Jo's Chicken Inato

Food trip this week takes us to one of the famous food places in Dumaguete - Jo's Chicken Inato.




Last February, my brother and I together with a friend was able to do a side trip to Negros Oriental after the SFC International Conference in Cebu City. At first we stayed at a rest house (courtesy of our gracious hosts tito Bingbong and tita Nette) in Tanjay City, then we spent our last two days in Dumaguete City. On my first visit to Dumaguete, my ex boyfriend wasn't able to meet up with me, so this time, he made up for it.

Riding his habal-habal (motorcycle), he took me to Jo's Chicken Inato where we ate dinner. Based on what's written on the menu, Jo's Chicken Inato started in mid 1980's. It is owned by Jesse and Josephine Ng, where the name of the place was derived. At first I thought "inato" meant the way they cooked chicken (because of Chicken Inasal), but I later found out that "inato" connotes something you can be at home with. Hmm...





Inside, I realized how popular this food place really was. They have many different levels divided into their 2-storey building. People have the choice to eat on the ground floor, and upstairs were two dining areas - the air conditioned room and the balcony area. I really wanted to eat in the balcony area so I could see the sights and hear the sounds of the city, but the ex said the balcony area has the tendency to be polluted - with the smoke from the barbecueing meats to the smoke from the cigarettes. I got his point, so okay, on to the air conditioned room. Hehehe.




We had their chicken barbecue and pancit canton. It was difficult for me to take pictures because it wasn't a well-lit room (most of the lights were fixed in the walls). Anyway, they typically serve the foods without the utensils for the foods were meant to eat using the hands, but if eaters weren't in the mood to use their hands, they can ask for utensils. As for me and the ex, we just ate using our hands with gusto!

The chicken barbecue isn't really the usual chicken barbecue/inasal I have tasted. It was really, really, good! If I were eating this on lunch time, I might've have another serving. It was that good. The pancit canton (although I wasn't able to photograph it well) tasted great, too. I love saucy pancit canton!

Seeing the ex (who stayed as a good friend of mine) after a long time made me happy. After this dinner, we went to Hayahay (another food place) for some drinks, then he gave me a quick tour of the city riding his habal-habal. It was a fine day, wish we could do it again.

By the way, Jo's Chicken Inato is also serving good foods in Cebu, Mandaue, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Ormoc, Tagbilaran, Roxas, Bacolod, Iloilo, Dipolog, Quezon City, and Makati City. If I could find that Quezon City branch, I'd eat there.

*** Jenn ***

S = Sinigwelas

Sinigwelas or Spanish Plum (Spondias purpurea L.) is one of the summer fruits here in the Philippines. Its name was derived from the Spanish word "ciruela," because its resemblance to plum. The tree of this fruit is very unique because during off-season, trees were leafy, and when summertime comes, all the leaves will fall and out comes the fruits. At times, it is considered ripe when the skin turns reddish, but sometimes some fruits would just turn yellow-green. It's like olive - very firm flesh with one big seed inside, but it tends to be sweet, sometimes a little sour.

I prefer to eat the reddish ones because those were the sweetest kind.

*** Jenn ***

Instant Lomi

Because of some another change here in my food blog, I decided to devote one post for Food Friday, and it will feature foods that I cooked!






The title of this post was a spoiler, for this bowl of lomi wasn't cooked from scratch. This was actually instant lomi from Lucky Me! I first had a taste of this when I went over teacher Rhona's house and she served us this. She kept on asking if we found it delicious, and she was taking some pride that she cooked it... but later admitted that it was instant.

For an instant noodle dish, it tasted really good. So when sister and I went grocery shopping and I saw packets of the instant lomi by the shelves, I bought some and cooked it for breakfast yesterday. It cooks just like any other instant noodles, although I put in an egg to make it creamy. As for the bread toast, I just spread some butter and sprinkled some chopped garlic for added taste. It pairs well with the noodles.

*** Jenn ***

ps - Would like to inform that I will be MIA (missing in action) for four days... my brother and I will be traveling to our paternal hometown and will go on a side trip to Ilocos Sur before heading home. Aunt Julie said we will be saying some prayer intentions for all the departed loved ones, so we have to be there.

My proposed schedule:

22 May (Friday) - Travel to La Union at 10AM; watching the sunset at Paratong Beach
23 May (Saturday) - Stay at home, help with the preparations
24 May (Sunday) - Hear mass in San Juan church; go to San Fernando City come lunch time - visit Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point, then to the provincial capitol for another sunset watch by the Phil-Chinese Friendship Pagoda.
25 May (Monday) - Travel to Candon, Ilocos Sur first thing in the morning then travel to Vigan City soon after. Will stay in Vigan and travel back home at 9:30PM.

Will resume with my regular blogging come Tuesday morning.

Lola Eats Foodhouse

Since I am not doing anything for Thursday, and since I am doing my eat out series every Tuesday, I decided to do the eat out series every Thursday using the Food Trip Friday meme. Food Trip = Eat Out.. there's a connection, right?

For this week, I will feature foods I ate from Lola Eats Foodhouse in Brgy. Talamban, Cebu City. When us Singles For Christ visited the GK village in Cebu City while there for the International Conference, we decided to eat lunch at this foodhouse.




The Lola Eats Foodhouse is a typical carinderia, but I could say it has some class. The foods were presented good, although unlike the typical carinderia, the foods are a bit heavy on the wallet. If I remembered correctly, their meat dishes were at around 40 or 50 pesos.


I chose to eat their fish escabeche. I have been eating meats since I got in Cebu, and I was craving a different taste. This one was 70 pesos, but it was okay, at least I got fish.

*** Jenn ***

From Charmy

Every once in a while, when any of us neighbors would celebrate something, or cook something nice and worth sharing, we always share it amongst ourselves. Last Friday, our neighbor Charmy said they just thought of cooking champorado (chocolate rice porridge), and thinking I still haven't eaten breakfast, they just gave us a bowlful of it. I am not much into this food, but I loved it because it had so many milk in it.

The plush toy was given by my sister.

*** Jenn ***

Sister's Treat

For my birthday last Wednesday, there wasn't a celebration really, but my sister was so nice to treat me out for lunch. It was our goal always to eat at a place where we haven't eaten yet, and our choice for this time was French Baker. We have tasted their breads and pastries, but we haven't tasted their meals.





My personal choice was the hickory spareribs. I loved how the meat was well marinated, the meat was juicy, and the sauce was just right. Their mushroom gravy was great, too!


Sister chose baked chicken as her meal. I was able to taste it, and i was good, too! The meat was just right, not that juicy, but it's tender.

Even though the family didn't have a definite celebration. Being able to spend it with my sister was enough to make me happy. Thanks so much sis for this treat. I love you.

*** Jenn ***