Are you chicken?

When was the last time you were seduced by the aroma of chicken barbecue as you drove through town with the car window rolled down? When was the last time you enjoyed a meal that simply hit home – delicious as delicious can get – sans the frill and fanfare you would normally find at high-end restaurants? And when did you last pay for a meal for what it really was worth and not for the chi-chi place, the ambience or the name?

Aahhh, the joy of life’s simple pleasures. Richard and I used to go to Baclaran at least once a week and it became a routine for us on the way back home to pass by the first Andok’s stall we’d see. We would buy a whole inihaw na manok and eat it with our hands during the 25-minute ride. Believe me, it is fun and doubly delicious to eat it steaming hot while the meat is at its juciest, yummiest best. It may not be as convenient as it’s messy but hey, that’s part of the fun! Just be sure to have some Alcogel and wipes handy.

My hometown in Ormoc, Leyte, boasts a lovely, lush, clean and green plaza by the port. Around the plaza are stalls selling an abundance of barbecue delights from chicken to pork and everything in between. They are open from morning till night, when it becomes even nicer as the sea breeze and the sound of the lapping waves contribute to the outdoor ambience. People from bigger cities who visit Ormoc quickly develop a liking for the plaza, thanks to the general feeling of relaxation it gives.

On the days before and after my wedding, a large chunk of our Manila-based guests would flock to the plaza at night to partake of barbecue and beer.

Just recently, Richard and I, together with his friend Jay Wambangco, went to Marilao, Bulacan to meet up with another friend, Larry Cruz. Richard has been raving about the cooking of Larry’s mom and I get to sample it whenever he brings home some native kakanin like puto, kutsinta and bibingka. Larry called to say that his mom, who singlehandedly runs their family-owned restaurant, had prepared dinner for us. I really didn’t feel much like eating as I already had dinner that night but when I saw the spread, I just knew I had to make space. I have a fondness for chicken and that’s exactly what she had prepared for us, that being the house special. She simply calls her house dish Crispy Chicken and each order is actually half a chicken and comes with a full cup of Shanghai fried rice and coleslaw salad.

If you’re looking for delicious, honest to goodness fried chicken that doesn’t taste complicated, this is it. The skin is perfectly fried to a crisp, the meat is tender, juicy, and very tasty with no malansa taste at all. To top that off, one order even comes with a free glass of iced tea and one serving of ice cream! Very addictive. I was dreaming of it again the very next day.

Consuelo Cruz, Lola Guinay as she is fondly called, is 75 years old and runs the place by herself or sometimes with the assistance of her three grandchildren: Jomari, 17; Juan Manuel, 18; and Joshua, 12. She has been cooking since she was a second year high-school girl in Davao. Even then she already had a small eatery fronting a university so she pretty much had a sure, steady stream of customers. Naturally, her Crispy Chicken was already a bestseller. She says she probably got her love of cooking from her grandparents who were pure Chinese, although the dish that she learned to perfect from them was the pata humba. The Crispy Chicken she developed and concocted on her own.

Lola Guinay moved to Marilao, Bulacan in the mid-50s when she got married but it wasn’t until the ’70s that she opened what is now known as Balangkas Chicken House & Restaurant. She will not compromise freshness for convenience so it takes about 30 minutes for her to serve your Crispy Chicken meal. This shouldn’t matter though – it is worth the wait.

Just last night I was talking to her over the phone and she intimated that earlier during the day she had a flock of 60 walk-in customers all at one time! It’s amazing how she, together with her three apos served the meal in 45 minutes. She even had the good grace to warn them first that it would take all of 45 minutes because, like I mentioned earlier, everything is cooked fresh. The resto is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. although from time to time people actually knock at the door (the restaurant is connected to the house) and beg her to cook them some chicken for their baon to work, a picnic or an out-of-town trip. She has even accommodated requests to cook a number of whole chicken for pasalubong from people going back to the States. Asked if it will taste just as good, Lola Guinay quips "Siguro masarap pa rin kahit ini-init lang sa microwave kasi inuulit-ulit ang pag-oorder." The chicken consumed amounts to at least two bags each day (each bag contains 15 pieces) and to cook all that up singlehandedly is no small feat! She also accepts orders for weddings, baptisms and other occasions. Now where does she get her energy? Probably from the delicious bibingka that she also makes. Believe it or not, she can consume a whole box (it’s about the size of a dinner plate) all by herself!

Balangkas Chicken House & Restsurant is located at McArthur Highway, Saog, Marilao, Bulacan (call 044-228-3971).

Another place that we have become addicted to over the last couple of weeks is JT Manukan located at 4 Granada St., Ortigas Extension, New Manila (call 721-9025). JT stands for the actor Joel Torre, who is actually from Bacolod. The famous Bacolod Inasal is well and alive in their place. The place is unpretentious but very clean – they cook the food and serve it to you on the sidewalk where the tables are.

Richard came home from basketball practice one evening with an order of chicken inasal that I relished to the bones. We braved the rains the following day to enjoy even more food, this time in their restaurant. It’s a fun change of pace to eat in an open place by the sidewalk – again, it reminded me of Ormoc.

Aside from the chicken inasal, they also have delicious spareribs, atay and batikolon barbecue, pork barbecue, and delightfully delicious atchara. I’m not much of an atchara eater but this one I like. Joel and his wife Cristy manage their place hands-on so you might see them there at any given time. They have also done a good job of encouraging their two daughters: Aila, 12, and Marella, 8, to be involved in the family business. They’ve been in business for barely a month but the feedback has been tremendous. In fact, they now dish out around 80 heads of chicken a day.

Asked where he got the recipes, Joel says these are old Bacolod secrets that he modified. The spareribs recipe, on the other hand, is a hand-me-down from Cristy’s aunt who used to have a restaurant in Bacolod. That everything tastes good is an understatement. I especially relish their dipping sauce that just seems to make the food even more flavorful even better than it already is.

It took all of five years for Joel and his wife to live out their dream of manning their own place, knowing especially that it was a business decision that would require much of themselves. It was when he hit 40 that he felt it was the ripe time to pursue it. Well, they are reaping the rewards for it. Their biggest come-on is honest-to-goodness food that not only tastes good but feels good on your wallet as well.

Finally, if you want a yummy chicken sandwich, nothing beats getting the chicken from Max. Richard and my father-in-law, Daddy Ed, have been doing this for years and when I tried it I became an instant convert. They would take out one or two whole spring chickens, chop it up into chunks, mix it with some mayonnaise and store it in the ref. Everytime we feel like having a sandwich, there’s a prepared mix and all we have to do is wipe some on bread. Mmmmm, I’m hungry already.

So there you have it. Stake out these yummy chicken haunts. Believe me, they’re not only worth your time but also every inch you might put on your waist as a result. Happy eating!