Wingman @ the Collective

I am a fan of buffalo chicken wings. So far, the best buffalo wings I've ever had from Chili's. Aside from a cold bottle of San Miguel beer premium or Cervesa Negra, it is the only thing I order from there.

When I heard about Wingman @the Collective, I took the time to visit is and sample the goods.

Living up to its name, the place has nine flavored wings: Classic Buffalo, Asian Invasion, Honey Mustard, Mango Barbeuce, Garlic Parmesan, Honey Garlic,  Lemon Pepper and Hickory Barbecue.
Since I could only split an order of one dozen wings into two flavors, I decided to order the classic and, as recommended by the staff, the Lemon Pepper.

The marinade for the Classic Buffalo was very American in flavor- the sourness of the vinegar is the first and last thing you'll notice. It was a mistake for me to request a toned down level of spiciness, a good chili kick would have made the experience better. Thankfully, they did not sweeten it to suit the Filipino palate. The Lemon Pepper had a surprisingly well-spiced salty-sour marinade that works well for chicken. The restaurant staff did well in recommending this flavor.

The shortcoming of the experience was in the Blue cheese dip and the vegetable dip. I like my buffalo wings with the more aromatic celery and, a blue cheese dip where the tanginess of the blue cheese adds a layer of saltiness that complements the sourness of the Buffalo Wings. 

To go with the chicken wings, I also ordered the Home Run Sliders. Three mini-burgers in different flavors of my choice: Chimichurri (a blend of garlic, parsely, vinegar and chili) ,  Cowboy (bacon, caramelized onion and smoked hickory barbecue sauce) and Wingman (buffalo sauce with blue cheese). Hands down, the Cowboy burger wins.

And for dessert, I sampled the oddly titled Fried Coca Cola. A sundae like concoction with deep-fried Coke- flavored batter, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and a cherry topping. Dolled up like a classic 1950's diner Sundae, it was one of the prettiest desserts I've ever seen.

However, it fell short in the taste category. The Coca cola flavoring in the batter cannot be appreciated either because there was too little of it or there was too much whipped cream. It tasted like  glorified "Maruya" (banana fritters in batter), leaving me wondering why food that looks and sounds this good  cannot taste as good?