Chef Arch's Lime: Street Food na Pina-Sosyal sa Mandaluyong

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We've all seen how unsanitary street food are because they are prone to the pollution, the dust and the smoke, plus the elements of sun and rain, add to it the improper hygiene and lack of cleanliness by the vendors from their handling and preparation of the food, to the cooking and presentation to the customers  but Pinoys belonging to the lower class are mostly unaffected and rarely complain.

We don't care much about suffering from hepatitis or other kinds of diseases that we may get from food spoiled by the many factors surrounding the preparation of food and its source mainly because we cannot afford to be choosy. Like they said "You get your money's worth.

But I have to disagree especially when there are food spots in town that offers the same opportunity to feast on street food but with quality control. The bonus is that it gets to be served to you with a touch of "sosyal" or glamorously styled like that of gourmet dishes.Where else can you find "isaw" (chicken intestine) as among the toppings for a pizza? or our favorite ice scramble served the way you'll enjoy it more?

You can find gourmet street food at Chef Arch's Lime that will truly make you think twice of returning to "Manong" at the street corner. Though they still have only one branch, it's being frequented by a lot of people from the neighborhood, nearby cities, and as far as the places you wouldn't imagine being there.

They've been featured in many newspapers, magazines, TV shows and blogs for their unique touches on dishes that modernizes street food into a higher level.

Papadum

The complimentary Papadum are Indian-style crispy flattened thinly pancake and are said to be a variation of the poppadom Indian delicacy. A bit salty but it was so deliciously good that you'll end up eating them all while waiting for the real dishes to arrive. 

Balut in Red Wine Sauce

The Balut in Red Wine Sauce will make you think twice about hesitating to eat the mostly declined delicacy from Pateros referred to as the duck egg with a fetus. But the ones served to us had very little chick presence that it was a welcome treat. I wanted to share it with a friend but when I found out there was very little of the beak and feathery bird, I had to keep one piece to myself. Lol!

Quail Egg Tempura

The Quail Egg Tempura beats any "hipon" news from Davao caused by the humorous Ramon Bautista who probably got a sermon from the Duterte clan when he joked about how women from Davao are similar to shrimps or prawns. I've been to Davao and it' s not really something to joke about since the truth may hurt. Aww!!! Seriously, there are a lot of beautiful women from the city with matching bodies and face that are both stunning to look and hold, if ever I get a chance. Luckily I'm not talking about shrimps here but quail eggs instead. Fork a few and dip it in their special selection of sauces to find the right one that suits you.

Ice Scramble

Goodness gracious for the Ice Scramble that I finally had the opportunity to taste again. During the old days they were just being peddled on the streets by men on bikes, then a few years ago it came back and being sold in food carts, now it slowly disappeared again to make room for the next big thing, the buko shake in water bottles....who knows what will come next as a refreshing treat. The one served at Lime can also be found at their Kanto Freestyle Breakfast All Day branches where I first encountered it.

Indian Style Nachos with Pico de Galo

The Indian Style Nachos with Pico de Galo is surprisingly just the fried wrapper used for "siomai." However, it was interestingly satisfying. It could use a bit more toppings since we had the tendency to eat everything up from the top leaving no ore meat for the rest down below.

Assorted Street Style Barbecue Platter

The Assorted Street Style Barbecue Platter comes with your favorite "isaw", "betamax" (pig blood) and more with condiments to taste. You'll soon forget about going to the dirty street food vendor once you find out there's one over at Mandaluyong that offers the same delicacy but with a more hygienic environment.

Kangkong & Kesong Puti Stuffed Chicken Breast with Mash Potato & Jus

The Kangkong & Kesong Puti Stuffed Chicken Breast with Mash Potato & Jus is simply chicken made more complex by giving you a more flavorful experience. I used to hate getting the breast part since it has the less flavor even how wel you marinate the chicken, but Lime was able to make this chicken dish exceptionally tasty.

Embotido Stuffed Crispy Pata

The Embotido Stuffed Crispy Pata beats all other dishes because of its affordability and value for money. You will be amazed how big the serving is at a prize that is right on the budget. I think this is good for around three persons already. It may be a "putok-batok" dish but it definitely can be your just rewards for a hard week of work.

Crispy Isaw Chicharon Pizza

I love pizza whatever toppings it may have but when I realized the one served would contain chicken intestines, now that was something any curious dude would love to partake. The Crispy Isaw Chicharon Pizza (dunno the official name since it was not yet on the menu) beats the pepperoni, ham or even the bacon topped ones. The experience is unique, and you'll definitely want to have a second slice after he first one....and probably more.

Truffle Four Cheese Pizza

The Truffle Four Cheese Pizza (not yet on the menu) is another new offering that we tasted for the first time. I have to say I liked the first one with isaw more than this but the four cheese ingredient simply had me think twice on which pizza to eat more. We were all sharing so I ad to choose between the two, and I ended up still with the isaw pizza.

Osso Bucco Kare Kare

The Osso Bucco Kare Kare was best eaten with rice. Though I don't have anymore space in my tummy to fit it so I settled for just a taste flavored by the bagoong it comes with. You can see teh effort they gave into these with the "sitaw" or string beans all twisted like crazy flexi yoga.

Hot & Spicy Chili Chicken Wings

For a bit of spice, they also have the Hot & Spicy Chili Chicken Wings whose flavor lingered even after I've eaten the dessert (which was about to come soon). It had the right amount of spice to attract your attention and make you want to eat more rice.

Flourless Chocnut Cake, Chocolate Sansrival, Chocolate Mint Torte, and Salted Caramel Cake

Our dessert for that nights was Flourless Chocnut Cake, Chocolate Sansrival, Chocolate Mint Torte, and Salted Caramel Cake. My friends can attest that each one was superb in both texture and taste. Our taste buds were celebrating with delight. I could have sworn I saw some of my friends swoon with the sweet treats.

License to Chill

My friends have not tried it yet but the sight of the License to Chill was really something to behold. We never got to finish it though since we were more than full our food can be seen from our throat if you look closely (Nah, just exaggerating). The drink is composed of something like Lychee Martini. Vodka, melon liquor, and pineapple juice.

Street food na Pina-Sosyal symbolizes Chef Arch's Lime's promise to provide exceptional street food. If you want something so uniquely Filipino twisted to make it look and taste more glorious, then head on over at their place to experience dining on street food like no other.

You will surely thank me for introducing you all to the wonderful offerings of the restaurant which promises to bring out more dishes in the coming months.

Be sure to check out their Facebook page for more updates: https://www.facebook.com/chefarchslime