To celebrate International Fried Chicken Day (yes, that’s a thing) our mates at Deliveroo challenged us to try a bunch of chicken joints near our office to judge who offers up the best bites for our buck (buck buck). Obviously, we accepted. Why would I eat a sad, reheated pasta for lunch when I could devour more chicken than one should ever be responsible for.
To tackle this tantalising task we assembled a chicken-consuming team of legends waiting to suckle on the sweet batter of a whole series of fried chickies. And yes, we even got a fried mushroom for one of our vegan friends. Fried chicken is but a concept, expand your mind.
Without further ado here is our non-biased review of our yummy local fried chicken joints, from cock-a-doodle-don’t to cock-a-doodle-do:
5. Clem’s Chicken Shop – Fried Chicken Meal
Soft skinned and ready to rumble, Clem’s fried chicken offering left us a little peckish.
“It’s hard to fault the Clem’s chicken because it gives you what you expect — a classic fried chicken,” said Ky, who dabbled in devouring the sweet meat of Clem’s chook.
“There was flavour but not a whole lot. I do however prefer the softer skin rather than the crunchy coating.”
We decided to get the meal to offer us some veggies, otherwise, we’d be eating nothing but fried chicken for lunch. The potato bake was delish, the pumpkin was sumptuous and the cheesy cauliflower was honestly killer.
Presentation-wise, Clem’s could do better, but portion, price and taste have me won over.
4. Schnitz – Nosh Box
Schnitz clearly likes to keep it simple. Delicious Schnitty and chips in an easy-to-carry box is a genius idea.
The only problem was the chippies were a bit soggy and the titular schnitz were quite dry.
All in all though it was a delightful little treat to accompany us on our lunch. It was kind of like bringing your little brother to work with you, if your brother was covered in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.
3. Butter – Chicken Tenders & Biggie Shroom
Oh, Butter. How could I speak an ill word against such an institution? They sell pants, hoodies, fried chicken, kitchen sinks, laptops. They do it all.
The fried chicken tenders were amazing as expected, and the Biggie Shroom burg did not disappoint.
Finding a vegan option was quite difficult in our fried chicken endeavour, but thankfully Butter provided, even if its options were scarce.
Keep doing what you’re doing queens, we appreciate the hustle.
2. Huxtaburger – Wings & Boneless Chicken
If they invented time travel I’d probably go back to when I first devoured Huxta’s chicken.
I looked like a damn vacuum cleaner on my lunch break, inhaling every piece of this glorious chicken.
Super tasty, not at all soggy or dry, and perfectly crisp.
Despite its near-perfection, however, there was one fried chicken place near us that took the crown.
1. Basax – Boneless Chicken
If I lived near a Basax, I would eat nothing but their fried chicken for every damn meal.
If Basax had 1000 fans, I would be one of them. If it had one fan, I would be that fan. If it had zero fans, then it would mean I have died.
Sauce options were provided, the waffle fries were gorgeous and the chicken was insane. Extremely flavourful and bite-size, I was in heaven.
Why isn’t there a Basax on every street corner? The fact that KFC has thrived and Red Rooster still exists while Basax is around is truly shameful.
We as a society have let down greatness. We have allowed mediocrity to thrive. Justice for Basax.
If you wanna fill your belly with fried chicken and live near any of these joints, I thoroughly recommend you try some of them. You could even head on over to Deliveroo if ur lazy and get ’em delivered straight to your door.
