Friday, August 6, 2010

bacolod food trip for a day

we've done cebu before, so this time, we went for bacolod!

this plan was hatched years ago, when our friend adrian shared a dream he had of going to bacolod for the day just to have authentic chicken inasal. susie and i just laughed at him then, not realizing he was serious.

this year, we thought we'd make his dream come true. so, a couple of months back, we booked tickets to bacolod, taking the 6am flight, then going back on the last flight. on the day of the trip, adrian was obviously excited. he prepared by not eating any chicken dish a week or so before the trip.

upon landing, we went to chowking in front of the former city hall. we landed in bacolod too early, that chowking was one of the few places that was open on a sunday morning. it was our way of lining our stomachs for the chowfest that was to come.

come lunchtime, susie's brother took us to manukan country, where a row of inasal stalls can be found. aida's was the favored stall, and so we sat down and finally ordered the very thing that we came there for. of course, it didn't help that aida's had a poster inside the store saying "aida's chicken is now at makati square."

they have it in makati square?!

still, though, that didn't keep us down. bacolod will always have better-tasting chicken inasal than manila. i couldn't wait to have that tasty pecho, the "motor oil" mixed in with every spoonful of garlic rice i shovel into my mouth. lookit at our chicken inasal orders:

delicious chicken inasal at aida's in bacolod

there's really nothing like the taste of freshly cooked chicken inasal from bacolod's manukan country. to make up for the long trip he made, adrian devoured four sticks of inasal: pecho, native chicken, isol, and another pecho, or i think a leg. he found the native chicken very tasty, and still speaks of it to this day. he was so happy about his meal, and by the price of the chicken, that he paid for all of our orders. we really should exploit this generous gene of his more. :p

so, with that crossed off our list, we all felt like there wasn't really anything else we should do. until we got to calea, dessert-maker extraordinaire. unfortunately, we were all bushed from all the eating, so there are no pictures of calea goodness to be shared. i wouldn't have been able to do them justice, anyway. i think, though, that anything you order from calea is sure to hit the spot. and that's coming from someone who doesn't have a sweet tooth.

susie's brother and his wife took very good care of us--picking us up at the airport, taking us to places other than manukan country, and letting us snooze off when we were all wiped out after the heavy inasal lunch. before sending us off, they even fed us leftover lechon, which was absolutely delicious.

seriously, eating in bacolod is such a pleasure. you'll go back to manila a few pounds heavier, but you'll be a very happy fatty. for this very reason, i vow to come back, but for a longer period this time, to make sure that i sample every tiny bit of yumminess this city has to offer.

7 comments:

Jojo Ayson said...

This is such a cool travel blog. And I love the name.

i gotta go! said...

thanks, jojo! :)

jules said...

you ought to book for flights to bacolod's masskara festival...

foodfest again... the whole lacson strip party for friday til sunday of the 3rd wk of october...

imaging going to bar21 restaurant for the all-you-can eat batchoy for only P60-

hope you guys return...

sherlin cameron said...

of course the things which we plan start very later but i liked the way you succeed in your work.........

i gotta go! said...

hey jules! too bad, we're not going to be here for masskara. but maybe next year. :) that eat-all-you-can batchoy sounds delicious.

Unknown said...

hi djong, i've been to bacolod thrice and food trip has always been in the itinerary. if you're returning to bacolod, i suggest the fresh lumpia and brazo de mercedes at pendy's. and, you can buy whole cakes from calea and have it especially packed for transit. looking forward to hearing more about your travels. regards.

i gotta go! said...

hi nini! :) we'll surely be back in bacolod, and i'll try pendy's next time. and yes, we actually brought home a cake from calea that time! they're simply sinful. :P