- Mike Sula
- Pecking Order, fried half bird
The quiet block of Clark Street north of Montrose used to be a mini enclave of Filipiniana, with two restaurants, Fish Pond and Little Quiapo, quietly existing almost right across the street from each other. The latter relocated to the North Park neighborhood some time ago, leaving the Fish Pond to carry on in relative obscurity. But then former Wave chef and Spiaggia vet Kristine Subido moved in, along with her mom, Melinda, and opened Pecking Order, a back-to-her-roots Filipino chicken joint and a highly anticipated move that seemed destined to liven the block up.
It is good to see Subido put out so many iconic Filipino items, even if there is no clear reference to them on the menu. For instance, house-made sauces based on popular commercial brands: one not unlike the sweet, liver-based Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce, used purposefully for lechon, and the other a banana ketchup in the mode of Jufran. There’s also a sweet pickle assortment—mom’s recipe—which is a version of the sweet papaya, carrot, and ginger kraut known as atchara, and the shaved ice and fruit dessert halo halo is prominently touted at the bottom of the card.