The restaurant’s teaser says it all: “You think you know fried chicken…”

Chicken Charlie: Manila's answer to Bonchon Chicken

There were a few things I wasn’t able to eat in New York earlier this year, and one of them was Bonchon Chicken. On the day that I was supposed to try it out with a couple of friends, we opted to have pastrami sandwiches at Katz’s Deli and dessert at Momofuku instead. So when we finally got to the chicken place, we were too stuffed to do anything other than walk around Central Park.

However, I regretted not being able to try it out because it was one of the food items that got universal raves from everyone. So when I heard that Chicken Charlie, a new joint in Banawe, offered Bonchon-style chicken (Bonchon is a chain, by the way), I just had to try it. This morning, I headed there with a couple of friends and ordered the only thing on their menu: fried wings and drumsticks. And gasp—I went there because I wanted to, not because I had to do it for work.

James frowned when he read the menu. “You knew it was only wings and drumsticks?” he asked, raising an indignant eyebrow at me. “You know I prefer white meat from chicken breasts.”

Kat and Chris skimmed through the menu and finally decided on a single rice bowl, because they were planning to pig out on a Japanese buffet later on. We ordered sarsaparilla and ginger ale in vintage bottles and waited for our order (it took 15 minutes).

High-end sarsparilla.. this sure isn't your regular Sarsi

Kat and the ginger ale

We all didn’t have breakfast, so we were pretty hungry when the chicken arrived. I took a tentative bite and nearly swooned; the texture of the skin was similar to that of Peking duck, minus the greasy layer of fat that usually lay beneath.

Even James (who usually doesn’t like dark chicken meat) was already digging in, picking up the wings and drumsticks with his fingers and accompanying each mouthful with a spoonful of rice. Chris, who had earlier said that he wasn’t planning to eat, took a bite out of Kat’s rice bowl. “It’s really good,” he said, grinning. A minute later, a glistening drumstick, glazed with soy-garlic sauce, lay on an extra plate.

Chicken Charlie wings and drumsticks

I had always associated fried chicken with thick coats of breading (the traditional Southern U.S. style, served with gravy and biscuits). This particular style of fried chicken is distinctly Asian, especially if you order the soy-garlic glaze—it’s also available in a sweet/spicy sauce, but you can opt to try both. Try it with the complimentary pickled radish, which gives the chicken a fuller flavor. I feel that it’s something that must be eaten with rice because the fried potatoes on the menu might fight for your attention, flavor-wise.

We also asked the owner, Ifore Yu, why the restaurant was called Chicken Charlie. (Kat and I thought that “Charlie Chicken” sounded better). He said, “Charlie’s the name of my dad. And we just thought Chicken Charlie sounds better.”

One quibble, though. We were initially hesitant to order an eight-piece variety pack of fried chicken (288 pesos for four wings and four drumsticks), because it seemed a lot for our group of four. However, we discovered that it would’ve fully satisfied only two people, because the pieces are on the small side, and James got a cheeseburger at McDonald’s afterwards because our order wasn’t enough. But Charlie Chicken was worth the trip we had to make all the way to Banawe because it’s something you really can’t get anywhere else in Manila. Next time though, I’d order just drumsticks because they’re a lot meatier and just as crisp as the wings.

Remains of the day

Incidentally, Chicken Charlie is running a promo on its Facebook page. Last time I saw, they were giving away four free chicken wings to people who promoted the restaurant on their Facebook profiles. I’ll probably do it—this is the chicken that deserves the “sarap to the bones” label.

Another note: the place is really small. Be prepared to grab takeaway instead if the restaurant is full (it can accommodate about 12 people, tops). We visited at about 12nn on a Thursday, so it wasn’t packed.

Visit Chicken Charlie at 592a N.S. Amoranto St. Cor. Banawe St. Quezon City. Call (02) 742-3333 or email chickencharlieph@yahoo.com

(Day 8, 30-Day Blog Challenge)