ChicKing: Ruling the Roost(ers)!

ChicKing Review

This fast food chain really doesn’t need an introduction if you live in Kochi but nevertheless, here’s one for those who need it, plus reviews of the most recent items added to the menu.

One of the first and most beloved fried chicken fast food joints in the city, Chicking now has many branches all over the city, namely MG Road, Palarivattom and at Edappaly in the Lulu mall. They also have plenty of outlets in other districts in Kerala, like Calicut, Thrissur etc. The three Kochi outlets have adequate parking arrangements. Offering great fried chicken, burgers and wraps, Chicking is the place to go to if you love fried chicken, which is what attracts most of the crowd. 
I still remember going to the joint for the first time when it had just opened their first branch at MG Road Kochi. They gave us a balloon and a toy (I was pretty young then!!!) and we bought their chicken pieces and burgers. At that time, the chicken used to be Rs 30/- apiece and the Zinger burger [now known as Royal crunchy] was Rs 59/-. Now the number of branches and prices have gone up, a bit too much in some cases but the taste is usually as good as ever. 
The best part about them is the fact that they occasionally add new items to their menu every now and then to keep things interesting. The flavours they currently have on the menu are the original, Mexican and more recently, Tandoori. Many more such joints have come up to follow suit and grab a bite of the success they had but ChicKing still has its own following in the hearts of Kochiites, and 'reigns' supreme. We have reviewed most of these other newer joints in this site too, so be sure to read about those too! Just click here!

Fried Chicken and Hot Chicken Strips

Taking inspiration from the typical American fried chicken, this sees pieces of chicken with skin and bone intact marinated with spices and coated with batter before being deep fried to a crispy, juicy tender serving. One of the biggest reasons it is so popular is because of the spiciness. It has been tuned for Indian taste buds: the spice mix is nice and spicy, without having an Indian curry flavour in any way at all. This coupled with the textural contrast of soft, juicy chicken and crisp, crunchy coating comes together for an experience so good; it will have you coming back for more. Let me make this very clear: even if you can get fried Chicken at your local KFC etc. if you live outside India, you may want to consider trying some for yourself as the chicken has a spicy taste that you will not find anywhere else...!!! A few knock-offs that sprung up around town just could not get the balance right and closed down quickly. 
If you would like to savour the flavour without having to worry about the excess fat from the skin or just want to avoid the bones, the spicy Hot Chicken Strips are exactly what you need. They do taste very slightly different since they don’t have the bone and skin on them, but is equally great stuff with the same spiciness and crunchiness as the chicken pieces. They have arguably the best strips in town. A small lament is that they are significantly more expensive than ever before, which is a disappointment.

Buckets and combos will beat the price down, at the expense of not being able to choose your piece, most of the time.

Chicken nuggets

Thin cut chicken cubes breaded with a thin lightly spiced coating, makes for a light and crispy treat. It may be a little too bland for some though. 

Chicken Tandoori Bites

After Mexican stuff, ChicKing are now trying to incorporate Indian flavours to their menu with their latest addition. KFC did this first, with their rather delectable curry crunch. We tried this at the Calicut branch. We got 6 boneless pieces which were roughly half the size of the strips and bigger than the popcorn. It is loaded with spice powder, and is therefore a fair bit hotter than the normal strips. We liked the taste; the typical Indian spices complemented the crunchy coating rather well. We may still prefer to stick with the usual strips instead, but for someone who likes a certain Indian flavour in their food, this will be the one to order. 

Delite Burger and Royal Crunchy

Delite burgers are the smallest burger available, it makes for a good snack with the carbohydrates from the bun and fiber from the lettuce. It has chicken strips with lettuce and mayonnaise. Ideal for takeaway as it is made very quickly unlike the bigger burgers but should be consumed as quickly as possible to retain the crunch. The Royal Burgers are bigger burgers using much larger fillets. There are veg and fish [tuna] options also available for both the Delite and Royal versions.

Chicken Mexi-Crunchy Supreme

This burger starts with a 6 inch long hot dog roll cut in half. In between, you have the crispy, juicy and spicy breaded chicken fillet accompanied by lettuce, tangy Mexican red sauce and sliced Jalapenos and usually cheese. The creamy soft cheese slice and mayonnaise contrasts beautifully with the crunchy and spicy chicken fillet and the tang from the jalapenos and sauce rounds things off perfectly. This is a great thing to have for lunch, as it is reasonably heavy. 

Royal Wrap

The same crunchy and spicy chicken fillet, lettuce and mayonnaise wrapped with a flour tortilla or maida roti. There is also a tuna and veg wrap, though we have not tried it recently since they usually use frozen tuna. 

Chicken Mexita Supreme

This is a more Mexican version of the Mexi-Crunchy. It has a tangier sauce and jalapenos. What is different though is that they add red chili flakes to it as well. This makes for one really spicy sandwich! It is probably the spiciest one they offer. The chicken is also not the crunchy type of fillet they usually serve in a Mexi-Crunchy either; it is soft, non-breaded chicken grilled fillet marinated with a rather tangy reddish violet sauce which helps cut down some of the spice from the chili flakes. 

Chicken Tandoori Burger

The latest addition to their menu, this burger is like a royal crunchy but with a distinctly Indian taste to it owing to the use of spices. It is not as spicy as we expected it to be in terms of heat, which can be a good thing but has a unique flavor. The fillet is the crunchy type too. Also inside the burger are the standard lettuce and mayonnaise. It is definitely worth a try if you are getting bored of the standard burgers on offer and are looking for a new taste. It is cheaper than the Royal Crunchy too.

ChicKing has pretty much stood the test of time, it has been around for a while and they have aged fine. That being said, they have a few loopholes which we have occasionally noticed. Nothing that should usually detract from the overall experience but worth a mention nonetheless. Sometimes, we feel that the quality control across the branches is not as solid as international brands. We are basing this review off the branch at Palarivattom which is our go-to location. We have also had stuff several times from the MG Road, LuLu Mall, Aluva/Alwaye, Calicut branches and even the erstwhile Bangalore branch; which used to be at Garuda Mall. 
They sometimes falter in consistency of ingredients in the burgers like Mexi-Crunchy [This only happened once] and served up something really sour instead of the jalapeños. 
Sometimes, the fried chicken would taste a little different at different branches; sometimes a tad bit too brown or oily and so on, but we never really thought too much about it. 
Apart from the minor occasional issues with consistency and the ever increasing prices, ChicKing still comes across as a reliable bet for good (spicy!) fried chicken.


Type of Cuisine: Fast Food, Burgers and Fried Chicken

Locations: 
Multiple, Please refer their website link below, they have a full list if you scroll down.
Parking: 
Mall parking at LuLu [chargeable] is fine except on very busy days and weekends when it may get full and you might have to wait to find a spot. All restaurant branches generally have good parking facilities in front or nearby. 

Ambience: 
Typical mall ambience, love it or hate it! Restaurants are fine, even when crowded.

Service: 
Usually good, depends on how crowded they get.

What we liked/Recommended for: 

• An Indian twist on fried chicken. 
• Best. Chicken. Strips. Ever. Always. 
• Good option for spice junkies. 
• Good burgers with decent variety. 
• Decent staff 
• Ambiance fine for families. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

• Prawn-based items [used to be] frozen. 
• Occasional lapses in quality [details above]. 
• Chicken Strips are becoming OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE. 

Taxes: Included in price, fat tax applicable.
Phone Numbers: 
+91 484 3262233, 3262233, 2332211, 7736067812
Website: http://www.chickingindia.in/
On Zomato:
      

Did you have royally crispy fried chicken at ChicKing? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below! 

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!

One Flew Over MyKukoo's Nest! [EDIT: Now Closed]

EDIT 

We recently found out that MyKukoo has closed down for business. The review is still kept here for those who wish to read on about it anyway.

MyKukoo Review

Forgive us for the (bad?!) movie pun. We just couldn't help it! MyKukoo is located just off the Edappaly toll junction. They have fried chicken but also offer pizza and other things too. How do they stack up against the competition? Let’s find out…!

Right outside the place, there is parking for at least three cars. Inside, the whole place is on a single floor but there is ample room for seating. Worth mentioning are the kids play area, complete with two Xbox 360s and 42” TVs. I did not have the patience to try them though. Service was reasonably quick, and each thing we ordered was brought to the table as soon as they were made.

Strips

The strips came up. The coating looked very pale. While this could indicate that it was fried in a fresh batch of oil, we tried it a bit wearily. Some people may like their meats rare medium but this was not to our taste. Read the notes below for better clarity… The well fried ones mostly tasted great, it was crisp and seemed to have less amount of oil than you would find elsewhere. Plus, they say they do not use Aginomoto (MSG) so it could be as healthy as it gets. 

Onion rings

This snack has plain onion rings coated in a thick batter and fried. Crispy but plain on their own, it is meant to be dipped in a sauce and had. The barbeque sauce that came with it was very tasty with a slightly smoky flavour, and was just what it needed. Worth the order.

Kokum Drink

They boast of many healthy drinks, and highly recommended the kokum drink. My uncle is a good fan of it, so we were well aware of its health benefits. It looked lovely, a gentle pink colour. It tasted great, just the perfect thing to finish off the meal. It has a sweet and sour flavour. Available in 600ml PET bottles, it can be bought over the counter. This is highly recommended.

Pizza

We tried out their pizza, which came with a decent amount of topping but turned out to be nothing worth writing home about. There was not enough tomato base as with most pizza joints, and the crust was not anything we haven’t tasted before.

Notes

One of the strips especially needed a little more time, as the meat was a bit chewy. We informed the manager, who told us that the pale colour is because they use some special oil (I forget what it was) so it does not brown like everywhere else and that they cook it just ‘enough’. He promptly brought a whole new plate of strips which were fried longer, from which we took just one. This was really good. We suggested that they fry them for at least this long, and that it tasted much better. They said they would, but who knows whether they do. We had no other problems.


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

Parking: A few cars in front, should not be a problem finding place nearby either.

Ambience: Good, with TV, XBox and other things to keep oneself occupied

Service: Good

Taxes: Included in price

Did you fly over to 'MyKukoo's' nest? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!