When I started Steemit, I didn't know how to write, when to write and what to write. I had so many questions in my head on how I should make my blog. Should I need to have a theme for my blog? Would it be nice if it's all about traveling, teaching, Christian living, or food blogging? Or maybe I only want to write the things that I wanna write and I feel at the moment. Or maybe my experiences for the day that can inspire people and could maybe help them in their daily lives? Until now, I still don't have definite answers to these questions.
It is evident when you try to check my previous blogs. They are a perfect mixture of everything I am talking about now. There is just one thing that I want to avoid when writing and that is boasting. Probably it is inevitable that sometimes we talked about ourselves in our blogs because nobody is gonna question that anyway but as far as I'm concerned, I want to avoid showing off too much of myself.
So on Sunday night, when @legendarryll invited us for a dinner after our writing session on which @thegaillery creatively assess each of our strengths to bring on Steemit, we went to GIBB'S and I thought of writing about it. I wanna call this a "food blog" but I think this won't justify it because something strange happened which I wanna tell you later so I don't want to focus on the food itself anymore but I wanna focus on the place, the atmosphere, the service and the art inside it instead.
Let's get started.
THE ARTISTIC PLACE
I mean, the Bb. Cebu 2017, Apriel Smith of Badian Cebu looks literally hot and she has been here eating the hottest chicken wings in town. One of the most unique things that I've observed in this restaurant is that they encourage the diners to write on the walls which is not really present in typical restaurants around Cebu. Unfortunately, we were not able to write our names on it because we were so fastened talking about Steemit and how we should improve ourselves and help each one in the community. The next time I go, I should bring sharpies with me.
The restaurant is not that spacious inside so the moment you enter in the glass door, this graffiti is the one to greet you first. I like how it was painted because its like telling a story on how hot their food is. The combination of the yellow, orange and red colors tell me how good and spicy their chicken wings are. It also complimented perfectly with the black paint inside the restaurant. This very captivating to look at.
I've tried researching some other blogs about this restaurant but I only found very few of them and I was surprised because this restaurant is absolutely "bloggable". The food taste is undoubtedly delicious. It is so good that you can't even say a word to describe it because it's too hot that you can't even talk. This was the fourth time that I've been to this restaurant but the last 3 times, I was not yet a part of the community so I didn't have reasons to write about this but I always recommend this to my friends who want to try something new.
Ever wondered who that hot man is hitting a smile on you? That's Mr. Guillermo. He is the man on the newspaper placemat. This one amazed me. I appreciate some fastfood restaurants around Cebu that use a paper placemat when serving their food but this one here is special. Where can you find a restaurant that uses a recycled newspaper together with the plates so admirably? The first time I ate here, I was already overjoyed by how they make use of the recycled materials that can be found at our homes.
I salute the owner of this restaurant that he made a simple recycled material into an art that people would definitely appreciate. It is very commendable to do such act like this. Newspapers are just thrown away by some people I meet everyday but here, they put more worth of it. I never thought this is going to be as useful as this.
This is how the typical table for your friends or family look like. I honestly think that the tables here look shabby but it is part of the art of this place. I think they intended to put these tattered tables to create a look that depicts the personality of the owner. I strongly think that he is a guy who loves rock music. I imagine the place as a musical studio which people practice and jam with a hard core genre probably because of the black details of the area. The red chairs are made of metal so that would suffice my impression of the owner I guess.
We went here on a Sunday so we had to wait until our reserved name is called so if you plan to go, I would suggest you go here during weekdays. The third time I went here was a friend's birthday. There were about 15 people who came so we had to call ahead of time and reserved tables for us. The space inside was quite small but they have more tables outside of the restaurant to accommodate large number of group.
THE HOTTEST SIGNATURE WINGS
As you can see, there are 5 levels of hotness.
1. HOT.
This is just the normal kind of hotness. If you have eaten the new Jollibee spicy chicken (yes, Jollibee has a new kind of hot spicy chicken recently), the level is just like that. It's enough that you can feel something bites your tongue. Like an ant that bites your toes.
2. ORIGINAL.
My friend who first recommended me this restaurant calls it the level 2 and I thought the name is really level 2 but actually it's called the original hotness. I think it is better to call it "level 2" though so we can easily estimate the hotness. The first time I went here, we ordered this level of spiciness. It is the perfect level for me so I think I would want to recommend this to everybody.
3. INSANELY HOT.
By only reading this, you can already tell that this is crazily hot! This kind of hotness is still tolerable for me. My boyfriend and I ordered this the last time we went here but I only ate about 7 wings because I can already feel the spiciness in my nostrils-it's burning. I needed about a pitcher of iced tea after that.
4. 2 INTENSE.
This is TOO intense is what this actually mean. I've never eaten this kind of hotness and I would never ever want to do that. I remember the very popular challenge on the social media, "the spicy noodle eating challenge" to death! My friend and I tried it at home but I only ate one twirl of it on my fork but I got crazy and got my stomach upset. I think this is the "Samyang" level.
5. FREAKIN' HOT.
You'll be the judge!
This is what I was going to tell you about earlier. We were a bit disappointed because we expected to get chicken wings but then we got a breast chicken cut into small pieces instead. They said they ran out of wings which we heartfully accepted because there were a great deal of diners too. In fairness to them, it did not defeat the taste of the food. It was still as good as I expected. We felt sorry for @ybanezkim26 though because he appeared to be food poisoned so he did not enjoy the food. The rest of us with @ivanafrey24, enjoyed it so much.
Isn't it mouth-watering? I have eaten in different chicken restaurants around the town but this one is the best. You might think I am over-reacting and exaggerating but you can try to visit and see for yourself. I attempted to talk to the lady servers because they look really approachable and kind and asked about the secret of their good-taste chicken wings but they were so busy that I got to ask one question only. Well, I bet they wouldn't even tell me even just the sauce they use with it.
The chicken wings are really tender and the texture is just so good. The chicken cuts that they served us were okay but a bit hard compared to the real chicken wings. Savoring every part of it was enjoying. I am not a good cook but the way they tenderized the chicken was perfect for everyone. But I still wonder how they made it so delicious like this. It must be the sauce. Who knows?
Aside from their hot chicken wings, they also serve cheesy pasta. I think the reason why all of these foods you can see in the menu are popular is because they use a lot of cheese on it.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Why wings? Of all the parts of the chicken, have you ever thought why the wings? Why not the thighs? Why not the breasts? Why not the other parts? It is said that the chicken wings used to be a "pulutan" (In English, food provided as an accompaniment to alcoholic drinks) of choice for the owner and his friends every time they get together. Since the owner's friends love their home recipe, they encourage him to sell their hot wings and people started to come often and eat in their small restaurant. The rest was history.
So, why are hot wings popular not just in Cebu but in some parts of the world?
Hot wings, is commonly called buffalo wings were created in 1964 in a small restaurant in Buffalo, New York. These spicy wings quickly became very popular as finger foods at social gatherings.
NUTRITION FACTS.
Traditionally deep-fried, a serving of four hot wings contains 240 calories, 16 grams of protein, and 17 grams of fat. They also contain 60 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. Hot wings are also high in sodium that can raise blood pressure if consumed too much. These delicious wings are not exactly health foods but you can enjoy them in a small serving. I think I had enough chicken wings for this day alone.
THE ATMOSPHERE
I asked them to face the camera but they were too shy.
One of the reasons why people want to go back again and again to a restaurant is because of the ambiance of the place. Aside from its delicious hot wings, the feeling of eating at Gibb's is just so relaxing most especially when you are with the people that you wanna be with.
It was almost Valentine's day when we ate there. There were hearts everywhere, couples everywhere. The lullaby of the cool wind outside went on through the night as it drown out the chorus of the celebration. As I took my pictures, I thought of a romantic date with my boyfriend having a nice dinner with soft music playing and the lights down low. Or maybe watching the sunrise on a calm morning, listening to the waves crashing against the sand but we are living miles apart so I just continued to imagine how the couples on that day seemed to be so happy being together.
The outside space gives you a relaxing aura of a park. It feels like having a small picnic with your loved ones in this area. Around the restaurant is a place where you wanna feel home - the nature. There are small plants and trees outside that you wanna spend time with. You'll notice that you feel happier out there.
When I am in nature, time slows down that it slows down my level of stress too. I always take comfort in it. I feel so alive, beautiful and happy. It calms down the chaotic condition in the city and gives silence and stillness to everybody. With good food and good green spaces, life is more easy to handle.
I asked the receptionist about the number of people who visit the restaurant everyday and it was surprising. There are approximately 200-250 people on weekdays and about 500 people on the weekends. Wow! It needs a lot of hard work there. They have to serve these number of people daily. I wonder how many chicken wings they get to sold on a daily basis. I am sure one customer won't order one serving only as per testimonies.
The restaurant usually serve after 15-20 minutes from the time you ordered your food. One serving has 7-8 wings usually that is good for 2 people but again, we were not able to get the chicken wings this time because of the shortage. It's good for them that they can still persuade the customers to accept the other parts of the chicken meat instead of the chicken wings. The food taste is much more superior than the chicken wings itself I guess.
They serve cold beer together with the hot chicken wings. Well, it all started here. The bar only occupies the smallest portion of the restaurant. It was located on the left side when you enter the door. They usually serve imported beers I think. It was not so obvious that I didn't even notice at first that it was a bar. I thought it was just an employees' corner but it was more than that.
WHAT'S NEW?
LIVE BAND.
I have so many hobbies and interests but this is my most favorite one - GIGS! I always enjoy the art of live music. It always represents my emotions, thoughts and mood. I appreciate how Gibbs's gives liveliness of the restaurant. I really think he knows how to get more attention from his customers. His chicken wings is definitely a therapy towards a happy heart and the music towards a happy soul.
I used to sing in restaurants like this before I became a Christian and before I became a Steemian. I earned money for just singing a few songs to entertain the ears of the diners. It was so fun that I got to get their attention through my singing. I felt satisfied and fulfilled when I sing in front of the crowd.
Everyone is born with a beautiful voice but many people dismiss the possibility that they can actually sing. They just have to explore the amazing talent that they have within. If you really wanna sing and you think you're out of tune, practice! It's all about rediscovering your potentials.
GIBB'S Operating Hours:
TUESDAYS – SATURDAYS
Lunch – 11:00 am - 2:00pm
Dinner – 5:30pm -10:00pm
SUNDAYS & MONDAYS – 5:30pm -10:00pm