Support Local: Señor Pollo (Multiple Locations)

Roast Chicken with Cilantro Garlic Rice and Tossed Salad

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of lives across the globe. Many have lost their lives or their livelihood. While I’m also having difficulties, I’m still blessed that I still have a job. With whatever little spare money I have, I give it away to bless others who are less fortunate than me. But I thought, “How else can I be a blessing to people? And now that quarantine is easing up more and more, how can I spur economic activity in my own little way?”

As a foodie, I’m really rooting for the food industry to bounce back. So how can I help my beloved industry? I decided to do this “blessing-the-food-industry” project/series called Support Local (I know it’s generic, but it’s what I’m encouraging people to do). The game plan is to order from my favorite food spots (and order a lot of food, one-time or staggered), feature them in my blog, and promote them to my friends. I will also be focusing on small and medium enterprises owned (or partly-owned, at least) by local entrepreneurs rather than food chains run by big corporations.

So far, I have featured Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (THK), a Pakistani eatery in Mandaluyong City, and Khao Khai Thai Chicken House, a food spots that serves not-so-usual Thai dishes. Today, I’m featuring another local food spot. But first…

How Can You Help?

To make this project work, I will need your help. If you want to support this simple endeavor, you can help me S.P.O.T.:

Share. As simple as sharing my article or other related entries, we can spread the word.
Promote. Nothing beats a personal recommendation of the food spots to your friends. But this is best done when you have an experience of the food itself (don’t forget to share your experience and photos in social media; this will give the food spots extra mileage). If you haven’t tasted the food yet, then the next letter is for you.
Order. This is the most important of all, as we intend to help the food establishments. If you have extra money or the means, order from the food spots (and order as much as you can).
Tip. The staff are making risks to provide for their families by preparing amazing food. To help and appreciate them, I give a generous tip. So if you have the means, I encourage you to do the same. If you will have your food delivered, tip the driver or rider as well.

Let’s now talk about the food spot featured today.

The Food Spot: Señor Pollo

Aside from Khao Khai, another food spot that I frequented earlier this year is Señor Pollo, which belongs to the same restaurant group. While I’ve been to the Señor Pollo years ago, it didn’t become my habit to eat there. Thus, I didn’t get to appreciate their food. But when I learned that it’s in Zomato Gold and I can get a complimentary dish, I regularly dated my girlfriend there. Gotta be practical nowadays! LOL.

Señor Pollo is a growing chain of restaurants (pre-pandemic, at least). With a name that translates “sir chicken”, the food spot is known for their “famous latin chicken.” Aside from their different varieties of chicken, they also serve bar food like sisig (an iconic Filipino dish made with chopped pig’s face) and chicken wings, quesadilla, and sandwich/wraps.

The Food

Unlike the other articles in the series, I’m mostly featuring the chicken dishes of Señor Pollo. It’s what they’re famous for after all. I ordered their platters so I can also make a comment of their sides. Please take note that I’m not listing the prices because it will depend on where you order (at the restaurant, website, or Foodpanda).

Fried Chicken (Plus Coleslaw and Mac N Cheese)

This one of the popular items in Señor Pollo. I’m not sure if there’s anything latin on this. But you can never go wrong with a southern style fried chicken. It’s crispy (although I hope the batter is a bit thinner), juicy, and tender, paired with a peppery gravy.

Fried Chicken with Coleslaw and Mac N Cheese

Since the chicken is southern style, I paired it with coleslaw and mac n cheese. Nothing spectacular with the sides but they make a good combo.

Jerk Chicken

And it’s not because the chicken is a jerk! LOL.

Jerk is a cooking method popular in Jamaica and the Caribbean. It’s typically any meat marinated with dry or wet mixture and cooked over wood fire. The marinade is made notably with allspice and Scotch Bonnet, a kind of chili widely available in the Caribbean. You can think of the jerk method as the Jamaican or Caribbean style of barbecue.

During the pandemic, I got to watch the Jamaican series of the famous food vlogger and full-time eater Mark Wiens, who also recently followed Señor Pollo’s Instagram account (cool!). So when I saw that Señor Pollo released its Jerk Chicken, I ordered it as soon as possible. It comes with Jamaican Rice (but it ran out so I replaced it with Spicy Rice, which reminds me of a Cajun-style dirty rice), fried plantains (but it turned out to be caramelized banana mash LOL), and the Jerk BBQ and Tropical Fire dipping sauces.

So how was the chicken? To be honest, I find it hard to describe the flavors. It’s new to my palette. I’m not sure if its supposed to be dry because of the jerk method. But the chicken isn’t bad.

The sauces were even new to my tastebuds. The jerk BBQ sauce (I believe the black one in the photo) is gritty and intensely salty. The tropical fire dip (I believe the orange one) is sweet, tangy, and spicy, and it tastes like curry. Between the two, I enjoyed the latter one.

So how will I describe my jerk chicken experience? It’s definitely new and unique to me. I guess I have to train myself with Caribbean flavors.

Roast Chicken (Plus Cilantro Garlic Rice and Tossed Salad)

Aside from the fried chicken, Señor Pollo’s roast chicken is another bestseller. It’s juicy and tender, with a subtle spice and smokiness. It’s supposed to be flavored with latin spices. But to be frank, I really couldn’t tell. (Is there something wrong with my tastebuds?)

For me, what makes the roast chicken special are the sauces the come with it: chili, garlic sauce, and their specialty Chimichurri. The chili has an intense kick of spice and a nice acidity, perfect to cut through the oiliness of the chicken, while the garlic sauce has a mild garlic taste, which is nice. (More on the chimichurri later.)

The tossed salad is okay, giving a nice crunch and freshness to the meal. But I love the cilantro garlic rice, which combines 2 of my favorite ingredients…aside from rice, of course. LOL.

Fiesta Platter

If you don’t want a heavy chicken meal and want some snack for your Netflix binge, then get the Fiesta Platter, which combines most of Señor Pollo’s bar bites.

It comes with:

Banana Fritters: Nicely fried, reminding me of the Filipino snack Maruya.
Cheese and Garlic Quesadilla: Nicely chewy and doughy, rightly cheesy, and strongly garlicky.
Hotwings: These are chicken wings that are mildly spicy and slightly sweet.
Tenders & Fries: Tenders are slightly spicy. Nothing spectacular.

Dip the fried stuff (except the fritters) in garlic mayo and salsa, and it’s the perfect snack for your binge-watching! (Actually, I just realized that the fritters might work with the dips. Hmmm.)

Chimichurri

To the uninitiated, chimichurri is a sauce that’s made with parsley, oregano, garlic, chilies, vinegar, and olive oil. It originated in Argentina and is used either as condiment or marinade. I can just imagine it with steak!

Señor Pollo’s version has a nice herby taste, slight spiciness from the chilies, and tanginess from the vinegar. Their roast chicken comes with chimichurri and you can have more for an extra fee. But if you’ve fallen in love with it, you can buy a bottle and enjoy it at home!

I hope that my article made you crave. If it did, then order from Señor Pollo soon! That’s the goal of this project/series! Let’s support them and other local food spots in this time of crisis!

Señor Pollo

For branches and it’s addresses and operating hours, kindly check this webpage.
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram
Website
Note (as of Aug. 9): If you order via Foodpanda and pick-up your food, you’ll get a 20% discount. Also, I believe they’re already available for delivery throughout the Metro Manila area. Dine-in is not allowed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).

Other entries in the Support Local series: Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (Mandaluyong City) | Khao Khai Thai Chicken House (Makati City)