Chamorro Grill - Chicken Kelaguen

Back in May when we were on vacation in China, Cathy did a post on Chamorro Grill. I hadn't had anything that could be remotely called Chamorro for a while, my last few visits to Islander Grill were less than stellar, so I hadn't been back in two years or so.

So naturally, after reading Cathy's post (and please check out her post) upon our return I dropped by Chamorro Grill.

The interior is spartan, but very bright and clean. During my visits I tried a couple of dishes that Cathy has already covered, so I didn't bother to take photos. I will say, that on my most recent visits, the Garlic Shrimp in Crab Fat Sauce has been replaced with Garlic Shrimp.

If there was one dish I had to try, it would be the Kelaguen Manok.... now it would be nice to have something like Kelaguen Katne (Beef Kelaguen), a dish I would liken to Koi Nua or Lao Beef Larb; basically beef "cooked" in lemon juice. Or perhaps, Kelaguen Uhang (Shrimp Kelaguen), which was described to me as being like ceviche the first time I heard of it, but would probably say perhaps even Aguachile nowadays. I was pretty sure that this Chicken Kelaguen would not match what a friend's Mom made for us over a decade ago, finely chopped chicken, a good amount of heat from red chili peppers, onions, scallions, and most interestingly, grated fresh coconut. All made wonderfully addictive with the juice of calamansi. See Santos' recipe as a point of reference.

Of course, after ordering the Kelaguen Rice Bowl ($5.99), I really didn't expect that, and of course that's not what arrived.

Here, as with Islander Grill, it is grilled chicken, or as it is called, "Barbecue Chicken", which has been chopped and mixed with scallions, and flavored with a mildly spicy and sour sauce. It was more moist than the last few versions I had at Islander Grill, but very similar. The red rice, calrose rice colored with annatto/achiote/achuete/bijol or whatever you want to call it, was well cooked. Many versions are too mushy, but you could count every grain. What really makes this dish for me is the Finadene, a salty-sour-spicy sauce that I could pour over cardboard and enjoy. While the dish is packed into a little styrofoam container, it ain't so little. I could barely finish 3/4 of this before having to call it quits, and take it home.... along with about ten little containers of Finadene.

While not stellar, it did fine by me.

A couple of notes; there are always specials written on the small greaseboard next to the cash register. Everything is made to order, so sometimes food takes a while.

Chamorro Grill
6628 Mission Gorge Rd
San Diego, CA 92120

Comments

[Michelle]

Kirk, what cuisine is this? It's not Hawaiian, not Philipinos, not South East Asian...

[santos.]

ooh i can answer that! but i'll wait to see what you say first :)

[Kirk]

Hi Michelle - It's Chamorro who are the indigenous people of the Northwest Pacific. As you can see, if you read Cathy's earlier post, the food of many other cultures has been assimilated, not only foodwise, but in the culture itself. I, and many other folks associate Chamorro cuisine with Guam.

Santos - I hope what I wrote was accurate.

[kat]

not sure if we had chamorro cuisine when we visited saipan or palau...looks good!

[Cathy]

I really liked it and The Mister says it "tastes like Guam". Glad to see you tried it. I now know the story of the teensy room/mystery door...

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - Kelaguen is sort of like the Chamorro dish to eat.....

Hi Cathy - I just love Finadene...... I'm glad I got a chance to check them out.

[pinkcandles]

hi kirk - i've been wanting to go here since i read cathy's post! one of my friends went there with her husband (he's chamorro) and he gave it his seal of approval (haha).

i love it when the finedene is super spicy!

[James]

These guys are at our street fair in Rolando every March and they're always a hit. Love 'em!

[Kirk]

Hi CC - The finadene is not very spicy, but it's pretty good.

Hi James - I believe they are also at the Pacific Islander Festival as well.

[Michael]

Hi Kirk,

I love Finadene on just about anything!

[Kirk]

Hi Mike - It's so nice to here from you! Have you tried it on cardboard yet??? It's really great... just kidding, but I think it would probably taste ok!