Zig-ah-zig’s sign, which is emblazoned on a Union Jack, is hard to miss. Situated at the corner of Wales (fittingly) and South Yemen (less fitting) streets in Better Living Subdivision, Paranaque, it features other classic British iconography on the walls.
The Bicutan main road and Better Living, it has to be said, is turning out to be quite the foodie area, much like its neighboring subdivision, BF Homes. The houses on the main roads are either putting up their own novel food business concepts or renting it out to those who have (foodie business ideas).
When Micko Maiquez was still in the corporate world, the idea for a business, including its name and look, had been percolating in his mind for quite awhile. “I would ask our artist to draw me a logo,” he shares. But while the logo and the name had long been settled in his mind, the type of business it was going to be wasn’t. “I did it in reverse,” says Micko. It was while he was on a vacation in the United States that inspiration struck. “I saw a lot of food trucks, one of them served fries with fancy toppings, like roast beef.” Micko didn’t think he could pull of the concept with fries though because, “You just add powder flavor, and it’s already saleable”. He wanted a concept that was a little more elevated and unique, and then it hit him…hash browns! And thus Zig-ah-zig became more than just a name.
You may recognize the name of the store from The Spice Girls’ monster hit, “Wannabe”, (I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, Zig-ah-zig, uh!) and while Micko is a fan—and indeed the imagery that surrounds the kiosk is a tribute to them—he didn’t want it to be thematic or literal because he wanted the business to be its own thing and not tied to a concept. The selections are, in fact, named after his family. Zig-Ah-Zig’s bestseller is the Hash-Buff (a tribute to his father and also because the fillings runneth over), which is a taco, except with two hash browns sandwiching the ground meat and vegs. It doesn’t hurt that the store is situated next to a gym owned by Micko’s brother, and it is literally and without irony, gym buffs’ entree of choice. This is also a favorite of Moms, who buy it either for the kids’ baon or even for the whole family dinner, and served with rice, of course.
The Hash-Miks, named after Micko himself, can be considered the breakfast hash because it is topped with a fried egg and cheese sauce, which mimics eggs benedict somewhat. Although you can make the argument that they are all technically breakfast food because, hash.
The Hash-Mike, named after a brother, has a spam and crumbled bacon and topped with a barbecue sauce, which emerged as a favorite because the salty, sweet and tangy flavors all combine into a flavorful melange. Another meaty hash in the form of corned beef and pepperoni filling is named for another brother, the Hash Marl, and is topped with garlic mayo. The Hash-Mam is named for his mother because she makes this dish for them: fried chicken thighs marinated in pesto sauce, which translates well in hash brown form because the tart flavors provide a good contrast to the fried food. These premium hashes cost Php85 and Micko conceptualized and tested these flavors himself, and even made his own sauces, instead of buying something pre-made from restaurant suppliers.
If you’re not up to wolfing down two hash browns, and want something lighter, they have the Hashbrown Deluxe (Php45), which is just one hash brown topped with either corned beef, tuna and pepperoni, and served like an open- faced sandwich.
The store is officially called Zig-ah-zig: Hash Browns and Waffles, and the waffles part of the menu called “Zweet Ziggers” (the hash browns fall under “Zavoury”, of course) also have their following. In fact, when we were there, three boys from the gym each ordered a waffle (Php50), which is topped with a generous scoop of ice-cream and roasted marshmallows. The regular ice-cream flavors come in cookies and cream, chocolate and mango, but depending on the day you, can also get more exotic flavors like raspberry and blueberry.
Zig-ah-zig’s concept and look is very polished that he’s had many offers for franchising. Micko says he’s not quite at that point yet and wants more time to develop the business. It’s proven to be a successful enough endeavor that he’s already doing the finishing touches on a second branch in nearby BF Homes in Sucat. In the future Micko sees further expansion of both the store and the concept, where customers get to choose their own fillings and toppings. He’s not there yet, but certainly zigging and zagging his way to bigger things.
Zig-Ah-Zig is located at Wales Street corner South Yemen, Better Living, Paranaque. Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/zigahzig/.