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Where to eat when… you’re craving for fried chicken
Let’s admit it: We know fried chicken. We even make some good ones, too. We know it so well, we make winning pairings: with rice, fries, Pinoy spaghetti, banana ketchup. And then with pancakes and waffles as the West has taught us. Fried chicken has accompanied us through most of our lives — birthdays, fiestas, office parties, and even heartbreaks — that it's become a comfort food to most.
Metro Manila is home to the best-tasting breaded, battered, and deep-fried fowls, so if you’re looking for places that can turn a bland piece of meat into a flavorful, lip-smacking meal, here are a few to choose from. Note: You won't see the usual suspects here because hey, they're already a given.
8 Parker Willis. The restaurant opened only in May in Alabang, and the family-run business – which was named after the street they grew up in – was inspired by all the foodies in the family who love to cook and eat (read: everyone).
Wanting to do something different with the fried chicken, they came up with an all-day breakfast item: the Salted Egg Fried Chicken and Pancakes (P350).
A stack of three fluffy pancakes are drizzled with maple syrup, and then topped with three pieces of crispy salted egg fried chicken, whose flavors are then balanced out by the refreshing slaw.
The salted egg coating has just the right amount of salty creaminess to the coating which works well with the bird, as opposed to overpowering it, and the sweetness of the pancakes and slaw rounds everything out. Their coffee beans are sourced from the good folks at Magnum Opus, so getting a cuppa is always a good idea, and they have everything from a strong Cortado (P130) to a classic Flat White (P140). Madison Galeries, Don Jesus Boulevard, Alabang Hills, Muntinlupa. 11am-9pm. +6328451660/ +639178141081.
Kettle. When Kettle opened in Shangri-La Plaza four years ago, foodies and their families braved EDSA’s congestion just to get a plate of Chef Chiloy Santos' Buttermilk Fried Chicken (P559). Thankfully, Kettle has since opened a five more locations around Metro Manila, because look: Each order had two pieces of comforting Southern-style bird that's been brined in buttermilk, covered with a well-seasoned coating, and served with honey-glazed corn bread alongside country gravy and cajun honey.
If you want a little heat in your chicken like how they do in the deep south, order up the Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken (P599) which comes with honey-glazed jalapeño cornbread and your usual trimmings of country gravy and cajun honey. Level 5, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Ortigas, Mandaluyong. 11am-9pm. +632 6547077.
Bad Bird. When one thinks of umami flavors and chicken, one thinks of Bad Bird. Each big piece is fried until caramel, with crisp, crunchy skin, and flavors that seep right into the bone before being dusted with one of three levels of spiciness - safe, spicy, or chemical.
The chicken joint serves it three ways: on Bad Bird’s Waffle Plate (P350) with two filling pieces of sweet potato waffles, miso butter, and maple syrup; with their Corn & Coleslaw Plate (P380), a Japanese-style elote with kewpie, cheese, bonito flakes, and toragashi, and a kimchi coleslaw; or their Dirty Rice Plate (P380) for the ricevores, which is flavorful fried rice mixed with bacon, chicken liver, tamago, bonito flakes, and kimchi. Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong. 10am-10pm. +632 7992471.
Main Street. Owner Alvin Tan wanted to bring a taste of his Canadian hometown to Manila, while still hinting of Pinoy flavor into Canadian comfort food cuisine and so he opened Main Street in Kapitolyo.
Among the many delights here is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bacon Waffle (P330), which serves three pieces of perfectly seasoned buttermilk fried chicken, served on a savory bacon and chive waffle with a refreshing apple coleslaw on the side. Instead of the usual Canadian maple syrup, Alvin keeps it local with Don Papa Rum-infused honey. Add extra fuel to your day, enjoy your chicken and waffles with a cup of Brewed Barako Coffee (P65). 10 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig. 9am-11:30pm. +09951541136.
Wildflour Café + Bakery. One of the more popular places on the list, Wildflour was started by San Diego-based chef, Walter Manzke and his Filipino wife, Margarita. Everything on their menu is amazing, but their Southern Fried Chicken (P695) is something else.
While it may seem pricey, keep in mind that each serving comes with three fat pieces of chicken, along with sausage gravy, biscuits, and honey. Share a plate when brunching with the ladies while sipping on your sparkly Orange Mimosa (P370), dairy-free Housemade Almond Milk (P240) with fresh turmeric, or Matcha Green Tea Latte (P180). V Corporate Center, 125 L. P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati. 6am-10pm. +632 8087072.
Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant. If you’re making plans with friends for a Binondo food crawl, this place better be on your list! Sincerity Café has been serving fried chicken since 1956, and in the process, have had decades to perfect their recipe. The Sincerity Fried Chicken (P60/Half; P320/Whole) looks like it’s been brined and then battered in a flour and egg mix before being deep-fried, with the flavor seeped in from the skin right down to the bone. Ask for their special gravy sauce before tucking in, and pair it with their Kiampong Special (P60), and another affordable favorite, Kikiam (P55) wrapped in bean curd skin. 497 Yuchengco St, Binondo, Manila. 9am-9pm. +6322419990.
Hops & Brews. Newly opened at the ground floor of I’M Hotel in Poblacion, this multi-cuisine bar and restaurant has three young, talented, hungry chefs at the helm in the kitchen. The Haianese Fried Chicken (P450) is the star on their menu, brined overnight before being sous vide and then deep- fried until golden and served with fried ginger rice, as well as the usual thick soy, chili, and ginger scallion sauces. Because of the sous vide process, expect the meat to be blushing pink, much like any cooked fowl with delicate meat. G/F, I'M Hotel, Makati Corner Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati. 8am-2am. +632 7557888.
Restoran Garuda. Located right outside the Indonesian embassy in Makati, Restoran Garuda delivers authentic Indonesian flavors. The Ayam Kremas (P395) is no ordinary run-of-the-mill fried chicken and doesn’t come with a crispy coating. Instead, the chicken is seasoned and boiled with Balinese spices before being deep-fried to a deep, burnished hue, and topped with fluffy, crispy flakes called kremas. The result is a flavorful, mildly spicy fried chicken, with the deliciously delicate flakes adding yet another element of flavor.
Enjoy this Indonesian specialty with Perkadel Jagung (P165) — crispy, tasty corn fritters — and a big serving of vegetable Nasi Goreng (P260) Indonesia's famous fried rice. G/F Beneficial Life Building, 166 Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati. 11am-10pm. +632 8243440.
Kapeng Mainit. Chef Bryan Francisco is a wizard in the kitchen, and has a knack for taking international favorites and recreating it into something exciting and unusual. Popular for serving up some of the best beignets in Metro Manila – he fills them with flavors that range from chocolate to salted egg – it’s easy to take his other dishes for granted, but you definitely shouldn’t!
Kapeng Mainit’s Fried Chicken Adobo is great, but you can't miss on its Cornbread Bibingka Egg Waffle with Sinigang Fried Chicken (P295) – a fiesta in your mouth with the nostalgic flavor of filling bibingka served with butter and maple syrup, with sinigang-infused fried chicken on top, enough to take you back to your childhood. They also have a simpler Sinigang Fried Chicken (P290) version which is just as good! 3 Pablo Roman Street Corner Tropical Avenue, BF International, Las Piñas. 10am-10pm. +639175573375.
Le Jardin Café. Chef Jonas Ng a superstar chef in his own right, with his passion for taking fresh ingredients and turning them into mini works of delicious art. At Le Jardin Café, he takes the Southern Fried Chicken (P285) to a whole other level, with the two pieces of dark meat being marinated overnight in buttermilk, coated in their specially seasoned breading, and deep-fried, served with turmeric jasmine rice and a simple side salad. His background in French cooking is evidenced in the oh-so-buttery gravy, which takes the simple dish to a whole other level of delicious. Indulge your taste buds a bit more with a Ghirardelli Mocha Frappe (P180) or one of the velvety cakes by the dessert stand. Ground Floor, BGC Stopover Pavillion, 31st St. corner 2nd Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. 7am-10pm (Closed on Sundays). +639178176584. — LA, GMA News
