Nenas Beth, Manokan Country, Bacolod, Negros. June 2015
From the Filipino perspective:
Manokan country is a complex of a couple dozens of stalls serving Bacolod’s most sought-after gastronomic delight — chicken inasal.
When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was that many of the restaurants in Manokan country were named after women — Aida, Nena’s Beth, Nena’s Rose, Carmen, etc. Here are the other things we noticed that you might find useful:
There are no air-conditioned restaurants in the complex. (Or at least, we didn’t see one.) But it doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable. Also, don’t expect a glamorous setup. You don’t need to come in your best attire or most fashionable shoes. People from all walks of life dine here and there are no restrictions. There are families having dinner together, foreigners trying out local cuisine, officemates having a happy hour!
Food items are displayed at the entrance to the restaurant. You can already order chicken inasal even before you enter.
Restaurant staff is always on a watch for potential customers so the moment you walk towards the complex, expect people inviting you to choose their stalls.
There are DVD vendors that might approach you while eating. Although they can get irritating at times, just tell them politely that you’re not interested.
I’m not sure if this applies to all but the stall we chose do not provide utensils by default. They expect you to use your bare hands when eating (kamayan style). There’s a couple of sinks with soap inside. Yes, the soap is shared by everyone in the room. If you’re not comfortable with it, then bring a hand sanitizer or alcohol. Or ask the waitress for utensils.
Anyway, since there were so many Nena restaurants there, we figured we should try one of them. We ended up dining at Nena’s Beth. It was one of the biggest in Manokan country and there were so many people. There had to be something special about it, we thought.
Filipinos love to write food reviews of even the lowliest street food. These "man on the street" type descriptions are generally spot on and the web is just full of them. Except for NOT having people bother us to buy DVDs, I would say the above description of Nena's Beth was pretty accurate.
I first went to Manokan Country with dubious Bacolod friend, Gil [see: Bacolod]. Later, when I returned with JRC I noted he also chose "Nena's Beth". The eatery was very local although foreigner friendly. As usual, being there with someone from Bacolod made all the difference. For example, without JRC, I would have never known fresh oysters were also an option. I had never eaten naturally harvested oysters, either.
Oysters for me were single mollusks that were boiled and eaten (or perhaps served raw). Each one looked very respectable. The oysters from Nena's Beth were literally hacked off the sea floor, a mess of stuck together shells. Eating them was an adventure to be sure - it made me realize how far my previous oyster experiences were from what "original" oysters looked like. JRC ordered us a "mess of oysters" and we laid into them with gusto. Oysters were popular, too. On several visits to Nena's Beth they were, quite tragically, sold out.
The signature chicken inasal was, simply put, amazing barbequed chicken. The glaze was its "secret". It was served with a mound of rice. One could also order vegetables, but looking around at Nenas Beth, everyone was eating chicken accompanied by rice and nothing else (downed with multiple San Miguel beers). I am certain it was not the healthiest option, but compared to most fast food worldwide, I would still say chicken inasal is a good choice.
"Fast" is another hallmark of Manokan Country. The food arrives in minutes and people eat voraciously. Not that I was ever in a hurry, but our stops at Nena's Beth were never draw out affairs. Then again, there was no AC and the seating was on long rows of tables with well-used plastic tablecloths. There was not much reason to want to tarry - the ambience was energetic, but not a place one would want to drink in. It was fast dining, but not necessarily "fast food".
I stopped in Manokan Country multiple times on each visit to Bacolod. Why not? The food was famous all over the country and that small row of outdoor eateries next to the huge SM Mall complex was its birthplace. Even in Saudi Arabia my Filipino friends sighed in envy when I told them I had eaten chicken inasal in Bacolod. Nena's Beth, I am a die hard fan for sure - may there always be oysters available when I visit!