bacolod chicken parilla

bacolod: just a smile away by vena samson

“papano nangyari yun?” (how could that happen?). of course, this can’t really happen. but from a food enthusiast’s point of view, eating at bacolod chicken parilla is already as good as visiting a bacolodnon household. it’s because they serve a wide variety of their native dishes and grilled concoctions (“parilla” is a spanish word for barbeque grill; “parilya” is our derived tagalog word which we thought could be the origin of their name). all the staffs are visayans (except for one), therefore you can expect and experience bacolod's trademark service.

this is the 2nd branch of bacolod chicken parilla, owned by some young bacolod entrepreneurs. their main branch is located along scout reyes in quezon city. the restaurant is just one tricycle ride away from barangay concepcion, marikina. however, if you are coming from outside the city, all you have to do is find a jeepney or fx going to marikina, particularly sss village. drop by concepcion or meralco, then ride a tricycle from there. the restaurant has a minimalist interior set-up as of to date, but we were informed that improvements are already being conceptualized, concentrating on wall decorations and characterized interior lightings. as of the exterior, especially during night time, the place is so vibrant, because its lighting effects are perfectly matching with the warmth of the surrounding community. talking about their food, we are priviledged to pick and taste some of their offered menu and the result was quite promising. just read on...

inasal chicken (p80/order). their house specialty. we tried what is called the pa-a, or the leg and thigh part of the chicken. unlike in other inasal restaurants, where the chicken is cooked very well done and almost dried up, here you can enjoy a leveled-up piece obtaining the same inasal taste yet still oozing with juiciness. they are also serving the customary chicken inasal parts such as the pe-cho (breast), pak-pak (wings), atay (chicken liver) and baticolon (gizzard). preparation time: 7-10 minutes

spare ribs (p120/order, good for 1-2 persons). we definitely won’t regret that we’ve chosen this dish. this grilled pork spare ribs marinated and brushed with a neither somewhat hickory nor barbecue sauce really melted in our mouths and it’s a dish we’d want to try over and over again. why? it is perfectly tender. the meat separates easily from the bone that you need not to exert too much effort on it. this makes eating pleasurable and not a torture like most of my experiences when eating ribs. and the flavor goes evenly all the way through the meat. no plain spots. tempting, isn’t it?! preparation time: 5-7 minutes

sizzling pork sisig (p110/order, good for 1-2 persons). a common “pulutan” that’s why at first, i wasn’t interested of trying it anymore. i thought that it was just another serving of cholesterol. but upon listening to wencel’s convincing power, i agreed to have it as one of the food line-up for tasting. well, you know what? my impression was absolutely wrong. their sisig was great! the salty, spicy and soury tastes blended all together just right. you need not to put anymore additional seasonings to it. although we questioned the cook a li’l bit on the lack of the “sizzle effect” when it was served, it didn’t matter anymore when it touched our tongues…i swear, i am drooling again while writing this. preparation time: 8-10 minutes

sinugbang longganisa (p45/order, good for 1 person). “sinugba” is an ilonggo word meaning “grilled” or “inihaw” in tagalog. and we never thought that grilling longganisa will make its taste more potent and enticing due to smoked effect on the sausage. a very cheap dish (p45 each) which i believe will perfectly match with “sinangag” (fried rice), scrambled eggs and fresh tomatoes. adding up a cup of “kapeng barako” (brewed coffee) on the side will surely give you a breakfast engrande. by the way, as per their staff they are using longganiza from davao. preparation time: 7-10 minutes

kilawin tangigue (p130/order, good for 1-2 persons). we are talking about really chunky pieces of tanigue fish which is soaked just right in specially mixed tangy vinegar. the chopped veggies (tomatoes and onions) made a harmonious blend with the fish making it more like a salad that you want to consume generously without thinking of your diet. preparation time: 10 minutes

blueberry cheesecake (p65/serving). their cheesecake which they proudly told us to be a homemade recipe is made up of a distinctive buttery mixture sandwiched in crusts sprinkled with powdered graham crackers then topped with a spoonful of blueberry preserve. this dessert is more like a very nice reward after having all the hot and heavy meals. your “bundat” (bloated) feeling will surely subside upon having a serving. preparation time: 3-5 minutes

the black sambo (p65/serving). unimaginably simple yet one of the best desserts we’ve tasted so far. the restaurant’s signature dessert dish is a two layer gelatin drizzled with rich chocolate syrup. the syrup’s taste is somewhat familiar like a famous chocolate syrup from my childhood days. the gelatin is not the ordinary jiggly wiggly gelatin, but a slightly chewy gelatin wherein the base (black part) is a little chewier than that of the top (white) part. this is what made this dessert unique aside from its having just the right level of sweetness. just a piece of advice...do not leave the restaurant without trying this. preparation time: 3-5 minutes

aside from that, they are also serving other ilonggo/bacolod native dishes such as the "kansi" or the ilonggo's bulalo, "kbl" meaning "kadyos, baboy, langka", "laswa" and "apan-apan". they also have various "pancit" dishes and pulutan, like crispy pata, and various grilled seafood (blue marlin, squid and tuna belly). they are also serving beer at a very reasonable price.

in conclusion, bacolod chicken parilla is one restaurant that can serve all, any time of the day: families who want to dinner out, students on their lunch time, barkada hang-outs and gatherings, and most especially the ilonggos and bacolodnons who crave and truly miss their home. better taste it for yourselves.

bacolod chicken parilla is located at the extension of c & b cirle mall along liwasang kalayaan st., marikina heights, marikina city, with contact number (632) 3811199. click here to see more photos.