TGI Friday's TexMex: A Fusion of Two Worlds

February 26, 2014 - I have to say something: Since the opening of TGI Friday's last 2011 at Abreeza Mall here in Davao, I've tried only once and have never went inside the restaurant although I always pass by whenever I go out in the mall. But when Algene was inviting the bloggers for an event, I signed up right ahead since it's also the launch of their TexMex which represents the fusion of Texan and Mexican cuisine.

Inside TGI Fridays

When inside the resto, you would notice the dominance of color red and white as it is their color of the restaurant but I've learned that red signifies hunger and it's why, when you go to the restaurant that clearly uses red as the primary color, you'll go hungry!

TGI Fridays is like an American restaurant that uses tons of memorabilia that can give an American feel and ambiance to the resto much like the Coco South Bistro in Tulip Drive, Matina. It's like transporting to another city in the USA. :D

The TexMex dishes

All I've known was to taste just two dishes from the TexMex but instead, they've served us four dishes out of five! But of course, we're not complaining as the saying goes "The more, the merrier!". The four dishes that they've served to us were: Ranchero Chicken Enchiladas, Friday's Chili Ball Park Nachos, Smoked Salmon Quesadilla, and BBQ Pork Tacos. 

Ranchero Chicken Enchiladas

This is the Ranchero Chicken Enchiladas. It is a tender slow cooked chicken breast mixed with spicy ranchero tomato sauce and melted Monterrey Jack cheese rolled in corn tortilla. Topped with cheddar, pico de gallo, cilantro and sour cream. Served with chorizo rice. Price: 495 Pesos.

Normally, I like spicy dishes because they can give any food some kick but it seems like it kicked my tongue too much. BUT, the flavors were so delicious that even the spiciness of this dish was overwhelming, I couldn't help but to eat it again and again! The flavors were well combined and it turned out to be a great dish to eat especially those who love to eat hot and spicy dish like this one. The good news is, you can actually request to tone down the spiciness of the dish. Maybe I should do it next time for me to enjoy munching the Chicken Enchiladas. :D

Friday's Chili Ball Park Nachos

The next dish is called the Friday's Chili Ball Park Nachos. It is a deep fried tortilla chips covered with rich cheese sauce, chili and pico de gallo. Served with fresh salsa. Price: 395 Pesos (small) and 650 Pesos (to share).

If there's one snack that I love eating at home is the nachos. Why? Simple: It's addictive! Especially if it has ground beef, veggies, grated cheese and salsa, who wouldn't say yes to it? It's perfect! But with this Friday's Chili Ball Park Nachos, it set the bar to what nachos should be! I definitely enjoyed eating while hearing the crunch of the nachos. The flavors were perfectly combined and wouldn't be complete without a little spice. You can even enjoy this kind of nacho without the salsa but yes, it's definitely a lot better with salsa as it can produce more flavor to further enjoy the nachos. I would love to have a plate of this nachos on my own. :D

Smoked Salmon Quesadilla

This is the Smoked Salmon Quesadilla. This dish consists of smoked salmon, pico de gallo, tart apples and Monterrey Jack Cheese in crisp tortillas. Served with mango lemon slaw. Price: 345 Pesos.

If you eat a quesadilla, kindly put away the spoon and fork as it is meant to be eaten using your bare hands and trust me, it's a lot easier to do it! The first thing I did was to squeeze out the lemon to give an aromatic scent to the quesadillas. Right after, I ate it using my hands. It's perfectly paired with the mango lemon slaw as it's more tasty and flavorful than the quesadillas alone. But this is one of the least favorite dishes among the four. Why? Well, I've expected that the quesadillas won't be as delicious as I've wanted but there were not enough flavors for me to taste that can make me say "wow". It is enjoyable to eat with something to drink though.

BBQ Pork Tacos

The last dish is the BBQ Pork Tacos. This dish consists of a shaved pork tenderloin in a signature BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese, frizzled onions, south western sour cream, pico de gallo and freshly chopped cilantro. Served with golden crisp fries. Price: 475 Pesos.

By the unanimous decision of the 4 bloggers who attended this event, we declared that this dish is our most favorite! Why? Well, it is one dish that again, you have to use your hands for you to eat the tacos but be extra careful when eating as the filling inside might just spill. We sliced the tacos in half for us to share equally and as I've tasted the tacos, to be honest, the taste was something that I loved! The ingredients were in great harmony on this taco. It was delicious! The golden crisp fries were also really good that I've kept on munching them. This dish is my favorite among the four that we've tried. :D

With my fellow bloggers: Sharee, Algene, Natalie and me!

Overall, I had so much fun with the bloggers and the food that we ate. This was like a gastronomic feast as I've said, we didn't expect to taste the four dishes in the TexMex menu. Now for the good news, they're available starting March 14, 2014 and it's on discounted price just in time for Araw ng Davao and Big Davao Fun Sale! Sounds great right! Thank you TGI Friday's for allowing us to taste the TexMex dishes and to Algene for inviting me and fellow bloggers. :D

Adieu! Thanks for reading!