Let me start with a short story, The Legend of the Classic Savory Chicken...
The years following the end of World War II proved significant not just for the Philippines but for the four Ting brothers as they moved to start a fresh life and establish their livelihood. By 1950, the brothers put up a panciteria in the busy district of Quiapo serving, mainly, lomi. Overtime as their little panciteria grew in popularity and as the brothers began to discover other dishes they could serve to their customers, they were able to create a special recipe for fried chicken and gravy that became so popular that soon not just members of the local Chinese community came to partake of the special tasty, juicy and tender chicken treat but also a number of Filipinos who would come to the tiny restaurant with their families to savor this Savory fried chicken dish. And thus, the popular Savory Chicken House was born and its first branch opened in Escolta. The menu soon expanded to include other Filipino and Chinese dishes. Now, after over fifty years of existence, the third generation of Ting family who launched Savory are re-launching the Classic Savory Chicken. The End (?)
I remember Savory as one of the favorite bribe of my tatay when he wanted me to come with him when I was a kid (we were never close, maybe, because he worked as a seaman and we seldom saw each other *cry*), we would (almost) always go to Savory after he visited his office and filed the necessary papers and documents. Our favorite was their short order of pancit bihon, fried chicken and fried rice, so, when I found out that Savory had opened up a branch in SM San Lazaro, I didn't let it pass.
We (me, hubby and baby) ordered a half-cut classic Savory chicken served with slices of saba bananas (featured photo) priced at 170php. The chicken tasted the same as before, and hubby agreed with me, but we both think that the gravy was kinda out of sync, even my son didn't like their gravy, and frankly, my son is a gravy-fanatic.
The sweet and sour pork (photo above) is one of my hubby's fave dish and he was semi-drooling when it was served, unfortunately, it was, sort of, disappointing, it was too sour for our taste. This dish' saving grace was the meat, it was tender and a bit crunchy at the same time, by the way, it cost 165php.
Savory Fried Rice (photo above) is still the best, after all these years of not eating in this place, I still seem to remember the taste of this house specialty, priced at 160php.
Nido Soup with Quail Eggs (photo above) was a recommendation from our server, it was priced at 160php. I give it two-thumbs up, oh well, I've always been a sucker for good soup *grins*.
Their Pandan Fiesta Salad was y-u-m-m-y, priced at 50php, it was almost perfect, if only they added a little bit in the serving size (look at the picture above and you'll know what I mean).
For our drinks, aside from the ever present Coca-Cola for my husband, we had Savory Blend Iced Tea and Savory Tropical Cooler, both cost 40php. My son didn't like his iced tea and ended up drinking water, I, on the other hand, drank my juice up to the last drop.
The mentioned Savory branch is still in their soft opening, so if you plan to visit anytime soon, I suggest you bring in lots of patience *wink*.
