Bacolod Chicken House...the local legend
If ever there was any reason why Bacolod chicken inasal became the legendary Bacolod delicacy it is now known to be, it can all be traced back to Architect Joe Cajili's Chicken House. Currently known as Bacolod Chicken House, the real Chicken House started as a hole-in-the-wall at San Sebastian Street, catering to everyday passers-by. Later on, it opened as a small restaurant just across Colegio de San Agustin along North Drive (B.S. Aquino Drive today).
It's humble beginnings as a restaurant included an al fresco (back in the days it was just called "open-air") section which one was able to access through the sidewalk and that small street leading to the back of the Redemptorist Church. Long before there was a Manokan country at Bacolod's reclamation area, Chicken House had already set up shop. Joe Cajili's initial patrons were also his golfing buddies at the nearby Marapara club (Negros Occ. Golf and Country Club)
Chicken House's next branches were located at the downtown area along San Juan street (across the current location of Sylvia Manor) and at Mandalagan where it still serves its mouth watering roasted delights to this day. In the days when Chicken House was at San Juan, which was around the mid 1980s, I would only have to cross the Bacolod Public Plaza with my classmates from La Consolacion College to get to the little haven of chicken barbecue. There, we would while away some time before catching up with one last class at 6:30 p.m.
Many other chicken houses or "inasalans" have followed the path led by Joe Cajili's local legend of a resto. One thing is sure though. One cannot claim to have been in Bacolod if he or she hasn't eaten at the real and only Bacolod Chicken House.
(photo by jaywalker)
It's humble beginnings as a restaurant included an al fresco (back in the days it was just called "open-air") section which one was able to access through the sidewalk and that small street leading to the back of the Redemptorist Church. Long before there was a Manokan country at Bacolod's reclamation area, Chicken House had already set up shop. Joe Cajili's initial patrons were also his golfing buddies at the nearby Marapara club (Negros Occ. Golf and Country Club)
Chicken House's next branches were located at the downtown area along San Juan street (across the current location of Sylvia Manor) and at Mandalagan where it still serves its mouth watering roasted delights to this day. In the days when Chicken House was at San Juan, which was around the mid 1980s, I would only have to cross the Bacolod Public Plaza with my classmates from La Consolacion College to get to the little haven of chicken barbecue. There, we would while away some time before catching up with one last class at 6:30 p.m.
Many other chicken houses or "inasalans" have followed the path led by Joe Cajili's local legend of a resto. One thing is sure though. One cannot claim to have been in Bacolod if he or she hasn't eaten at the real and only Bacolod Chicken House.
(photo by jaywalker)
Many happy memories of chicken inasal meals in college!
ReplyDeleteno truer words were spoken.
ReplyDeletehmmm...daw ka "family" sini nga blog haw? ;)
Every time I am in Bacolod, I make sure that I will eat there. While other Chicken Bacolods are good, Chicken House is by far the best. I've eaten there practically every year since 2004. I have not yet been to Bacolod this year but I will before the year ends and I will definitely eat there again! Sarap!
ReplyDeleteit's the best chicken in the world! nothing like eating chicken inasal from its original roots at chicken house! people who haven't tried it don't know what they're missing.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally craving for one now..
ReplyDeletethere's a Bacolod Chicken House at The Fort.
ReplyDeletethere is one at fort? where? is the quality the same?
ReplyDeletehuh? where at? where exactly?
ReplyDeletenear Bruno's Barber. likod sang Pancake House and BPI Express near Shell
ReplyDeleteoh thanks.....:) kadto ko buwas haha
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm in Bacolod, the sales people always bring me to Chicken House. Inasal, along with laswa, is one of my (many) comfort foods. The chicken (thigh or wing and isol) golden and the skin crackling a bit having just been taken out of the coals, warm rice, sinamak (or toyo kag calamansi), ice cold soda. haay, now you have me craving for chicken inasal, too :-)
ReplyDeleteThis blog of yours really works - saw it yesterday and guess where I just came from today???? Yummy gid Llyod.
ReplyDeletelet's sched an inasal lunch with teng and your new assistant :D
ReplyDeletei sent this write up to julie and pachit the other day. thumbs up as per pachit.
ReplyDeleteguess who's next...of course, Bob's Restaurant!
ako na lang ma restaurant reviewer sa Bacolod. wala naman tutal si Marilou Villanueva (the Lord bless her soul)
if i go back to London, i will bring bottled inasal marinade. oks ba? DIY inasal ang resulta. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMan!!! Namit sang fruit punch, pancit luglug, and most of all, the sate babi at Bob's!! Yumm! My kids loved the cheeseburger -- not bad considering they love In-N-Out burgers here in the states. Lloyd, you should take it easy on this blog because all of us here are getting really bad cravings because of your food/restaurant reviews -- not a good thing when one is thousands of miles away from Bacolod (hehehe!!)
ReplyDeletePat, first shot pa lang ni. We haven't even started yet. UUK (Ilonggo version of LOL)
ReplyDeleteno wonder my cousins hop from one chicken place to the other. i asked them waay na ba lain nga restaurant sa bacolod? it's their culture.
ReplyDeletekahilidlaw!! you know Andre loves chicken inasal...haaay, san-o naman kami ayhan ka tilaw sina liwat...hehehehe
ReplyDeletelloyd, d bala may ara man sa parksquare? near the old abenson's. i ate there a few times sang dira pako gaubra. it's a small space and i think its their first branch in MM.
ReplyDeletehey lloyd, why don't you partner with chicken house and branch out sa states? :)
ReplyDeletebro, sang una pa to. subong, pati ang Anson's, guba na. They are building a new hotel there. ;-)
ReplyDeletegreat of you to write about chicken house, primo! it gave me another idea for a blog piece. i was actually adding a comment to this thread, but it got rather lengthy, so i'll write about it separately nalang. just thinking about the chicken house spare ribs is making my mouth water as i write this. darn!
ReplyDeletespare ribs is another story. will get in touch with you soon re an interview of your lola's resto history :-)
ReplyDeletesure, sure! that would be great :-)
ReplyDelete