WORLDWIDE CHICKEN BURGER APPRECIATION SOCIETY
Posts in Category: Restaurant
SON OF A GUN
Purveyor: Son of a Gun Los Angeles, CA USA
Menu Item: Fried Chicken Sandwich
Price: $16 USD
Squawk: First of all we applaud any seafood restaurant that so prominently features a Chicken Burger on their menu. It doesn’t make any sense to us why its on there, but we’re glad it is. This burger gets a lot of hype. Google “Top 10 Best Chicken Burgers in LA” and this one will be on almost every list. Naturally we had to see what all the fuss was about. They open at 6pm and by 5:45 there’s a line out the door – mainly of people without reservations hoping to snag one of the four or five seats at the bar. Clearly they are doing something right. The delicious aroma of their smoky ribs nearly made us give up on the whole idea of a review, but we resisted and soon had our hands on this much revered sammie. We loved the slaw with a touch of ginger that makes this one truly unique and the size of this thing is just right.
Buaawk: Surprisingly and disappointingly this one doesn’t live up to the hype. Our Waiter confidently told us it would be the best chicken sandwich we’d ever have. Maybe he meant, best chicken burger in a seafood restaurant? The bread was nice, not memorable. The chicken was nicely fried, but the meat was so thick in places that the crunch was lost, and blandness set in. We would have liked to see more thinly sliced meat. No fries always bums us out (You can order Kennebec Fries for another $7), but to their credit they have a ton of other smaller dishes that could easily sit aside this sandwich including their mini lobster rolls, oysters and of course a few of those ribs we wished we ordered.
Bonus Points: Very helpful and attentive wait staff, friendly reservation staff, hot sauce selection
– HC
BEAUTIFUL BURGERS
Purveyor: Beautiful Burgers, Chippendale NSW, Australia
Menu Item: Yankee Chicken Burger
Price: $13.50 AUD
Squawk: We’ve seen this somewhat inconveniently located place on our travels and it’s been on the “gotta try that place one day” list for ages. We finally did it and, generally speaking, the burgers are better than the place looks from the street. Beautiful Burgers isn’t in a beautiful part of town, and the quirky garage sale interior isn’t doing them any favours, but our beef burger friends love the joint, so we decided to see how their chicken burgers fare.
The first surprise is that the chicken is a patty made from minced chicken – more like a traditional hamburger patty. This meant flavour and texture were consistent and it was nicely charred. They call it the “Yankee” and we’re guessing that has a lot to do with the bacon, pickles, and American mustard in the middle. It really works (the mustard especially) on this one and all of us enjoyed our lunch. Even more so thanks to the friendly service, surprising beer list – beers are served in paper bags, we’re not sure why, but we liked it – and the rustic outdoor dining area.
Buaawk: The team at Beautiful could have scored a few more points by going the extra mile and making real slaw – shredded lettuce didn’t cut it for us. Chips have to be ordered separately and come in a cool metal bucket. We ordered two buckets after the first one came out only half full (we’re optimists here at Holy-Cluck) and way too salty. The second bucket was a little more full. And a little more salty. One of the HC team said they “hurt to eat.” Thank goodness for that beer list. Where this burger really falls down, however, is the bun. We universally hated the bun and were dismayed by whatever series of unfortunate events that led to its appearance around everything else that makes up this burger. We likened it to un-toasted “Turkish” style bread that seemed like it could have spent more time in the oven. And finally that sprig of whatever that is that makes up the “salad” is a waste of everyone’s time.
Bonus Points: Outdoor courtyard, friendly service
– HC
REUBEN HILLS
Purveyor: Rueben Hills, Surry Hills NSW, Australia
Menu Item: Dirty Bird Chicken Chicken Burger
Price: $17.50 AUD
Squawk: This place is cool. Unlike so many places out there that are trying to be cool, this one just is. We love the rugged garage-like interior, the open roller door at the back, the minimalist hard concrete, steel and wood fit-out is understated, but visually impactful. And they play good music at just the right volume. And… they got some very nice bottled hot sauces to choose from too. On top of all this, Reuben Hills is really more of a coffee joint, so you get all those fantastic aromas wafting around. But you just want to know how down and dirty that Dirty Bird really is. They have rock solid foundation with a world-class brioche, one of the best we’ve encountered, but, disappointingly, the middle isn’t worthy of it.
Buaawk: We’re all about simplicity and quality ingredients, and that’s what they seem to be going for here, but it costs them. We’ve had other dishes on their menu in the past (gasp) and they’re delicious, so we’re sad to see this bird don’t fly. The sauerkraut like pickles are a nice touch, but too wet – this burger is like a leaky faucet. The meat is juicy, but bland and without the aforementioned hot sauce to give this chick some wings, it ain’t going nowheres.
Bonus Points: Fantastic interior, vibe, tunes and staff.
– HC
THE LUCKY PICKLE
Purveyor: Lucky Pickle, 509-511 Crown St (entrance off High Holborn St), Surry Hills, Australia
Menu Item: Katsu Chicken Sandwich
Price: $12
Squawk: You gotta hand it to these guys. They do one thing, and they do it well. OK – maybe they do three or four things, but really the Katsu Chicken Sandwich is the star at this tiny little place and people line up for it. The chicken is perfect. And the sandwich is simple: Chicken, bread and slaw. This is both its beauty and its (partial) downfall.
Rating: 7/10
CHUR
Purveyor: Chur, Surry Hills NSW, Australia
Menu Item: Marinated Grilled Chicken w Hot Mayo and Minted Slaw
Price: $10 AUD (Spicy Chips $6, L&P $5)
Squawk: We’ve been fans of this place ever since we first tried their BBQ pork sandwich. It’s so good we’ve never been able to make ourselves order the chicken burger until now. And that’s saying a lot, because you KNOW how much we loves them chicken burgers.
When you order you’ll see a sign behind the bar that says “We proudly serve McClure’s pickles.” So we asked for those to be put on the burger. Turns out this was an excellent idea if we may say so ourselves. They’re good. The Hot mayo isn’t that hot really, but it does add a nice bit of kick. And if you need more, just reach for one of the many options in their beer style six packs of hot sauces. The meat is nicely grilled chicken breast, nearly blackened and it’s all held together, barely, by a nice soft brioche that’s not sweet like some. This is a real contender, not quite a top-scorer, but some Dijon mustard, crispy bacon, or a thick tomato slice just might bring this one into “Best Burger” Champion range.
Buaawk: Lots of sauce. Maybe too much sauce. It’s super messy, and impossible to eat without getting your hands covered. Fortunately there’s a whole entire roll of paper towels always at your disposal. And tasty beats messy 7 days a week. Our major gripe is that it’s always too loud. The music isn’t for the customers. Its for the staff. And that’s been a problem every time we’ve come here. We didn’t come to dance. We came to eat and catch up with out mates. If they fix this then they’ve fixed nearly everything.
Rating: 8/10