Max’s Restaurant: The House That Fried Chicken Built

In this modern era, it is good to see a restaurant that began operations just right after the World War II. Max’s Restaurant started as a small cafe to serve troops stationed near his house. Over the years, Max’s Restaurant’s popularity grew and it became known for their fried chicken and other Filipino dishes.

Max’s Restaurant is one of my family’s favorite dining place when I was young. When I think of this restaurant, there’s a core memory that rolls in my mind. I remember my parents and I dining in one of its dinner tables. They would automatically order Sinigang na Hipon for me because they know it’s my fave here. My parents would smile because they would see me enjoy peeling and eating the seafood with one of my legs up on the chair. This was the frequent scenario when we were in Max’s. It was simple yet special to me. This makes Max’s special to me as well.

Gatherings at Max’s will never be complete without the restaurant’s Fried Chicken. It’s so incredible that it made Max’s a household name.  As they say, Max’s is the house that fried chicken built.

Fiesta Plate

They have fried chicken in whole and half. But if you’re not in a group, you can still enjoy their fried chicken through their solo meals. This Fiesta Plate is an example. It includes rice and fresh lumpia, which tasted pleasant. Honestly, I love their fried chicken. There was even a phase in my life that I didn’t eat fried chicken except Max’s Fried Chicken. I don’t even eat Chicken Joy. It’s natural and flavorful. You won’t taste any preservatives. It got a lot crispy skins so your girl enjoys it very much. Their condiments has this distinct taste that I fancy. They even give us an extra plate so we can mix condiments.

Sizzling Tofu | Chopsuey | Pancit Canton

This is an old photo and I remember I was with the adults this time. Therefore, we had plenty of vegetable dishes and less meat. It seems like Max’s invented Sizzling Tofu because every recipe I’ve seen online imitates their version. There’s no question to that because it is indeed creamy and delicious. I didn’t had Chopsuey because I’m not a fan but it looked like my companions liked the based on their expressions. They even got happier when they saw the amount of vegetables on top of the Pancit Canton. It definitely had a generous toppings.

All Beef Kare Kare

Max’s Kare Kare definitely delivered! It wasn’t the best that I’ve had since I have a high point of reference when it comes to Kare Kare but this doesn’t go far. They have different types of Kare Kare, which are vegetable, seafood, lechon and beef. Sadly, pork is banned in Mindoro so we couldn’t choose Lechon. We opted for the beef and I was happy that it also includes beef tripe, aside from the meat. The bowl made the serving seems small but it is actually deep and the dish has plenty of beef and vegetables. The peanut sauce is savory. I just prefer it to be richer in peanut flavor.

Lumpiang Shanghai

Despite of pork being banned in Mindoro, the management found a way to offer Lumpiang Shanghai and that is to fill it with chicken meat instead. If the waiter didn’t mention this, I wouldn’t notice its difference to the usual pork Lumpiang Shanghai because the chicken was just as great. Each pieces may be fun-sized. They were as tiny as the ones in Jollibee but they were plenty and most importantly, the fillings were felt. Apart from the spring rolls, their bowl was edible and crispy as well. That’s a playful presentation right there.

Tocino Bowl

Max’s has a variety of rice bowls in their menu and we decided to order their Tocino Bowl through Grab delivery. When it comes to packaging, it didn’t disappoint. Separating the meat and egg from the rice makes it look neat but I think it would be better to remove the divider so the sauce of the tocino will drip to the rice, making it flavorful. When it comes to taste, I’m glad that the meat has this kind of flavor and sweetness that we like. It reminds me of Pampanga’s Best. They were also tender. It was just oily.

Sago’t Gulaman | Buko Pandan

There’s a lot of things going on in their Sago’t Gulaman. Different colors and sizes of tapioca pearls and jelly acted as sinkers and I appreciate them for making our drinks colorful. The sweetness is refreshing, too. On the other hand, the Buko Pandan had this moldy taste. It didn’t seem fresh. We told the waiter about this issue. They checked and said that there’s nothing wrong with the batch. I want to believe that we were just served wrongly. If this is how their Buko Pandan really tastes like, they must change something in their recipe.

Caramel Bar

Max’s Caramel Bar, for me, has set the standard for caramel bars. If a caramel bar from a certain bakeshop resembles the taste of Max’s, I automatically consider it to be good. Offering this for decades, Max’s has already perfected the taste and texture of caramel bar. It is soft and chewy as always. The peanuts on top give a little crunch. The sweetness was just right on the palate. It’s actually so addictive. I could finish a box in one sitting. When will they bake a bigger bar?

Assorted Polvoron

I noticed that they now place some of their biscuits and dessert treats on the dining table to attract customers. I must say that it’s effective because it made me buy this bunch of assorted polvoron. My favorite is the Pinipig Polvoron and I regret that just discovered this recently. If we put it against the other polvoron brands, there’s no competition. It’s really that good! I’m not a fan of the Cookies and Cream though. It’s too sweet for me. The Chocolate and Coffee Crumble were yummy as well but I’ll still go for the classic flavors.