EAT: Bacolod's Manokan Country

Bacolod's famous chicken inasal

When I was in high school, I used to pass by Cuadra-Gatuslao Sts. every day coming home from school because that was where the jeepney terminal going to our place was located. On that street corner, I’d see small chicken stands with piles of chicken in barbecue sticks waiting to be grilled. People would line up to buy their favorite inasal—that’s what Negrenses call anything that’s barbecued.

Bacolod's Pride

They sold chicken thighs/legs, wings (pakpak), chicken ass (isol), pecho (breast), tina-e, (intestines) and more. Sugba chorizo, pork barbecue and inasal na tinapay (pan de siosa) were also included in the assortment. Later on, these chicken stalls were transferred to a more accessible place at the city’s reclamation area (now M. Ferrero St.) and it became known as Manokan Country.

Charbroiled chicken barbecue with a hint of 'tanglad' 

Manokan Country is a long alley of food stalls serving authentic chicken inasal, seafood and other turo-turo style selections (different kinds of viands). Here, customers can dine and drink in the food stalls, they are not air-conditioned though.  Hmmn, who would think that these chicken barbecue stalls I used to see near the jeepney terminal would later on become one of Bacolod’s iconic landmarks?  Whenever I mention about my hometown, people would always associate Bacolod with chicken inasal and how good it tastes.

  As years passed, versions of chicken inasal recipes continued to evolve and even homemakers would create new flavors of the chicken inasal marinade.  But as the saying goes, nothing beats the original, the simpler the flavor, the tastier the inasal is.

  If you will go there and order, they will give utensils to those who want to use them but chicken inasal is best enjoyed when eaten by hand. So, while waiting for the inasal, you can make your dipping sauce (sawsawan) of sinamak (spiced vinegar), soy sauce, fresh chili and calamansi.

The tastiest chicken barbeque in PH

 But for now, while we are still on ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) mode due to COVI-19, I can just imagine and look forward to when I can hail a jeepney going to Manokan Country again and grab a stick of inasal at my favorite stall. I pray…the sooner the better.