SENIORa Artz: Of fishes and veggies, JO's Chicken Inato and Buko Halo

I love watching people eat fish to the bones because I seldom eat fish and i hate fish with so many small fish bones. My current dislike for fish may be traced back to my childhood experience when a small fish bone got stuck on my throat and I couldn't eat well for several days. Since then, I was so hesitant to eat fish unless it has been deboned or its a fillet. I eat bangus ( milkfish ) though, of course preferably deboned, and toasted or deep fried salted fish ( tuyo ) also which I can eat the fish bones altogether with its meat. Before, I love to eat fried tilapia not until i experienced certain discomfort after eating it for three consecutive times.

Since our place in the twin cities at the South is a fishing community, you can expect fish menus in the dining table from morning till night. Oh my! I can't survive with that! I have no other choice but to look for an alternative food for fish.

Basically, I am a veggie lover with a slice of chicken, beef or pork. I love simple recipes for the greens , though. In fact, I can survive with blanched camote or kangkong tops dipped in fish sauce with calamansi juice. Steamed ladies fingers ( or okra ) and boiled or fried eggplant dipped in soy sauce with calamansi juice will bring me to clouds matched with fried tuyo or steamed shrimps. Stir fried broccoli flowers in butter , garlic and lemon or calamansi juice is such a big hit to me.

But what will be your choice if your favorite is not theirs?

As I walked around the city of Dipolog, i bumped into this JO's chicken Inato. As I drew near the restaurant, I can smell the mouth-watering grilled/barbecued chicken. The place is native-inspired with four big wooden posts in the center. The tables and chairs were made of choice cut bamboos and the ambiance is very light and inviting. Your choice of "inato" could be a chicken leg or chicken wings. They serve it with unlimited plain rice, pickled green papaya ( achara ) and fish sauce with a piece of siling labuyo and calamansi for only Php 88.00.

JO's chicken Inato restaurant is native-inspired with 4 big wooden posts in the center.

Their tables and chairs were made of choice cut bamboos.

a chicken leg with achara, fish sauce with siling labuyo and calamansi

with UNLI rice

Honestly, I love the chicken of "Mang Inasal". But JO's Chicken Inato is even better. And for the next three remaining days of my stay there, I kept coming back for the same menu with Buko Halo ( to share ) to complete my meal. However, they have other specialties like tinola sa buko and sizzling bangus, among others.

No wonder, the place is always jampacked during dinner time. During merienda time, their Buko Halo is the best seller especially during summer . It's not only yummy and refreshing but it is very affordable, too, at Php 80.00 per serving.