A few restaurants defied classification. Sunburst and Max's are both full-service chains that offer moderately priced fried chicken. Sunburst is owned by Cebuanos; Max's are from Manila. While Max's have a variety of dishes, including vegetarian fare, on the menu, the deep-fried morsels at Sunburst are hard to beat for simple satisfaction. Expect to smell like a fried chicken for the rest of day yourself, however, as the ventilation isn't that good. Both Sunburst and Max's are in the two main malls - Ayala and SM. Sunburst also has an outlet across KFC, as well as at Mahogany Court on Arch Reyes.
Mother's fried chicken, with a main branch in Ayala and a new branch near the Redemptorist Church, is a distant third in the fried chicken race.
Like Max's, Don Henrico's, a theme restaurant in Ayala, is also owned by a Manila chain. The food is comprised mostly of ghastly concoctions fraudulently passed off as pizzas.
The Pancake House, in Ayala and SM, claims it does "More Than Just Great Pancakes." The disappointing truth is that the pancakes are often inexpertly done. Yet for some reason, the daing nga bangus (fried dried salted milkfish, which reminds one of kippers) is superb and well worth a visit. The shakes are yummy, too.
