SULIT! =D

I've said goodbye to Andok's and Baliwag forever.

I've met Sr. Pedro. =D No. 1 in Visayas & Mindanao. Once tasted, always wanted! Naks! Haha! =D

I've passed by the roadside stall on our way home to House Better countless times, and have always ignored it. In House Better, when Mother is too tired to cook (or when we visit House Better unannounced), she'd always ask us to go buy BBQ or lechon manok. Andok's has always been the default.

Then, one time, the Hubby and I decided to make a side-trip to House Better (we were coming home from Lago, I think), and struggling with a craving to try something new, I asked him to drive past the usual so we can try the Manok ni San Pedro. Haha. Yes, I remember actually saying that. Throw-back to the Lito-Pimentel era back in the 80's. Susko! Haha. =D

To be honest, it's not the first time I've come across Sr. Pedro. It has been oft-mentioned as a driver for the sudden sales growth of an all-natural product (for proprietary purposes, I will not reveal it here =)) in VisMin in past business reviews. The Food Service group would always talk about this lechon manok upstart that grew into the "Andok's of Visayas and Mindanao" kaya drum-drum sila kung bumili.

Anyway! Did I digress? =D

From the outside, it looks just like any other lechon manok stall.

Rotating chicken and liempo.

Two guys manning the stall. One to check on the cooking chicken; the other to chop.

The difference ends there.

First, when you buy from Sr.Pedro, don't feel shortchanged if you DON'T get your liver-based lechon sauce. The Bisaya have never been fond of it. Instead, you will get a mixed concoction of what I suspect to be soy sauce, sinamak and calamansi.

The lechon sauce is not necessary anyway. Once you bite into it, you will taste the difference. See, years of handling the biggest and most popular cooking club in the country (;p) has taught me that the said all-natural product can do wonders for meat. Not only does it make it more tasty (nanunuot, I believe, is the term our lolas would use), said all-natural product actually has enzymes that act as meat tenderizers when used as part of the marinade. Ang Lechon Manok ni Sr. Pedro is, therefore, more than just delicious, it's malinamnam. =D

In these recession-ridden times, the only thing that's even better than its taste is its price! While Andok now retails for P220+ per chicken, Sr. Pedro retails for only P175 per! WOOHOOOOOO!!! It wouldn't have ended up being #1 in VisMin if it weren't this sulit. =D


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Ang Lechon Manok ni Sr. Pedro is now all over the metro. Unfortunately, they're usually located in places with high pedestrian traffic, but very limited parking space. =( The Better LIving stall is actually one of the few that I've come across with parking space. For those who live near the area, it's near the intersection of Dona Soledad and France. =)