C.H.E. Bacolod Chicken House Express — Restaurant in Makati

We arrived at around 3pm on a weekend. The place was crowded and there was a queue. Staff did not approach us, nor did they ask whether we wanted to dine-in or have our order for take-out, we waited for more than an hour. When it was near our turn to order, a couple who just arrived, cut into the line and had their order taken by the staff, at first I didn’t mind because I was already starving and I had no energy to complain. After our order was taken (chicken pecho and atay), i noticed a bunch of customers who directly entered without having to queue, they seemed to be “regular customers”, as they were familiar with the staff and also they spoke the same dialect. After approximately 45 minutes of waiting, i noticed that the “regular customers’” food were served first, hence, this prompted me to approach the staff and complain as to why the said customers’ order came in first. The staff, just coldly responded that they have “ordered in advance”, to which i found strange considering that the restaurant does not accept reservations and the staff didn’t even ask the customers in line if they had advance orders. I went back to our table and waited for another 30 minutes, only to see that another group of customers who just came in had their food already served!! Again, I approached the staff and followed-up our order, saying that even the customers who just came in had their food served already (in fact they ordered the same - pecho and atay), the staff just nonchalantly responded that our food was already being prepared, he did not even apologize for the delay! After approximately 20 minutes, our food arrived.

As for the chicken, the meat was juicy, compared to other inasal places where the pecho tends to be dry. IMHO, there’s nothing special about the taste of the chicken, just the classic chicken inasal. It is also worth to note that the price is affordable and reasonable, considering the good quality of chicken.

Final verdict: affordable price point and quality of chicken inasal is impressive, but the service needs much more improvement. Won’t go back again unless there is a significant upgrade in service, as there are other chicken inasal places in the metro that could...

I’m not sure we call this as the”best chicken inasal in the Metro”, but it’s decent enough to satisfy your craving for Bacolod inasal.

So far, none of the chicken inasal restaurants in the Metro has captured the truly authentic flavor of any of the most popular restaurants in Bscold: Aida’s, Chicken Deli, or Chicken House. But If I were to rank the chicken them, it will be like this:

JT’s - delicious inasal, but ginger taste is stronger than the inasals in Bacolod. They also do have the best flavored atay and baticulon sticks among these four.

2. Namit Gid - also delicious, but I think its taste is closer to the Iloilo version, I’m not entirely sure. Their atay and baticulon are just ok.

3. Aida’s (at Makati Central Square, formerly called Makati Cinema Square) - delicious, but I think it lacks the in saltiness compared to Bacolod’s Aida’s. Their atay and baticulon are also just ok.

4. Chicken House Express - also delicious, but wheras JT’s is just a tad more gingerly compared to authentic inasal, this one lacks ginger flavoring a bit. Their atay and baticulon are better than Namit Gid’s and Aida’s, but inferior to JT’s.

Anyway, back to C.H.E. - the restaurant itself is carenderia-type: open (no aircon) and can probably seat 25 people. It’s comfortable enough at nighttime, but I imagine it could get a bit uncomfortable on a hot day if you dine here at daytime.

Surpringly, they have 4-5 parking slots, so that’s good.

Serving time is decent too, considering that we had dinner there when they were full—but we got our food in less than 15 minutes.

The staff—they’re not rude or anything, but not than friendly compared to the staff of JT’s, Namit Gid, and Aida’s.

Lastly, their 1 order of rice is the smallest among the four. I think it’s about half only of the typical...

This is arguably the best Chicken Inasal in Manila. Chicken House Express is located in the Savana Market complex facing Shopwise International along Pablo Ocampo in Makati.

If Chef JP Anglo, who is a Negrense swears by this non-descript Institution and visits whenever he can, then it must be good and authentic.

My verdict:

Food - 5* I prefer ordering the Pecho over the Paa. I order it well done so there won't be any "blood" near the bone areas. I also love their Isol and Atay. Dousing their Garlic Rice with the In-house Chicken Annatto Oil is heaven on earth when taken with a piece of tender yet crispy skinned morsel of chicken dipped in Toyomansi spiked with some vinegar and chilis. The Inasal flavor is unmistakable with its signature smokey, tangy, salty and slightly sweet taste. Quite addictive if you eat here at C.H.E.

Service - 5*, the staff was very helpful and would guide you patiently through their offerings. Dine in customers are provided plastic gloves so you could enjoy the meal best sans utensils. Using your hands to tear through the meat, dip in sauce and scoop the steaming hot rice is primal and liberating.

Parking - 4*, parking on the Pablo Ocampo side of Savana Market is way better than its Metropolitan Av side.

Ambience - 3*, you have to hustle/jostle with civility during lunch and dinner hours. The location is like a public market eatery which adds to its novelty and authenticity. Once you taste the food though, you'll realize everything is good...