Bacolod Chicken Inasal: Ka-on Ta!

Originating from Bacolod, Chicken Inasal has become a known Filipino dish. It is a marinated chicken, grilled over hot coals while basted with the marinade.

With Bacolod Chicken Inasal opening its doors in Manila, we get to enjoy the wonderful flavors and distinct charm of Bacolod’s comfort food from the city’s trademark dish, Chicken Inasal, to a wide variety of Ilonggo and Filipino favorites.

Perhaps, you noticed that the dishes seem to be home-cooked because the plates were different and the place doesn’t look like the restaurant. I’m not cheating. The food are truly from Bacolod Chicken Inasal. I ordered them through Grab and placed them on our plates to be neater and more presentable. The cover photo shows me holding the takeout before we put them out of their respective packages.

Pak-Pak

For a wing, the meat is dry. I chose this part because the wing and leg parts should be the most exciting cut of the chicken but I didn’t feel it here. Its touch on my mouth became as boring as the breast part, even when dipped in the accompanying soy sauce. But when it comes to flavor, it didn’t fell short. I got the taste that I was looking for, especially the addicting charred flavors from the burnt areas. It was flavorful from the skin to the meat to the bones. It was just the dryness that ruined it.

BCI Lechon Kawali

Honestly, I wasn’t amused with BCI Lechon Kawali. I appreciate that the lechon was composed more of meat than fats. The meat wasn’t tough, too. However, the pork didn’t taste natural. There is a flavor in it that makes the Lechon Kawali oversatiating. It’s the familiar flavor that I can only taste in fast food restaurants. There were skins but the cook wasn’t able to make them crispy. I understand that the delivery can be a factor so I didn’t mind that anymore. I just wish there were more sauce because an ounce of the liver sauce given can only fit three pork cuts.

Sizzling Kansi

There’s an intensity of flavors in every pieces of this dish from the beef shank to the kamansi to the sauce. They’re salty. The beef visually looked plenty but it was actually the kamansi, a vegetable, that did the trick because from afar, they look similar. There’s a cut of leg bone but there’s no marrow. I like the bit of tanginess since Bacolod Chicken Inasal’s Sizzling Kansi is partly a sinigang. The sauce in this dish is quite a lot also. Perhaps, we’ll be able to appreciate this dish more if we eat this in their restaurant because it is supposedly served in a sizzling plate.

Bangus Lumpia ni Mom

I was torn between choosing this and Bangus Sisig because both seemed to be delicious takes on the country’s national fish. We ended up having the lumpia since it was cheaper and the idea of filling in lumpia with scraped fish was nice. Fish is also great alternative to pork so we’re less guilty. The fish filling is kinda salty but it was balanced with their two sauces. We could either choose from vinegar for a tangy touch or sweet and sour sauce to balance the rolls with sweetness. The wrapper was crispy so we enjoyed munching them.

Blue Marlin Steak

I never thought that in today’s lunch, I’ll choose the fish as the best over pork and beef. The Blue Marlin Steak was able to excrete its own natural flavor because of its freshness. I thought the sauce was some kind of oyster sauce but it’s actually the juice of the fish so I enjoyed it, too. The steak was tender so it’s a plus point. I specifically like the crispy parts near the skin. My only concern is the food presentation. Perhaps, they shouldn’t limit a serving into 100 grams so it would still look nice and whole.

Veggies Kare Kare

Imagine a usual Filipino Beef Kare Kare or Oxtail Kare Kare without the meat. This is the outcome. Having merely Veggies Kare Kare on the menu is actually a good idea because there are some people who prefer Kare Kare with the vegetables only. One of them is my mom. It has generous servings of vegetables so my mom is satisfied with her order. The peanut sauce passed my palate, too. It’s nutty and savoury. The sauce was just too much so it made the vegetables kinda soggy. That’s not a big issue though.

Laswa ni Lola

We, people of Luzon, do not know what laswa is. It’s good that with Bacolod Chicken Inasal, we were able to discover things. It looked similar to bulanglang but it tasted like sinigang without sourness. I agree that it was savory because the flavor of the broth didn’t rely too much on the vegetables. Nevertheless, it was served with a generous amount of vegetables, too. Aside from the veggies, it also has a piece of dry fish, which is a great addition to the soup. However, the fish has lost its saltiness, leaving a fishy taste.

Toto’s Suman Fiesta

I just had a smack of the ube sauce and I already knew that this dessert would be a delight. The ube sauce alone has provided both flavors of ube and coconut already. It looks sweet but the sweetness is surprisingly not too much. It was the amount of sauce that’s excessive. It would be better, I think, if the sauce has thicker texture. Both the suman and the langka were tender like as if they were boiled. Everything just goes well together. It’s indeed a fusion of Filipino flavors and I love it.