I swear, doom scrolling of food is one way of convincing me to try new cuisines or new restaurants. I kept seeing this restaurant all over my FYP, and my curiosity kicked in. I watched this guy in his car doing a mukbang, devouring a whole meal of Panda Express. 😋🍴
Damn, I felt like I was left out, haha! 😆 But luckily, some of the popular restaurants from the US are now in the Philippines. Yeah, I have to try it myself! I have a high expectation of Panda Express's famous orange chicken, but spoiler alert! It did not turn as I imagined.😅 But before I spill the hot tea, let me walk you through how it all started.
On top of my orange chicken situation, it was a bad time. Could not have been worse…. It was a weekend, lunchtime, and there was a concert going on nearby. Perfect combination, right? 😅
The place was packed, and the line was long. It was a good 15 minutes until it was my turn. I still ordered the orange chicken, but wait! They just ran out, so I had to wait for another five minutes. 😩
So might as well order an additional order to make myself feel better about the situation. I added the fish, eggplant tofu, and an egg soup. I was here for the full experience.
I paid for my order and sat in a high chair. A miracle to snag a seat in chaos. Finally, I saw the famous orange chicken with my own eyes. It was shiny, golden, and saucy.
The final moment - the first bite. 🥁🥁🥁 (drum roll, pls!)
.... and it was not exactly a whole disappointment, but it was not what I was expecting.
It was not the explosion of flavor I imagined after the hype in my head. The tanginess was not there. The chicken was on the dry side. Ughh… almost but not quite. 😩😩😩
I figured out that I needed some veggies and some additional protein on my plate. Honestly, it was average. Nothing stood out or felt memorable.
What was memorable was the lack of saltiness. It was missing a punch of the ocean. On the counter, they did mention that there’s no MSG added, so maybe that explained the milder flavor.
The rice was not giving. 💁 I want that oiliness that makes it comforting, but it still has a decent flavor. It was fine, but I did not get the spotlight I was wishing for.
Overall, my curiosity was satisfied. Not the exact outcome that I imagined,but at least I got to eat the orange chicken. It did not get the tangy notes and the hype. I appreciated the No MSG, even though it gave the milder flavors.
It was average, I would say, but I swear you can find a better one with the same price point. The total bill was around $9.
Food Quality 2/5 ⭐️⭐️
Service 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cleanliness 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Value for Money 2/5 ⭐️⭐️
Overall Experience 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
That is it for this food blog. I will see you at the next one!
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