Chuck’s Deli

Chuck’s Deli is not owned by a person named Chuck.  Chuck’s Deli was a name that was thought out randomly by owners Marco Alcantara & Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara during an out of town trip.  The restaurant is a wish came true for Marco and Chef Katrina.  They wanted to bring tasty American sandwiches into the Philippines.  That was when Chuck’s Deli started.  In November 2010, at Serendra, they opened their first branch.  It was quickly followed on May 2011 in Eastwood.

Sometime last month, I tried out Chuck’s Deli, for the first time.  I actually felt a little guilty because I haven’t heard of Chuck’s Deli then.  Maybe I really do not go out much or I do not notice restaurants that specialise in sandwiches.  I’m glad that because of this hobby, I get to discover places like Chuck’s Deli or else, I would have missed a lot.

The menu was actually very interesting to read.  I love how witty the names of their food items are.  What some restaurants don’t realise is that even if the taste and quality of food are important, all other aspects should not be ignored.  It’s really all about the whole experience.  You see, it’s not just the menu, the food choices, the beautiful interior and the service but Chuck’s Deli also went as far as baking their own bread and whipping up their own sauces.

I appreciated that I got an invite to try out Chuck’s Deli specialties.  However, other invited guests are close friends so I ended up being out of place.  I couldn’t stay long.  I decided to get a quick bite of each dish and take a mental note so that I would order the dishes that I like when I go back at my convenient time.

• Fresh Honey Lemonade (Php 95)

There are two types of lemonade at Chuck’s Deli: Normal lemonade priced (Php 85) and honey lemonade (Php 95).  I’ve chosen honey lemonade because I prefer the drink sweetened.  I guess, health-conscious people would choose the normal variant.  No matter what we choose, the important thing is the lemonade was made fresh.

• Chuckatsu Balls (Php 245)

Balled chicken cutlets with yummy chuckatsu sauce.

People can fall in love with a person from the opposite sex at first sight.  The ‘Love at First Sight’ doesn’t only apply to people but also to food.  Upon first bite of Chuckatsu balls, I was totally immersed on its yumminess.   I couldn’t even describe its taste but one thing is for sure, it stuck in my mind and in my stomach 😉

• The Buffy (1/2 slab – Php 295, 1 slab – Php 590)

Slay some vampires with this Buffalo (a.k.a. buffy) chicken and garlic sauce.

I remembered a friend when I saw the Buffy served at our table.  I was pretty sure my friend would love this!  He would order buffalo wings wherever restaurant he went to (if it’s available).  While this is not the traditional buffalo wings, Chuck’s Deli made a good twist to it.  They removed the bones and made it into a fillet then put it in their homemade ciabatta 10-inch bread!

One whole slab weighs about 1.25 pounds.  Mind you, Chuck’s Deli was pretty generous with the buffalo chicken.  I couldn’t even imagine anyone would order the half slab as this was just too delicious that people would prefer to eat a whole order of it.

If you’re up to the challenge, you can take Chuck’s Deli’s ‘The Buffy Challenge‘.  Get your name on the Wall of Fame (also posted on Chuck’s Deli’s restaurants & social media accounts) if you finish the Buffy in less than five minutes.  Apart from that, you get the Buffy for free and a T-shirt so you can brag to your friends!  Right now, the best record is at 2 minutes 58 seconds.  Boy, I don’t eat fast but I’m sure some of you can do it!

• Mother Chucker (Php 295)

Created to celebrate their anniversary, Chuck’s Deli offered the Mother Chucker.  Oh yeah, it’s truly motherly!  You see, it includes a lot of ingredients like cucumber, tomato, onion rings, arugula, emmental cheese, bacon, chicken salad, runny fried egg, mustard mayo and smoked ham.  Paired with the yummy potato chips, it’s certainly a good product to describe how successful Chuck’s Deli is.

• Potato Chips (Php 75)

home-made potato chips perfect with garlic sauce.

The potato chips are included with every order of Chuck’s Deli’s slabwiches.  However, it just wasn’t enough for me.  I had to get a full order of it.

Thin, crispy and cooked right – that’s their potato chips and I loved it!

• Fish and Chips (Php 245)

Beer-battered fish fillets with home-made fries (chips to the brits), malt vinegar & fried pickles.

Most of the people are on diet right now.  I guess I’m influenced by that, so I tend to choose to order fish if it’s available.  Considering how I loved the other Chuck’s Deli’s items, I requested for an oder of their fish and chips.

I wasn’t disappointed!  Every bite was delicious!  The good thing there was that the batter didn’t overpower the main ingredients which is pretty important for breaded food.  While the malt vinegar can give a lil kick to the taste, I enjoyed the fish even without dipping it into the sauce.  Yum!

Before I bid goodbye to everyone in the table, I quickly went inside the restaurant and observed the interiors.  Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!

There was a huge counter right in front of the entrance, everyone can see how the chefs prepare our food orders.

As you know, red is my favourite colour.  Chuck’s deli made good use of the red with the combination of wood and white accent.

There were white boards, red boards and chalk boards all over the restaurant.  Certain trivia about Chuck’s deli, menu items, promos, Slay the Buffy Challenge winners and other information are posted there.

Many people know me as a rice person.  I would order rice over sandwiches any time.  However, I can’t dismiss the fact that I loved every dish that I tasted from Chuck’s Deli that day.  If I would suggest to the owners, I would wish they offer rice dishes with the same main ingredients.  It doesn’t matter though.  I already have my mind set to go back to Chuck’s Deli.  This time around, I would be with friends and I already know what I would order (i.e., Fish & Chips, chukatsu balls, buffy balls).

Chuck’s Deli is targeting Filipinos who crave for American sandwiches.  I do agree with that.  So if you are the type and you haven’t tried Chuck’s Deli, then make some time to try it.  You’ll definitely have a new restaurant to add to your favourites.

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Chuck’s Deli
G/F Eastwood Mall, Orchard Rd, Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Philippines
+63-2-9000503