What’s my most favorite chicken restaurant? I’d say this is a trick question, for I have a favorite restaurant for each type of cooking style: lechon manok, chicken bacolod, chicken barbeque, breaded fried chicken, etc. For deep-fried plain chicken, there could only be one:Max’s Restaurant. Here’s a brief history of Max’s restaurant:

Max’s Restaurant’s beginnings started in 1945, after World War II. Maximo Gimenez, a Stanford –educated teacher, befriended the American occupation troops stationed at Quezon City. Because of this friendship, the soldiers regularly visited Maximo’s nearby home for a drink or two. Later on, the troops insisted that they pay for their drinks. This prompted Maximo to open a café where the troops could enjoy food and drinks.

The café initially served chicken, steak and drinks. Maximo’s niece – Ruby, who managed the kitchen, created a special recipe for chicken that became an instant favorite for the GIs. Soon, the Filipino public heard about the delicious chicken – tender, juicy and crispy – and they came too! Max’s Restaurant was born. (From the Max’s Restaurant website)

There are two things I usually order at Max’s — the kamote fries (to have something to nibble while waiting) and, of course, the fried chicken. It’s sarap (delicious) to the bones, as their commercial goes. Perhaps this is one of the great examples of the “truth in advertising” slogan. Here’s how the chicken and the kamote fries look like (photo courtesy of Max’s):

Ahh, now you see why I always order the chicken? I’m not saying that other items in the menu are not as great (try the kare-kare, pancit canton, fresh lumpia and the rest), it’s just that I rarely order anything else when I go to Max’s. I’m just happy with the fried chicken. It’s like If I’m sentenced to death and allowed to request for a chicken, I’d probably request for a Max’s fried chicken. And I’d still be happy. I mean, with the chicken.