BUDZKIE RESTOBAR

Bacolod equals BACOLOD CHICKEN INASAL. But have you thought about having it another way?

At BUDZKIE RESTOBAR here in Bacolod, they are trying to present the chicken inasal cooked a different way–FRIED CHICKEN INASAL. Okay, so how is it and how is it done?

First of all, let’s clarify. The name can be misleading because when you say “inasal”, that means skewered and grilled over open fire. Yes, inasal is a way of cooking more than its taste. But in our city, Bacolod chicken inasal may also be equated to a certain taste. While there are already variations, the preferred chicken inasal taste is sour because of the vinegar without the soy sauce in the marinade.

But why the fried version at Budzkie? Well, it is because of some technicalities to the lease of their commercial space, the owners of Budzkie Restobar were forced to go out of their comfort zone. Being the descendants of the famous Nenas’ Chicken Inasal, they were naturally inclined to serve grilled chicken. However, since this new BACOLOD RESTAURANT is not the first in the food park where they are in now, they experimented on what dishes they can offer. Then they chanced upon “frying” their marinated chicken that’s supposed to be for inasal. Satisfied with the results, they have decided to make this their flagship product, along with many other Ilonggo favorites, like sizzling pork sisig and talaba (oysters). They also have bangus sisig that we have yet to try.

Budzkie Restobar sizzling sisig — Sizzling pork sisig

Their menu is simple–all the chicken parts marinated like your well-loved chicken inasal but deep-fried. They are offered ala cart, with rice as a set meal, or in a basket for big groups. When my family (2 adults and 2 young kids) visited there, we had the Basket A (2 thighs, 2 legs, 3 wings, and chicken skin), pork sisig, and a bowl of “adidas“. The chicken is tender and well-marinated. I especially love the chicken skin, oh my!

What is chicken adidas?
Chicken adidas literally means chicken feet here in Bacolod. It can be prepared any way — grilled, fried, adobo, dimsum, etc.

At Budzkie Restobar, they are serving adidas stew in a bowl, which for P50, can already be paired with rice and can become a meal. It is a flavorful stew with potatoes and peas, with a little sour notes to it, and a lot of hotness. Whatever little meat that chicken feet have, they have cooked it in a way that it falls off the bones. So tender! Great pang-ulam or pampulutan.

TIPS FOR APPRECIATING FOOD AT BUDZKIE

Since all their foods are fried or oil-based, it is best to eat them while they are still hot. If you are going to take photos of your order, do it quick and wait till your done eating when posting it online. You know what happens to fried food when it is no longer hot. It is good that their baskets are lined with paper, so as to soak up the excess oil. But I am not sure how they do it when you order rice meals.

I also like coating their fried chicken in a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, kalamansi juice, and vinegar. The acidity of the kalamansi and vinegar cut through the oiliness of the fried chicken. Hindi nakakaumay.