Bacolod Chicken Inasal: A city's reason to smile

A few days ago, my wife and I went out for dinner and we decided to take a bite of Bacolod's good ol' famous chicken Inasal at one of the famous chicken outlets in the City.

Chicken inasal, for those who don't know what this is, is actually grilled chicken...Bacolod Style. The parts usually grilled are the Breast w/ wings, Thigh, Rear part "isol", Liver, Neck, Gizzard, Foot "adidas" etc.. The difference with other grilled chicken is HOW IT IS PREPARED, and HOW IT IS EATEN.

The chicken is usually marinated, for at most a day to a mixture of spices and herbs and personal secret ingredients, which gives it's distinct aroma and flavor. Grilled fresh, and is perfectly served with garlic rice. When prepared, it is best eaten with your hands (finger licken' good). The pieces of the chicken is then dipped on a sauce of sinamak (mixture of vinegar and hot chili, fresh garlic) and patis/toyo (soy sauce) and kalamansi. 
 

I lived in Bacolod for 31 years and Inasal has a special place in my heart. I reminisce the days when we were having weekend dinners with my family as a kid. We used to eat at Manokan Country, a strip of medium sized Bistros, right now fronting SM. I was told that it actually originated at quadra street (rear side of centroplex mall) and was transferred to the reclamation area. 

Now there are several restaurants, and even side-walk kiosks that are scattered everywhere in the city, all boasting of the best Inasal in the city of smiles.

For starters, here are some of my top list of places I would recommend to try the Inasal when in Bacolod:


1. Manokan Country --- I usually eat at Aida's & Nena's best. The place is located right in front of the North wing of SM City mall. 

Pros:  

• It has a wide parking area, except on friday's and weekends.
• Located at the heart of Bacolod City & near malls.

Cons:

• No Security...better lock your cars when you park.
• Not a restaurant type. Expect loud videoke from the neighboring bistro.

2. Chicken House --- has 3 branches, this one is along Lacson St.
Pros:

• Retaurant type, decent wash area and CR.
• Air conditioned area and Open space area
• Smoking and Non smoking spaces 

Cons:

• Service is quite slow at times
• Limited parking

3. Chicken Deli --- has several, 2 are in Gaisano and SM, one at Lacson St, near the Capitol Lagoon


Pros:

• 2 branches are located in a mall, for easy accessibility and parking
• Mall branches are pay-as-you-order type while the one on Lacson is a 2 storey restaurant type
• can accommodate meetings and large gatherings (Lacson)  

Cons:

• Lacson branch has very limited parking

4. San Juanokan --- @ San Juan St. near Lopue's San Sebastian


Pros:

• Good Parking area, Very secure.
• Resto type, with live music and cool lighting
• Located in the heart of the city, near downtown area  

Cons:

• its not as popular as the 3 previous mentioned.

...and if you think that this blog entry already made you hungry,  wait till you see this clip courtesy of the independent film "Namets". Enjoy!!! Onward Inasal!!