It’s hard to go wrong with chicken, especially with kids who more often than not, consider the fried variety of it as staple. But be it fried, grilled or sizzled—chicken is a surefire way to get into the hearts of foodies everywhere. A foodie turned chef even used that particular interest of his in a resto biz, which he has simply named as the Chicken Junction.
Opened in January 2013, Chicken Junction is managed by Paolo Ong, a young chef who was trained in the California Culinary Academy - Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. It is a cozy, 16-seater fast food joint on the foot of Banawa’s main road that serves not only chicken-based meals, but also a selection of pork-based ones.
“It’s basically comfort food,” describes Paolo of Chicken Junction’s fares. Save for the meals that are good for two persons, all items in the menu are below P100 and are at hefty servings, making it suitable choices for quick dinners or lunches, or perhaps as takeaway—quite an advantage for those living in the surrounding residential areas.
The menu, he says, is a mix of personal and family recipes—the pork sisig he got from his dad who used to own a famous resto grill in Guadalupe, and the chicken inasal he learned from his mom. Meanwhile the rest are Paolo’s, including house specialties like the deviled chicken and glazed chicken.
The deviled chicken is a sizzling serving of fillet slices in savory cream sauce and topped with red pepper flakes, while the glazed chicken is a must-try take on the popular recipe, with juicy meat wrapped in sweet, crisp breading. With the latter, diners have the option of having it in a sandwich or paired with rice.
Other items on the menu are spaghetti served in either meat sauce or carbonara, sandwiches filled with either cheesy or spicy chicken slices, and ultimate comfort food favorites: grilled pork belly and, of course, fried chicken.
Paolo revealed that later this month Chicken Junction will be opening its second branch in Elizabeth Mall, with twice the space and seating capacity of its current outlet, located on the ground floor of One Pavilion Mall in R. Duterte St., Banawa.
Chicken Junction in Banawa is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.