San Fernando Roasted Chicken

Ever since I spotted it on the internet, I wanted to the the Pho Challenge at Dong Thap in Seattle.  No, I didn't have the urge to finish the 16lb monstrosity, but it was more of curiosity and let's be real here - it would make a great IG Story and associated pictures!  I've done something like this before in San Francisco at Pho Garden (which is not closed).  However, that was nowhere as big as the one found at Dong Thap.  Alas, we arrived at the place and it was closed!  Costanza and I decided to do a random food adventure at the nearby San Fernando Roasted Chicken instead.

We stared with the Peruvian Tamal made with masa, egg and pork.  Unlike the Mexican version, this was flat and a bit less wet.  It could've also been due to the light amount of lard (yes, they use that to make tamales!).  Nevertheless, it was still smooth and tasty with a big piece of tender pork hidden within.  Onto the Half Roast Chicken, the skin was nicely rendered and slightly crispy.  The chicken was mildly seasoned where the meat was fairly tender, but hardly juicy.  We found the breast meat to be a bit dry on the surface but more moist on the inside (as it can be). The side of fries were fried up golden and crispy.

Lastly, we had the Tripe Stew which was our favorite dish.  The ample amount of tender and buttery tripe was not gamy at all.  It had been properly cleaned and rinsed.  We found the flavours to be slightly sweet and with a background meatiness. This went really well with the scoop of rice on the side.  Very hearty and comforting (if you like tripe that is).  So we ended up with a random food adventure where it turned out to be pretty decent.  Definitely something different and not hard on the wallet either.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Something different
- Decent

The Bad:
- Place is a little run-down (but has charm)
- Chicken could've been juicier