Exotic food are the type of dishes only few know about and people who eat it are considered quite gutsy. The Hive Food Park in Limketkai Center is monumental in housing Cagayan de Oro’s only exotic food stall, The Chicken Snake by Isla Bonita Grill and Bar. The stall offers a premium menu of exotic food such as frogs (Crispy Kokak), Ostrich sisig, Crocodile sisig, Chichaworms, Crickets, Mushroom sisig, Chicken snake platter, and many more. After resigning from her job, Hazel Falcon and her husband J-bong thought of a business that is unique and a fresh take in the food scene in the city’s mainstream market.
The chance came when their friend Joey, who is the owner of Isla Bonita offered a franchise for The Chicken Snake. After considering the location and menu, it was quite strategic and it can be emphasized that the stall is the ONLY one in the city of golden friendship selling these kinds of products.
The stall takes pride on being the “Home of the ORIGINAL Chicken Snake” in the city. Apart from its OG best seller, the place is also a must try for health conscious individuals. The Mushroom Sisig is a mouthwatering delight where you don’t need to worry about if you’ve consumed meat. It is made up of pure mushrooms, mixed with egg, onions, and spices. The Crickets and Chichaworms are hands down protein rich products with very little to no fat, a better option to those who’re looking for an all protein diet.
The Crispy Kokak is an adventurous take on the native dish, best partaken with a cool mug of beer or soda, you’d be delighted to try on an exquisite flavor with the crunchiness of your old time faves.The ostrich sisig is a heavenly dose of prime meat, an alternative to pork with the treatment of original sisig dishes.
The products are quite limited and the people who want to taste their meals should go to the stall early to get a hold of their dishes. Once in a while, we set off from our commonly known comfort food and push ourselves in trying different dishes. It is without a doubt, an amazing experience to have tasted the dishes at Chicken Snake, the Chichaworms are surprisingly tasty. With the right amount of saltiness and crispiness, it is a taste that you’re familiar with but you can’t just spell it out. And so you take another bite, then another, and another, then you realize that you’ve finished the serving. To my experience, it is addicting.
The dishes at the stall are something that once you’ve tasted, you’d question yourself when you’re going to taste something like that again.
Just like any business, the Chicken Snake by Isla Bonita Bar and Grill is a hands on, presence requiring, constant monitoring of supplies, staff, and sales, and supply heavy business.
Hazel Falcon ensures the quality of the stall’s output day in and day out to provide an exotic experience to its customers. With 3 more products being developed for the menu in a few months, the establishment is slowly standing its ground among other stalls. The Falcons are also considering adding another franchise to the business and maybe someday be able to cater to large events.
Being different isn’t easy, but it sure does catch attention. I urge readers and customers to take a trip, order, eat, and enjoy food at The Chicken Snake. A home grown pride of the our city, a stall which we Cagay-anons can take tourists, friends, classmates, workmates, and family for a whole new level of experience in food.
