East Meets Flavor at Wingstop

Most (if not all) of my friends love chicken! Whenever we go out, we almost always gravitate towards a restaurant that specializes in good chicken dishes. One of our favorites is Wingstop, and this restaurant has definitely gone a long way in pleasing everyone's tastebuds with every flavor imaginable (spicy, sweet, savory - you name it, they have it!). Imagine this: They have 10 flavors available...and counting! ;)

Wingstop is no stranger to flavor, so even though it's American born (in Texas, to be exact), it adapts to its Asian market (particularly to chicken-loving Pinoys) with their newest flavors of Asian Wings! And...I am beyond excited so I took a half day leave from work for this. LOL :D

 

My Panda and I arrived Wingstop in Glorietta 2 to be greeted by the Wingstop team and Krissy. We then found out that we'd be served EVERYTHING on this menu. Oh my. I'll be marking the ones I like the most with a ♥. :D

New Sides!

We usually order fries to go with our wings (er, make it drums). I am so happy to see Wingstop expand their side dish menu with these new items.

Onion Rings

Loaded Nachos

Loaded Fries ♥

Sweet Potato Chips ♥

I've ordered the Onion Rings before, but I found it a bit oily. The crispiness is still there. Loaded Nachos and Loaded Fries come with the same cheesy sauce with a bit of salsa, but we both loved the fries more. Sweet Potato Chips is a winner for us! It has the right amount of thickness and crisp, and the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Must try!

After the sides, we were served 5 of their best-selling classic flavors.

Mango Habanero ♥

Mango Habanero is the sweet sister of Atomic (who's just all spice to me). It has the lovely blend of spicy and sweet.

Louisiana Rub ♥

Louisiana Rub is forever a classic favorite. It's spicy and peppery without being tongue-numbing. It's just bursting with flavor and I like it!

Hot Buffalo

It's tangy and spicy at the same time, but I'm not a fan of this flavor. Sorry.

Garlic Parmesan

Lemon Pepper

Whether you want to set your taste buds on fire, satisfy your sweet tooth, or just keep things simple, Wingstop is sure to have something in store for you. Garlic Parmesan and zesty Lemon Pepper are nice options if you're not a fan of spice.

I have a confession to make: I love chicken legs, but I disliked the wing part ever since. So whenever I would eat at Wingstop, I would order it all drumsticks (Yes, that is posssible!). During the event, wings and drums were served. Not wanting to waste the wings... I finally gave it a try. Guess what? I loved it. And I'm not trying to pull your leg or anything, but Wingstop's wings are soft and so flavorful. :O

Now on to the main highlight of the event, the #EastMeetsFlavor Asian Wings! 

Introducing the Asian Wings: hand breaded, made-to-order wings available in 4 flavors: Korean Soy, Spicy Soy, Honey Garlic, and Honey Barbecue.

Korean Soy ♥

Spicy Soy

Satisfy your soy cravings through flavors seasoned with heated garlic and sesame or a lot of spice! I liked Korean Soy more. I couldn't take the heat of Spicy Soy - just one bite, and the spice lingers long inside your mouth. Are you brave enough for this? :D

Honey Garlic

Honey BBQ

If you are looking for something sweet, you can also try the unconventional honey flavor combinations mixed with garlic or smokey barbecue.

Wingstop did amazingly with their Asian wings, infusing the bold flavors of soy and garlic into the comforting tastes of honey and barbecue.

Hello, Panda! Are you enjoying your #EastMeetsFlavor wing? :3

With Krissy, whose hair I can't get over. ♥

For more information LIKE Wingstop Philippines on Facebook and FOLLOW @wingstopph on Instagram. (By the way, I'm now on Instagram as well! Follow me @luckycitrine! Such a shameless plug. Hahaha!) :D

Love,

Helen

The Body Shop Holiday 2015: Frosted Plum, Winter Trend & Gift Sets!

It's that time of the year again! Christmas is just around the corner, and my best tip for you is to start shopping for your loved ones now to avoid the rush in the coming weeks.

If you want convenience, why not get gifts for everyone on your list at The Body Shop! You'll be sure to thrill your recipient with the wide array of gifts in store! :D

Just last week, The Body Shop invited me to their SM Megamall store to check out their new items for Holiday 2015.

Let's check out their holiday items together!

What gets me excited about the holiday season is when beauty brands release special limited edition collections, such as these festive fruity body care items. Frosted Cranberry (from the forests of North America) and Glazed Apple (from the Italian Alps) are both returning favorites. Vanilla from last year is gone, so let's make way for our new friend (and possible favorite), Frosted Plum! ♥

When I arrived together with my Panda, The Body Shop team toured us around the store and led us to this table. Since The Body Shop's advocacy has something to do with water (which you'll know more of in a bit), we were both asked to grab pails and stuff it with gifts from the table, which we were to give our loved ones so we could be a #HappyMaker!

I adore Frosted Plum's packaging the most. It has a classy and very premium look to it. The scent is fruity-floral, with an elegant blend of ripe plum, magnolia, and peony notes.

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Body Butter (P995)

The body butter's tub has a metallic finish in a deep purple shade. Just lovely!

 

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Shower Gel (P750)

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Shimmer Mist (P1,195)

The one on the left looks clear because the shimmer has settled on the base of the bottle, but shake it and you'll be enchanted with how the shimmer swirls and blends with the fragrance. It's magical and quite addictive to look at. Haha! My friend though it was a giant nail polish, while I think it resembles Christmas balls. Among the items in the Frosted Plum range, the Shimmer Mist is my absolute favorite. The fragrance starts off as an embrace of sweet plum spiked with floral notes. After 2 hours, I start to detect tart plum scent that resembles the actual fruit. The shimmer mist lasts for 3-4 hours. The shimmer is not too evident so you won't have to worry about your clothes getting too sparkly (much to my relief). I never imagined plum to be used a fragrance, but it works!

The Body Shop Winter Trend 2015 is inspired by the shimmering 1920s and The Great Gatsby. It's available in two looks: Swinging Silver or Grooving Gold.

 

The Body Shop Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette 

in Grooving Gold and Swinging Silver (P1,495) 

Wearable metallic and shimmer shades to get you in the party spirit

The Body Shop Limited Edition Nail Sequins in Gold and Silver (P350)

Gold looks best on warm skin tones, while silver looks great on cool skin tones. For the eyeshadow, I chose Swinging Silver. I wanted gold for my tips, so I chose the Nail Sequins in Gold (which is a best-selling item!).

If you're fancying anything from the Limited Edition Bath & Body range and Winter Trend makeup, then use your BDO credit and debit cards to shop so you could get these items at a buy 1 take 1 deal! :D I don't have credit cards, so I'm thrilled that I can use my BDO debit cards for this! YAY!

At the end of the table, this was the part where I get to choose my Festive Picks gift set in either Olive, Shea, or Strawberry! This is the part where The Body Shop's advocacy comes in.

Christmas should be a magical time for everybody. For a lot of us, the biggest worry when it comes to water is whether we are drinking our two liters a day. However, for over 650 million people across the world, access to safe water is not even possible and around 1,400 people die each day from diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation.

This year, The Body Shop make giving feel so good by partnering with international charity WaterAid. For each specially selected gift you buy, you provide a day of safe water to a family in Ethiopia. Giving has never felt this good.

Panda and I with our Feel So Good goodies! :3
 

We took a short break and had these sweet treats prepared by The Body Shop team. Then I took some more shots of deals you won't want to miss.

Giving has never been this easy too! There's so much to choose from, and delectable and irresistible deals such as buy 1 take 1, buy 2 take 1, 30% off, and even 50% off! My favorite most sulit find is the Strawberry and Olive Body Butter duo (P1,395). You can get this at buy 1 take 1, so that's 4 body butters for P1,395, meaning each big tub would just cost P348.75. Crazyyyyy. It's hoarding time!!! :D
 

With lovely Danica from The Body Shop ♥
 

I'll be sharing these goodies with my family (and keeping some for myself). Mwahaha >:)

As for the Shea Festive Picks, I'll be gifting it to my friend who's going to celebrate a big day in her life next month. ;)

Thanks for having us, The Body Shop team! :D

Like The Body Shop, Philippines on Facebook for more information.

Love,

Helen

Max 70th Anniversary: Salamat sa #ChickenLove!

When a business has been around for 70 years, you will agree that it must be doing something right and something good for it to last that long. Max's Restaurant is an institution in the food industry here in the Philippines, and I'm pretty sure that every Filipino who has tried their famous chicken will agree that it truly is a Sarap-to-the-Bones experience!

Last October, Max's Restaurant celebrated its 70th anniversary. They had LOTS of activities and surprises lined up for their diners during that month, and even until now! (Check THIS out to get Max coupons valid until month end.) Last month, they surprised their guests with free meals, free whole fried chickens, and more!

I was blessed to take part in this celebration because they invited me and Panda to dine with them at their first ever branch located in Scout Tuazon.

I've been eating at Max's for years, but it's just now that I found out about their mascot. Haha! What I always see in their other stores are standees of their celebrity endorsers such as Coco Martin (who used to be a waiter at Max's Restaurant in Fairview).

Their location in Scout Tuazon, which was their first branch, used to be the house of their founder Maximo Gimenez. With Filipino hospitality, he would entertain American soldiers in 1945 (after World War II) for hearty meals. The soldiers then enjoyed themselves so much that they frequented the place, insisted on paying, and finally convinced him to open a cafe. His niece Ruby, now known as "Nanay Ruby", is the secret ingredient to the cafe's success, as it was her recipes that was used to create the fare that would later be very famous. Her fried chicken was a favorite of the GIs despite how different it was from the traditional American-style fried chicken. Did you know that the famous Max’s Restaurant Sinigang, the Kare Kare, Pancit Canton, and Lumpiang Ubod to name a few, are all her creations, too? And rightfully so, Max's Restaurant is indeed "The House That Fried Chicken Built".

Upon entering the venue, I was amazed with all the Max's artifacts on display. It was a mini museum showcasing how Max's Restaurant has evolved through the years.

Trivia: One whole order of fried chicken dinner (which includes rolls, butters, slices of tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce) used to just cost P5.00 way back in 1945. WOW. ♥

Today,  it is believed that the key to Max's Restaurant's longstanding success is that it was built through the years with the pure intent to be a thoughtful host. “Max's is in our blood,” says Jim Fuentebella, when he speaks of the members of the board. “The personal connection we have with the brand is what drives us forward, and is what inspires us to cascade the guest-host relationship to all of our branches. Generosity and hospitality, which are virtues my lola lived, are messages we want to communicate on all levels."

A buffet dinner was served, but the star of the table is, was, and will always be Max's fried chicken. Perfectly seasoned, satisfyingly crispy, and delightfully comforting are just some of the few words to describe it. Not just anybody can cook chicken in the deeply authentic and Filipino way Max’s Restaurant does. Max’s fried chicken is a dish made with love through a recipe that has passed through careful hands across generations, and there's much more to it than just secret seasonings and undiscovered cooking technique.

I'm amazed with the story of Max's Restaurant - from its humble beginnings as a simple home cooking cafe to a successful international restaurant chain that's 70 years strong. Max's Restaurant thanks its supporters for the #ChickenLove. On my next visit, I'll be treating my family to our most loved Max's fried chicken, and I'm excited to bond with them over a hearty meal.♥   

Happy birthday, Max's!

For more information, visit www.maxschicken.com and LIKE Max's Restaurant on Facebook.

Love,

Helen