5+5 = SFC Plus?! Let’s Find Out How!

SFC Plus Review

SFC Plus was one of the newest fried chicken joints to come up in 2013. We heard about this in the paper, and hunted for the obscure place, hidden deep in the Bay Pride Mall at Marine Drive. There was just a small signboard near the roof of the mall, out of the driver’s field of vision unless you were on the lookout for it like we were. As expected, we were the only ones inside at that time! After the meal, they told us they would have a stall at Lulu, so we were happy to know we wouldn’t have to go far to get a taste of their stuff next time [Edit: Now open at LuLu]. The Marine Drive one affords a good view of the backwaters, with full glass walls through which you can look out at the boats in the water and the walkway. They have an advantage as far as location goes, as they are in the heart of the city and have a great view.
Strangely their '5+' logo seems to bear some resemblance with HTML5's, check it out for yourselves!

SFC stands for Southern Fried Chicken. Don’t mistake it for South Indian fried chicken; it intends South America. They boast of using skinless chicken, which reduces the overall fat. 

We have tried their pizza, burgers and the fried chicken. Here are the reviews:

Fried Chicken

The chicken, as mentioned, has no skin on it, making it somewhat appear somewhat drier than other competitors but comparatively 'healthier', although healthy and fried chicken probably should not really exist together in the same sentence! The coating is thick and crunchy too, but it’s the taste that is the highlight. Unlike the spicy, Indianized taste of places like ChicKing and other joints, this has a more subtle taste. Specifically that of herbs with a hint of pepper with slightly tangy notes as if it uses something sour like buttermilk. Rather reminiscent of KFC’s Original Recipe chicken, but with the crunchy batter coating instead. It makes for a great change, and is easier on the stomach if you wish to eat fried chicken at night thanks to the reduced fat and spiciness. If you are a hardcore spice fan, then you might find the taste to be a bit bland for your liking but if otherwise, we think it is worth a try. If you want something that is not as spicy as ChicKing, this is a good option. One piece starts at Rs.59/- [2013, prices have increased] and combos or multiple pieces induce further savings.

Chicken Fillet Burger

[EDIT: Prices for the burger have risen drastically, no longer offers the amazing value it used to have.]
They currently [2013] price themselves a few tens of bucks less than the competition, at 95/- instead of the 100+ that you would shell out elsewhere. It would be great if they keep it that way. The burger is slightly bigger too, in terms of both the bun and the fillet. The fillet has the herby taste with a crunchy coating, and the bun is always fresh. While it does not have any extras like jalapeños or cheese, it is currently good value for the size.

Pizza

We checked out the pizzas too. These unlike the fried chicken and burger are not South American style, these are more South Indian. Some of those, like the ‘Chicken Chilly Pizza’ and ‘Southern’ even came with unconventional ingredients like curry leaves or green chillies (!) as part of the topping, and the manager proudly said that it is their own speciality. These we chose to avoid and we finally decided to take a chance on the barbeque chicken pizza. They did put a fair amount of cheese and topping. Unfortunately, like most places, the crust did not taste particularly interesting and the sauce was pretty ordinary. Overall, it was nothing worth mentioning. People with a restricted Indian palate may like them. Unless you want to taste some fusion toppings or spicy pizzas, you can safely skip the pizzas and not miss much. Having said that, at Rs.195/- [2013, prices have increased] for a regular barbeque chicken pizza, you could take a chance if you wish to. You may just like it.

All in all, a good place for fried chicken with a more mild, international flavour. They currently offer good value Edit: Prices for everything have been hiked up significantly, so this is regrettably no longer the case. We find it hard to recommend their burgers anymore but the chicken still deserves a mention.  

Type of Cuisine: Fast Food, Burgers, pizza and Fried Chicken
Location

Food court on the third floor, LuLu Mall, Edapally.

Parking: 
Mall parking lot at LuLu and Marine Drive. The branch at Kaloor Kadavathra Road is going to close down soon. 

Ambience: 
Typical mall ambiance, like it or hate it! The restaurants are rather nice and comfy, generally well lit too.

Service: Generally decent.

What we liked/Recommended for: 

• Burgers provide good value for money  
• Chicken has a unique and mild taste unlike most places in the city 
• Variety to choose from: burgers, pizzas, wraps etc. 
• Skinless chicken should theoretically reduce the amount of calories consumed. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

• Price has gone up reducing value compared to other options. 
• Pizzas are not very authentic. 
• Taste may not appeal to everyone. 

Taxes: Included in price
Phone Number: +91 85899 76486
Restaurant Website: http://sfcplusarabia.com/
On Zomato:
     

Did you eat here and find out how 5+5 = SFC Plus? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!