A friend has been telling about this sidewalk place called “JT’s Manukan Grille” for some time now, and as usual, I’m always intriqued by the possibility of good cheap food. We got a chance to go there for lunch last Tuesday, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The main branch (where we ate) is along the Ortigas Avenue Extension (corner Valencia), and I think there are branches in Sgt. Esguerra and Eastwood. 
It’s owner is a famous Filipino actor, which explains the various pinoy movie related posters adorning the walls and doors (“JT” appears to be his initials, as is made pretty obvious by the said posters). It’s basically a sidewalk eatery, so don’t expect anything fancy. However, it’s one of the better sidewalk eateries I’ve seen, and they play chillout music (which was another pleasant surprise). I have been told that the place really gets packed at night: lines of people form, tables are added, and the place extends to the roads (which makes it very difficult to reach the street parking nearby).
The food focuses on chicken inasal, with other typical pinoy grill foods to add a little variety. I was not disappointed, this was the best chicken inasal I’ve ever had! Their formula has a hint of pinoy barbeque sauce like taste, which I’m not a fan of, but not so much to deter from the inasal taste. Service is typical of places like this, but they are polite. If not for time constraints, I would’ve loved to try their batchoy, but I wasn’t able to. Given the sidewalk status, the price does not disappoint either. It’s cheaper than the named chicken inasal places you may find in malls, and still they manage to make it taste better than those (to me at least).
Great price versus performance, this is a rare find. The actor owner is one of the more decent actors in Philippine cinema, and the food reflects focus on a proper chicken inasal experience. Given the sidewalk experience, this is a good reflection of typical working man local cuisine. If we had more places like this, maybe we’d have something good enough to rival the cheap sidewalk food available in other countries that foreigners go for. If you don’t mind the setting, I recommend you check this out.
branches:
- #4 Granada Street, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Quezon City
- #26 Sgt. Esguerra Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
- Citywalk I, Cybermall Eastwood, Quezon City
Similar Posts:
- Big City
- Circles Event Café at Makati Shangri-La
- [WIP] Metro Manila Geek Map
- In the wake of Typhoon Milenyo (international name Xangsane)
- Some old nostalgia/high-school comedy pinoy graphic novels
SEO Powered by