The gods of fried chicken wings hath spoken, and they have declared Frankie’s the best in town.

… okay, maybe not.

But they’ve certainly earned a spot in my book, ever since I had a taste of their excellent buffalo wings at SM Aura Premier on my last visit to Manila.

This time around, I pestered the Boy until he relented and brought me to a Frankie’s branch at Crossroads BGC in Bonifacio Global City. The setting is much posher than SM Aura’s foodhall kiosk, and it seems like a popular spot for the office crowd as there was a waiting list when we arrived for lunch.

The interior is distinctively New York, with unfinished brick walls, exposed ceilings and purposefully bare concrete walls made to emulate the city’s ‘loft-style’ industrial spaces that were popularised in the 1960s and 70s. Ambient yellow lighting creates a cosy atmosphere, while tall windows allow for plenty of sunlight to filter in on the other side of the restaurant.

Apparently Frankie’s Restaurants (BGC, UP Town Center, City Golf plaza, SM North Edsa) have more items on their menu compared to their food hall outlets. We went for the signature Buffalo Wings, with another half dozen order of Honey Garlic.

The Classic Buffalo (We got the Spicy, but you can choose from mild, spicy or super spicy) was as good as I remembered them. At least the quality between outlets is consistent! Deep fried to juicy perfection, this is one that you need to use your hands to truly savour. I just love that crunch and the tangy, sweet and sour sauce each piece is smothered in. They ran out of ranch, but I found the Aioli dip a delightful substitute.

The Honey Garlic was tasty but not mind blowing. The flavours were similar to soy garlic Korean fried chicken, but fell short, somehow. The Blue Cheese dip that came with it, though, was excellent. Cheesy, creamy and oh so sinful.

There were plenty of other flavours that I wanted to try, like Cheesy Bacon (hm!), Salted Egg and Wicked Wasabi, but a girl can only have that many chicken wings.

Can’t wait for my next trip to Manila so I can go to Frankie’s again!

FRANKIE’S (CROSSROADS BGC)