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Jalmukesumneda! Learning some Korean table manners won’t hurt anyone.

We got the 3-piece chicken thigh ensemble for 185 pesos (exclusive of the rice and kimchi). It is a tad pricey for a fast food meal… But since my boyfriend and I shared it, I think it’s not bad considering that a 1-piece chicken meal from Jollibee is around 70~80 pesos minimum.  

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The thighs were paper thin crisp and glazed with their signature soy garlic sauce (we had the spicy version) that everyone seems to go bananas about. And truly, the sauce itself is delicious. But the chicken, hmmm not so. It was bland to the bones. And just to counter the lack of flavor, I was hoping they’d have some gravy or dipping to go with it… But there is none. In all fairness though, the chicken was moist and juicy.

I guess I just had my expectations so high up that I got really disappointed. 

But frankly, we came for the chicken and not the sauce. So I don’t think we’d come back here anytime soon. Sorry guys. Not jumping on this bandwagon.