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Great Fried Chicken Thread

Jet Fuel is my go to cafe in Cabbagetown.
Was mine too, but then they scrapped all their seating. AIUI the recently divorced owner may be living or storing his stuff in the now closed off back room now.

We need a cafe with seating, somewhere to sit with your pals and enjoy a drink, not just for laptop squatters. Bloor West has some good ones https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurants-g155019-c8-zfn15622780-Toronto_Ontario.html

Dundas West too https://www.blogto.com/cafes/n/10/dundaswest/

If I want take out coffee I'll make it at home. Thankfully we now have Sumach Expresso nearby.
 
Had a chance to try the Korean fried chicken chain BBQ Chicken. It is hands down one of the best non-traditional fried chicken places.
Ate there tonight. Was pretty solid, if a bit pricey for fried chicken.

So, I tried this spot yesterday for lunch. On balance, I would say I was disappointed.

So, first off, I think its important to say I thought the base quality of the chicken was good, the coating reminded me a bit of Tempura, but thicker, but no filler. Very large portion.

But here, I made my first mistake by opting for the Soy-Ginger glaze, which I intuitively thought would be savoury (the menu didn't say), because those are both savoury flavours.

In fact, it was really and I mean really sweet. Loaded with honey, which was the single most prominent flavour. They do have actual savour glazes on offer, and obviously, I, who do not have a sweet tooth
would have enjoyed the meal a lot more with one of those. I should have asked.

I opted for fries over coleslaw for two reasons, one the coleslaw, I was told, was creamy, and I prefer vinegar-based coleslaw generally.

I chose the Hot and Spicy dip, which is supposed to be their hottest. (fries come with your choice of dip)
The fries appear to be of the frozen variety to me, and are coated in potato starch, not really a fan.

Not terrible, but not good either.

The dip, at first, struck me as only warm'ish rather than truly hot; but it did have a cumulative heat impact, which I noticed over time after having dumped my dip over both the fries and the remaining too sweet chicken.

The meal also comes with a ramekin of lightly picked radish, which was fine, if unremarkable.

I only had water to drink, and the pre-tip, but post tax bill was a hair over $20
Given that I had table service, I also left a tip, so about $23 and change all-in.

****

My overall take:

I might try the chicken again, with a more savoury glaze. The fries do nothing for me.

Fairly fully priced for what it is; above food-court level; but nowhere near as good as Torisho, to me.
 
But here, I made my first mistake by opting for the Soy-Ginger glaze, which I intuitively thought would be savoury (the menu didn't say), because those are both savoury flavours.
Honestly, I had to ask the server about the sauces. They really should be more descriptive on the menu.
 
Decided to give Mary Browns a try, must say that I’m not blown away. I do not get the hype of their chicken or potato taters. The chicken is quite dry and the batter is quite unimpressive. Almost to the point that the main draw for their chicken is the seasoned batter that they use.

I’m guessing that Mary Browns is more of a East Coast thing? Personally I will stick with Popeyes.
 
I enjoyed a chicken sandwich at Grateful Chicken at Chef’s Food Hall on the weekend. I thought $18 including any side and any drink was a decent price. Next time I will try the fried chicken.


48437F00-C71A-40AA-938A-C119E1E63AC9.jpeg
 
Has anyone been to these Nashville Style Chicken Sandwich places:

Chica's Chicken
Chen Chen's Nashville Chicken
PG Clucks

Or any other place they recommend?
 
Speaking of fried chicken, I forgot to mention a recent experience!

Went to a new place in Bloorcourt about a month ago called Sarang Kitchen, which specializes in Korean fried chicken. We ordered a platter, and the portion was massive, and I must say the chicken was excellent overall - crispy, crunchy coating, while the meat was succulent and juicy.

Also of note - they've designed the space to be particularly friendly to those with sensory issues (autism spectrum), which I found to be very thoughtful and heartwarming as this is an aspect that is routinely ignored at most establishments.

I highly recommend a visit.
 
Tried out the new Dave's Hot Chicken at Yonge and Dundas last Friday. Ordered a 1 slider combo, medium heat level; 1 slider, fries and drink Total cost was around $16. While the slider was really good and flavourful it was really small, literally a strip of chicken breast with a small brioche bun. For a size comparison the slider was almost the size of a A&W Mamma burger but with a strip chicken from Popeyes. The fries were pretty good but nothing to really write about. I tried ordering extra pickles and coleslaw for the slider but was told it would be extra cost, when I opened up the slider it was literally pinch of coleslaw and a pickle. In the end I do not think the price it worth the size of the slider. I was hungry afterwards lol.

Best fried chicken sandwich I've had so far has to be BTRMLK out in London, Ontario. Huge sandwiches loaded with free pickles and slaw.
 
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Tried out the new Dave's Hot Chicken at Yonge and Dundas last Friday. Ordered a 1 slider combo, medium heat level; 1 slider, fries and drink Total cost was around $16. While the slider was really good and flavourful it was really small, literally a strip of chicken breast with a small brioche bun. For a size comparison the slider was almost the size of a A&W Mamma burger. The fries were pretty good but nothing to really write about. I tried ordering extra pickles and coleslaw for the slider but was told it would be extra cost, when I opened up the slider it was literally pinch of coleslaw and a pickle. In the end I do not think the price it worth the size of the slider. I was hungry afterwards lol.

Best fried chicken sandwich I've had so far has to be BTRMLK out in London, Ontario. Huge sandwiches loaded with free of charge toppings.
A London business doesn't face crushing Toronto rent, hence the single pickle ;)
 
Tried out the new Dave's Hot Chicken at Yonge and Dundas last Friday. Ordered a 1 slider combo, medium heat level; 1 slider, fries and drink Total cost was around $16. While the slider was really good and flavourful it was really small, literally a strip of chicken breast with a small brioche bun. For a size comparison the slider was almost the size of a A&W Mamma burger but with a strip chicken from Popeyes. The fries were pretty good but nothing to really write about. I tried ordering extra pickles and coleslaw for the slider but was told it would be extra cost, when I opened up the slider it was literally pinch of coleslaw and a pickle. In the end I do not think the price it worth the size of the slider. I was hungry afterwards lol.

Gave my review of the place in a different thread.


We share some thoughts, I would say, I found my portion of chicken adequate and did get more than 1 pickle, LOL
 
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Best fried chicken sandwich I've had so far has to be BTRMLK out in London, Ontario. Huge sandwiches loaded with free of pickles and slaw.

For those intrigued by this statement:


And a picture from their Insta:

1689113321438.jpeg
 

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