Meet The Man Behind Bradley Tries, The Reason Everyone's Craving Chicken Inasal

(SPOT.ph) There's a reason you've been seeing a lot of chicken inasal on your feed lately, often on plates lined with banana leaves, served alongside rice with a drizzle of chicken oil. And the reason is Jason Go, better known online as vlogger Bradley Tries.

Through food reviews often filmed while he's on his car's driver's seat, Bradley—let's call him Bradley because that's how the world calls him these days— has built a loyal following who now treats his rankings as a guide. From roadside finds to well-known chains, his picks have quietly influenced where people decide to eat next.

A little-known detail about the guy: before he was dubbed "King Inasal," he was in the business of construction. Not exactly the field you’d expect to lead to food rankings—but it somehow facilitated a seamless transition. His projects were mostly dining establishments, among them outlets for Marudori, UCC, and Tokyo Tokyo.

Bradley had been posting content long before he became the internet's unofficial inasal authority, but his rankings series in early 2025 proved to be a turning point. What started as casually made food content soon gave him a loyal following, which now amounts to 40,000 followers on Instagram and over 70,000 on TikTok as of writing.

Fast forward to the present and Bradley has left his full-time job and is now a full-fledged content creator woth a concentration on food. His focus goes beyond finding the best of the best bites: he aims to help small businesses survive—and hopefully thrive—in an increasingly competitive, often unforgiving industry.

He shares a small but telling moment over munching on San Gines churros: “Just this morning, one of the inasal places I featured was on Unang Hirit. They were setting up kaninang 3 a.m., tapos they went live around 6 a.m. They sent me a really, really long message thanking me na na-feature sila. Super thankful nila, and at the same time, I’m super proud of them.”

But one question lingers behind his determination to find the best chicken inasal: Why this dish?

For Bradley, the question is more "Why not chicken inasal?" He never had a grand strategy behind it, really. He's not even Negrense or Bacolodnon by blood, searching for a taste of home in Metro Manila—though he jokes he'd gladly claim the connection if he could.

It's a dish built on simple pleasures. Chicken inasal, he says, is "cheap, affordable, and I never really get tired of it." Even now, he estimates enjoying the dish three to four times a week, still chasing that ideal combination of smoky char, bold seasoning, juicy meat, and a price tag that doesn't hurt your wallet.

His current chicken inasal ranking featured 15 spots (posted back in January), with Chicken House Express in Makati, Chicken Inasal Haus (Mezmar & Mau's) in Mandaluyong, Oks Manoks in Pasig, Doy's in Makati, and Bacolod Chicken Parilla in Quezon City making up the top five in that order.

The list may raise a few eyebrows, especially among casual chicken inasal eaters. While several lesser-known establishments dominate the upper ranks, some of the category's biggest names are on the list too. JT's Manukan landed at sixth place, Bacolod Chicken Inasal at ninth, and Mang Inasal at 15th.

But considering how often Bradley eats inasal, it's hard not to wonder how the list holds up now, six months later. Have new spots quietly climbed their way in? Will inasal icon Aida's (the Michelin-selected Metro Manila branch, to be clear), which surprisingly landed only at number 12, eventually just slip off his list... or will the Aida's name be redeemed by a new Metro Manila branch opening?

Being the fair, no-nonsense chicken inasal ranker that he is—and with Aida's his favorite inasal in Bacolod —Bradley says he is excited and ready to give Aida's in Manila another try because, as it turns out, the soon-to-open branch is owned by someone else (although from the same family).

As those who follow him may know, Bradley is diversifying and has been looking out for the best ramen, ramen being one of his go-to comfort foods. But the rankings won't stop there. He tells SPOT.ph that Shawarma rice is in the pipeline, along with the best kebabs and tapsilog, a lineup that has rice as a common denominator. "Ma-rice talaga ako," he admits.

At a time when the scene is dominated by what's new and what's buzzy, Bradley is particularly drawn to dishes that don’t always get the spotlight but remain quietly dependable for many Pinoys. “Yung mga comfort food ng mga Pilipino in general na I would say hindi siya super na-ha-highlight minsan because of all the trendy restaurants now."

Bradley builds his rankings the way most credible guides and magazines do: sampling a substantial number of options first before drawing up a list. He's not interested in quick takes or making a list for a list's sake. “I make sure to have tried at least 30 before ranking,” he says. “Because if I only try five and you come out with a ranking, you won’t be credible.”

When Bradley isn't pulling over for a random inasal spot he stumbled upon on Google Maps, he defaults to a roster of tried and tested favorites: the spring onion chicken and char siu pork at Acachan in San Juan, the kebabs at Bricks & Copper in Mandaluyong, and just about anything on the menu at Hocto Place Restaurant along Banawe.

For someone whose recommendations can send diners flocking fast to a restaurant, his own preferences sound refreshingly simple: good food, generous portions, and the kind of places worth returning to long after the hype has moved on.