Applebee's Grill and Bar BGC Review

One restaurant hubby and I have always wanted to try is Applebee's Grill and Bar. During our last trip to the US back in 2013, we tried to find a branch near my mom's house in California but failed... lol! I honestly didn't think we'd have our first taste of Applebee's here in the Philippines!

Applebee's opened its first Philippine branch in BGC very recently. In fact I think it hasn't been a month. Since it's a holiday today, we decided to go try it out along with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephews. There were a lot of people waiting at the ground floor when we arrived but we were able to get a table fairly quickly (after about 10 minutes). True to Applebee's motto of #CelebrateEverything, the first thing they ask you when you take your seat is are you celebrating anything? If you are, they'll break out in song before your meal is over and bring you a free dessert (I didn't see what they brought the birthday celebrator at the next table so I can't tell you what it is, lol! I suspect it's ice cream...).

Sriracha Shrimp (P445)

My sister-in-law ordered Sriracha Shrimp to start us off. Rappler hailed this as a must-try but I beg to differ. This dish consists of several pieces (7 to be exact, hubby counted) of battered shrimp covered in what tasted like mayo and Sriracha sauce mixed together. Not bad but you could probably make this at home if you know how to cook. I also found the serving size very small.

Oriental Chicken Salad (Half P295 / Full P450)

My hubby doesn't eat nuts so our order of Oriental Chicken Salad had almonds on the side. The rest of the ingredients are greens, crunchy rice noodles, and grilled chicken strips. Like the Sriracha Shrimp, I found the serving size quite lacking. I couldn't believe this was the Full serving (the plate is just a little bigger than your dinner plate at home). It looked like Half. For a good-sized Full portion, please refer to the salads at Chili's or TGIFriday's -- 3-4 people can share those easily while this one can be best shared by 2. It's kind of bland too, perhaps a bit more dressing (in this case oriental vinaigrette) would help? Read more »