Getting to Know Max’s

Max’s Restaurant can be good. It can also be awful, but that is no reason not to go. You simply learn the menu’s strong points and avoid such things as the ugly hamburger that had a lump of who-knows-what in the meat.

To know and love Max, you have to come from the Philippines or have spent time there. In Manila, there are several branches. “The house that fried chicken built” is their slogan, and that is what you go for--plain, juicy, crisp-skinned chicken, fried without batter so that you get mouthfuls of meat, not fat-soaked dough.

The chicken at Max’s in Los Angeles is good too. But it’s a shame the restaurant doesn’t serve the nice little dinner that is available in Manila. There, for a small sum, I had macaroni and chicken soup, made with the softest, whitest macaroni I’ve seen; crisp, fresh coleslaw, half a chicken, a couple of rolls and a dish of ice cream. Here, half a chicken comes with lettuce salad, rice or French fries for $4.65.

Sometimes, the Los Angeles Max has fried chicken skins, crisp tidbits that make wonderful appetizers. Look for them packed to go in cartons at the cashier’s counter.

Dishes From Home

The restaurant is usually crowded, and predominantly with Filipinos, hungry for the chicken and other dishes from home. The pork adobo, cubes of meat in a sauce flavored with garlic and vinegar, is good, and the lechon kawali has the same brown sweet sauce as in Manila. Lechon, a requisite for fiestas in the Philippines, is whole young or suckling pig roasted on a spit over coals. Lechon kawali is a smaller scale dish of fried pork chunks. It might come as a shock to learn that the sauce for lechon is made with liver.

In addition to the regular menu, there are specials. One day, these included sinigang, the typical sour-flavored soup of the Philippines, made with bony chunks of pork and vegetables including eggplant and long beans.

Max’s also serves a hearty Filipino breakfast--a choice of beef tapa (thin slices of fried seasoned meat) or tocino, which is sliced pork subjected to a cure that turns it red. The accompaniments are garlic fried rice, which is a breakfast favorite in the Philippines, eggs and tomato slices, all this for $4.25.

There are many more Filipino dishes. Sometimes, sadly, they are spoiled by rough, heavy-handed cooking and ingredients that are not as good as they should be. Pinakbet, a vegetable combination augmented with a bit of meat and shrimp, suffered from rock-hard shrimp and a not-very-fresh taste. Filipino steak, which is marinated with soy sauce and lemon, provided a good workout for the teeth. Boneless milk fish (bangus) was overly fishy. Shrimp gambas had a nice flavor from green chiles, sweet red pepper and onion, but the shrimp were tough.

Noodles Are Good

The noodles have been quite good. Those not used to Filipino seasonings might be surprised by the bright orange color of the sotanghon guisado (bean threads with chicken and vegetables). On the other hand, the sweet-sour relish called atchara is so similar to American sauerkraut salad that it would fit right in at a Midwestern potluck.

There are several Filipino desserts. The best of these is that extraordinary conglomeration of ingredients called halo halo. Red gelatin, cooked beans, jackfruit, coconut shreds and crushed ice are heaped in a tall glass, sprinkled with milk and topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a square of firm flan. It’s a refreshing, albeit filling, dessert in hot weather, but can set your teeth and bones chattering in the cold of winter.

Max’s Restaurant of Manila, 3575 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 384-3043. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Reservations accepted. One hour’s validated parking in adjacent lot.