http://www.yummy.ph 90 December 2016
BUCKY’S 5666 Don
Pedro Street, Poblacion,
Makati City (mobile no.:
0917-8445104)MUST-TRIES Fried
Chicken and Mashed
Potatoes (P275), Baked
Ziti (P220, plus P80 for
ragout), Grilled Cheese
Sandwich and Tomato
Soup (P250), Buckygato
(P160), Soft-serve (P100)THUMBS UP Stop by the
takeout counter and bring
home some goodies: a
box of Buckies, a cup of
soft-serve ice cream, and
a serving of good coffee.IN A NUTSHELL
I should have known that this
love affair with Bucky’s was a
long time coming. When Miguel
Vargas came up with the concept
in 2013, he banked on a recipe he
remembered from his childhood: an
everyday brownie that looked like a
fudgy flourless chocolate cake. He
dubbed the bars Buckies, and the
treats became a fast pop-up market
favorite. In 2015, Miguel opened a
small café that allowed him to take
his Buckies to the next level as waffle-
style cakes with all the fixings. Now
in 2016, I am in his latest outlet in the
burgeoning Poblacion area. This time,
his expansion includes a savory menu
crafted together with his childhood
friend, chef Justin Golangco.
It’s easy to trust a chef who eats
whatever he cooks. Think boneless
fried chicken thighs with crackling
golden skin. (I forget about the
gravy because I find the chicken
flavorful and juicy enough, but the
chef reminds me about it, which he
says ties everything together. He’s
right, of course.) I wipe the plate
clean—mashed potatoes, slaw, and
all. The bread for their grilled cheese
sandwich is made in-house, and it
allows them to build a light and crispy
sammie that’s still sturdy enough
to hold the two-cheese filling. The
cheese is mostly mozzarella, in a ratio
that allows me to polish it all off with
ease; the chunky tomato soup on the
side is the icing on the cake.
Fried Chicken
and Mashed
PotatoesOriginal
ParfaitThe menu at Bucky’s is tightly
curated (mostly coffee and desserts),
but choosing something may feel like
a difficult task. That’s the problem
when everything appeals to every
sensibility and craving. The difficult
decision-making ends with the baked
ziti; it’s the one dish that I’d commit
a lifetime of carb allowance to. It has
a crusty cheese topping, just the right
amount of tomato sauce, and the ideal
portion of pasta. I think I’ll dream
about it on nights when I don’t dream
about their amazing soft-serve ice
cream. The ragout, for an extra P80, is
a worthwhile investment.
Sure, the menu is full of comfort
food favorites, the type that you can
probably make at home. It takes an
impressive skill set, however, to make
this type of food matter enough to
make me leave home. And that’s
exactly what Bucky’s has done.