There used to be a chicken inasal place in an outdoor food court near Makati Cinema Square and Don Bosco Makati. My family and I used to drive to the place just to eat chicken inasal. This was in the 1990's up until the early 2000's. We didn't mind the open-air setup and the uncomfortable concrete seats because their chicken barbecue was simply flavorsome.
Sadly, that chicken inasal place is gone now. In fact, the whole open-air food court had been entirely demolished. Today, a modern condominium building stands on the exact same spot.
I was too young to remember the name of the chicken inasal eatery or maybe I'm just too confused with all the various ways that the words 'Chicken', 'Inasal', and 'Bacolod' have been mixed up by new players in the chicken barbecue business. But my faintest memories tell me that our favorite inasal place had a green and yellow motif.
Now, right across Makati Cinema Square sits a chicken inasal restaurant with the very same branding colors. When I spoke with the waiter, he said that they were the very same outdoor chicken place I was talking about. Sampling their paa (chicken thigh and leg), atay (liver), and isol (chicken tail or parson's nose) was a bit of a revelation to me. The meat was juicy and not sweet, unlike that one from some giant inasal food chain.
Well, whether this is the Bacolod Chicken House of my younger days or not, I'm sure that I'll come back to this place. Simple, uncomplicated chicken inasal is my thing. read more