Saturday, December 20, 2014

Tornado Peri-Peri Chicken

Tornado Peri Peri Chicken



Named for its quick service, Tornado Peri-Peri Chicken opened its doors along Maginhawa Street in April of this year. The place is small and can only fit a few at a time, but that doesn't seem to bother their customers; it's actually one of the establishments along the stretch that people really line up for.
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
For the longest time, I didn't know what peri-peri meant - sure, I've eaten peri-peri chicken before, but I never really knew anything about its origins. Apparently, peri peri sauce is traditionally made from Birds Eye Chili; "peri peri" came from the word pili pili which is a Swahili term for pepper pepper. One of the features of these peppers as used in sauces is that the heat intensifies gradually as you eat it, thus allowing you to taste the flavor of the food you're eating.

It's a melting pot cuisine that is heavily spiced, hearty, and soul satisfying.
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Don't be fooled though, peri-peri chicken is not the only thing that's served here. They have a wide menu that includes pasta, steaks, ribs, burgers, and fries - comfort food that's affordable and perfect for your late night food runs.
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Even though they lay out extra tables on the sidewalk when it gets dark, the place gets packed really quickly! Lucky for us, a group stood up right when we arrived so we were able to secure good seats.
Tornado Peri Peri ChickenTornado Peri Peri Chicken
We started off with their most basic peri-peri meal. It includes 1/4 chicken with rice and a side dish (choose from corn cob with butter, mixed vegetables, grilled pumpkin, mashed potato, french fries, macaroni salad, or fruit cocktail).
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
To tell you the truth, I did not expect them to have such generous servings, considering they're just a small establishment - I'm so glad I was wrong! Would you believe this meal only costs P120? It's definitely sulit than most places!

Their meals come with your choice of peri peri sauce, but you can always add some more for only P15. They have three sauces - Original, Tiger's Fury, and Dragon's Breath. The spicier ones can take a few seconds to kick in, so slow down on your first few bites just to be sure. All the sauces taste really well with the chicken (and sidings) but if you want to know my favorite, it will have to be the Tiger's Fury.
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Mike got the 1/4 chicken with quarter slab ribs and side dish for P320. Their meats are tender and surprisingly, don't take that long to prepare. I'm not complaining, it's something I'm sure we all look for in restaurants - delicious and flavorful food served quickly.
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
But guess what, you don't actually have to drive all the way to Maginhawa to find Tornado Peri-Peri Chicken! They recently opened their second (bigger!) store at E. Rodriguez Avenue. :)
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
I would also suggest trying their Blueberry Cheesecake (P120). It's a sweet treat that helps cleanse your palate of the spicy peri peri sauce. It's pretty good, too.
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Here we are with Arianne Bautista, part owner of Tornado Peri-Peri Chicken!
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Thank you for having us! We hope to meet your partner Chef Kelvin Ang soon! :)
Tornado Peri Peri Chicken
Tornado Peri-Peri Chicken
104 Maginhawa Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City
(Open from 11am to 11pm)

 1680 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, corner Los Angeles St., Cubao, Quezon City
(Open from 11am to 12mn)