Chuck's Deli at Eastwood Mall, Libis Quezon City

Chuck's Deli has been in the business for years now and the fact that I have first tried Mesclun Restaurant by the same chef Katrina Khun-Alcantara before the so-called Home of Slabwich remains a puzzle to me. So when a friend invited me to join them at a leisurely brunch at Chuck's Deli in Eastwood, I immediately said yes.

There's only quite a few restaurants specializing in sandwiches that I have tried as of yet, so having in mind that Chuck's Deli is home of slabwiches here in Manila, expectation was quite high.

I was told that Chuck's Deli Eastwood branch is way bigger compare to their flagship store located in Serendra, The Fort. The place exudes a diner feel that kind of reminds me of the now defunct The Real Thing Diner in Tomas Morato without the Coco-Cola vintage collectibles and has a more country style vibe to it.

Attached to the walls are LCD TV where diners can watch their chosen TV show while indulging on their slabwiches. Laid back theater kitchen faces the entrance door where diners can immediately view the busy bodies spin into creativity as they prepare food for the diners.

First dish that graced our table was the Chukatsu Balls (Php245) which resembles that of chicken poppers only way bigger hence, tastier. I was warned that I will definitely fall in love with these babies, and true enough, I find myself fighting the urge to indulge more since I still have slabwich to slay on the way.

Next was the Chili Fries (Php195). I've had a lot of chili fried in the past but Chuck's own rendition I find way palatable since instead of using the usual fries, they served us the criss cut fries. Topped with no bean chili, diced japalenos, and grated cheddar cheese, the balance in flavor was pleasing enough to enticed me into popping it into my mouth one bite after another.

I was torn between having Reuben Sandwich and their famous The Buffy Slabwich, but since I there was this notion that you haven't been to Chuck's Deli if you have not tried the latter, I opted for The Buffy instead, one slab for the win.

The Buffy (Php295 for 1/2 slab and Php590 for 1 slab) is a humongous sandwich made of gigantic buffalo chicken smothered with garlic sauce and sandwiched between 10 inch ciabatta bread. And yes, there's some shredded lettuce too, thrown in for a good measure. Since buffalo chicken is spicy in general, this slabwich isn't really for those who is not big on spicy deal (read: me) Although, they haven't made a big fan out of me, I appreciate the hugeness of the deal which in my opinion can feed three to four person.

Now, if you love buffalo chicken and has a knack for downing humongous sandwiches, then the Chuck Deli's Challenge might be for you. Aptly called Slay The Buffy Challenge, diners are encouraged to finish the entire 1 slab of The Buffy in less than 5 minutes. This gastronomic pursuit, when conquered will earn you a mention to Chuck's Wall of Fame including mentions to their social media account, free Chuck's T-Shirt, bragging rights, and of course, you won't have to pay for the slabwich you just slayed.

We were thinking of trying other slabwich on the menu but since The Buffy was hefty enough, we opted for one more sandwich instead, the Mother Chucker (Php295). It's a layer of Emmental cheese, bacon, cucumber, tomato, chicken spread, fried egg, mustard mayo, onion rings, smoked ham, and arugula sandwiched in between ciabatta bread. It was filling and good enough that I even liked it way better than The Buffy.

For dessert, we tried their Key Lime Pie which I must say was one of the best I've had. The citrus flavor does not overpower the sweetness of the pie. Even the crust tasted so good that I wouldn't mind having it again on my next visit.

Their Arce Dairy Milkshake (Php195) is also worth mentioning. I love that they made use of fresh carabao's milk to incorporate with three scoops of Arce Dairy ice cream making the shake way creamier than usual, but not cloyingly overwhelming at the same time. I've also tried their Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Milkshake and find it pleasing as well.

There are a lot of items at Chuck's Deli menu which I would love to try on my next visit. The Buffy Slabwich may be satisfying enough for others but since I am not a big fan of anything spicy, I find it only pleasant in terms of its size. Next time I would definitely go for the Reuben Slabwich and all the other things that captures my fancy. Their Milkshakes are also worth going back for just like the appetizers we feasted on.