It's officially October and I can't help but not to celebrate this day with something from my hometown. In the spirit of launching the start of Masskara Festival 2016, my friends and I decided to try the newly opened Aida's Chicken in Banilad, Cebu City. Yes folks! We finally have LEGIT BACOLOD CHICKEN INASAL in Cebu. But why do I say it's legit?
Menu
Reason # 5: It hails from Bacolod
If lechon = Cebu, inasal = Bacolod. It's a very basic equation, actually. And yes, Aida's is really from Bacolod. You'll find a number of its branches situated in various parts of Bacolod.
Paa + Garlic Rice (P75 + P30 = P105)
Reason #4: It's one of the best places to go to for delicious Chicken Inasal
I mean this in a non-snobbish way. Every Bacolodnon you will encounter will probably judge you if you say you love the inasal at Mang Inasal. And I'm sorry, Mang Inasal is from Iloilo. No, Iloilo is not the same as Bacolod.
Aida's (along with Nena's) are two best inasal places in Bacolod... I feel like I haven't said that enough.
Tina-e P25 per stick
Reason #3: Their menu items & prices are somewhat similar to Bacolod
I'm not entirely sure what the current prices are for inasal at Aida's Bacolod but if I were to judge, I'd say it was roughly the same as the prices they offer in their Cebu branch; which is always a big plus!
One thing I'd like to point out is that you definitely need to try our version of tina-e. I've been searching for something similar to how we cook chicken intestines but the ones in Cebu has long failed me that I decided to give up my search. Promise, you have to try it!
That being said, here is a short dictionary on the translation of the Chicken pieces you can buy from Aida's:
Reason #2: Their cook is from Bacolod
We asked. :)
Reason #1: It manages to capture the same Inasal taste I grew up loving
And perhaps the most important reason why you NEED to try Aida's right away-- it's one delicious dish that makes me so proud to be from Bacolod. When I bit into the chicken skin, I couldn't help but recall all the years I spent at home-- the times my family and I would frequent Manokan Country as we longed for that old, familiar taste.
Now that Aida's is in Cebu, there's no reason to go to Bacolod! Oh wait, you haven't tried Calea yet! If you're traveling to Bacolod for Masskara Festival, you definitely have to pay a visit! I'll come up with some recommendations for Bacolod first-timers in a future blog post.
Happy Masskara, Bacolod!
Aida-licious
(Across Bright Academy; It's where the old Bad Boys Wings used to be)
Banilad, Cebu City
Operating Hours:
Tuesdays - Sundays
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM
5:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Closed on Mondays (Don't ask why, it's a Bacolod thing!)
