A few weeks ago, we had a lunch at Palm Grill along Tomas Morato in QC. It was their grand launch, the reason for all the flowers and balloons, and I was able to try some of their specialties.
You can’t miss it, it’s right along the Morato at the corner of Scout Castor, and across from Book & Borders. When I was first invited, I thought it was just another bar / resto in QC because of the name “Palm Grill”, but I’m glad I gave it a chance because their chicken dishes are what you will keep coming back for!
Even though the name is Palm Grill, it is actually a family restaurant.
THE FOOD
The owners hail from Jolo, Sulu, and some of the dishes show that influence.
Their specialty chicken dishes are available in Solo, Duo and League:
Solo (P229) – this includes quarter chicken, rice, side dish
Duo (P349) – this includes half chicken, and 2 side dishes
League (P649) – this includes whole chicken, and 3 side dishes
My favorite, favorite dish was the Green Chicken. I thought it was chicken that was cooked in laing, but it actually isn’t. The green sauce is made with seven herbs and spices. We were joking that it only lacked 4 more and it would be KFC. 😀 The Green Chicken is cooked for hours in coconut milk with the 7 herbs / spices, and then grilled to give it that extra smoky flavor. This is Palm Grill’s version of pianggang chicken, a classic chicken dish of the Tausug in Southern Mindanao.
It is green and has that wonderful, natural coconut oil smell. I love laing, and this dish reminded me of really good laing. All that green sauce also made me think Greek, but I know it’s not a greek-style chicken. It is delicious! The flavors of the green sauce are really infused into the chicken. It is mildly sweet and comforting, like laing. It is not spicy hot. Don’t be put off by the green oil, that’s the fragrant and toasted coconut oil that so good as a sauce to the chicken, and so good with the turmeric rice!
Next, we were also able to try Oswalda’s Fried. This is fried chicken made with the owner’s grandmother’s recipe. His grandmother’s name is Oswalda, and that is why it is called Oswalda’s Fried. One of our companions really liked it better than the Green Chicken, but for me, the Green Chicken was still the dish to beat! Oswalda’s Fried has a heavily-seasoned breading, with a sweet / salty sauce drizzled on top.
We also had the Chicken Satti (P159). This is grilled chicken wings on a stick served with a sweet and spicy tomato sauce that reminded me of sweet chili sauce or spicy banana catsup. It is served with rice balls.
Another thing to note is that their Turmeric Rice is very good. If you like Java Rice-type rice, I’m sure you will enjoy Palm Grill’s turmeric rice.
I was also able to try the Pinoy Slider (P229) – it’s a chicken patty sandwich. Unless you’re really craving a sandwich, just go order the Green Chicken!!!
SUMMARY
If you want to try a new chicken dish aside from the usual fried chicken, BBQ chicken, or adobo, I recommend Palm Grill’s Green Chicken. It is the one I will be ordering when I go back. It is also a very unique chicken dish that would be difficult to find elsewhere. This was my first encounter with Green Chicken, and Palm Grill is the only place I have seen so far that serves it.
If you love fried chicken, you may also try Oswalda’s Fried to see if that’s something that’s up your alley.
Palm Grill
175 Tomas Morato Avenue, Scout Castor, Tomas Morato, Quezon City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palmgrillph/
Contact Number: (02) 373 1668
Hours: 11 AM – 11 PM
