Ring My Belle’s, Diner

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Posted on August 18, 2013

Back from the US and time for some good ol’ Melbourne Fried Chicken. Next on the list: Belle’s Diner on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy. What better way to celebrate a return to Melbourne than greasing up with some delicious Melbourne Fried Chicken.

Belle’s is a diner style joint with a discrete sign. We settled in at the bar since the tables were all reserved and the Chick wasted no time ordering deep fried pickles. After perusing the menu the full order went in: side green salad, mac n’ cheese (feta, gouda and cheddar), Jalapa Burger (with Jalapeños) and the Southern Fried Chicken with Slaw accompanied with Sparkling white wine and a Hawthorn Pilsner.

The fried pickles came out quickly and The Chick fell in love with them. A little hot sauce and the creamy dip mixed well with the salty/sour nuggets. Order these!

Shortly afterwards the rest of the food came out. The Jalapa burger was ok, our main beef: it was a bit too bready and on the under cooked side. The mac-n-cheese was perfect: cheesy and creamy in all the right places and came in a generous portion with a crispy/salty breadcrumb topping.

The fried chicken was more tenders-style, no bones. It was about 6-8 pieces, single coated, lightly spiced, fresh and steamy. It was a bit over salted but that didn’t stop up from smashing the whole plate. The nice twist to it were the sides of tasty BBQ sauce (smokey and a touch sweet) and the slaw (a healthy portion). The chicken was good but didn’t compete at the top of the class with other Melbourne Fried Chicken contenders.

Conclusion: Belle’s diner is a cool place with a retro style vibe, quick service and good food. It has some good menu options to offer and is well worth a visit. The fried chicken is above average and will fill you up so give it a try!

Hollywood’ Rating: 7/10 Clucks

The Chick’s Rating: 7.5/10 Clucks

Goldie’s Route 66 Diner

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Posted on August 4, 2013

We were on an epic road trip in the US and we were somewhere between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon in a town called Williams, Arizona. We were tired and hungry. Hollywood was eager for his first Authentic American Diner experience and was informed by The Chick that they generally are a hit and miss (mostly miss).

We were also on the famous Route 66 and that’s where we found Goldie’s Route 66 Diner. We were a gang of four but only Hollywood was bold enough to order the Chicken. It was lunch time but the chicken was in the dinner section of the menu, cooked in the diner’s “homemade batter”. Thankfully, the waitress allowed us to order any of the items on the menu regardless of time of the day.

The Chicken came with a very basic “salad”, bland lettuce, tomato carrot and a heaping of pre-shredded american cheese. The sides were mashed potatoes and gravy, canned green beans and biscuits. At first the chicken seemed fresh and hot however after delving deeper into the pieces we noticed that the pieces got cold really quickly which made us suspect that it may have been pre cooked and dipped in the frier. The chicken was average and only lightly spiced. It was nothing special compared to our Melbourne Fried Chicken experiences. All the side dishes seemed bland and uninteresting. Most of the meal went uneaten.

Now Hollywood knows that most American diners are a source of generic American fare and cannot compete for the favor of our foodie Australian taste buds. Thankfully there are specialty shops in America that do compete, but this was not one of them.

Lo-Lo’s Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles

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Posted on July 27, 2013

Hollywood and The Chick’s epic US trip ended with a stop at Phoenix Arizona’s well reviewed Lo-Lo’s Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles. We picked this place to see how Melbourne Fried Chicken compared to the real southern deal (Arizona is close enough, right?).

We arrived in the middle of a scorching summer day and found that the place was packed. We accepted outdoor seating, and we were the only ones brave enough to eat without air conditioning. Hollywood ordered 3 pieces of southern fried chicken, with sides of mac n cheese, collared greens, and corn bread with whipped butter. Drinks came in large canning jars with plenty of ice. The Chick decided to share rather than face an American portion solo.

The food arrived fast. The chicken was cooked well but wasn’t spiced enough and resembled more fast food style fried chicken (KFC). It was hot and steamy and well coated. The breast piece was a bit dry which confirmed our theories of fast food style of cooking. The mac n cheese was creamy but the macaroni was a bit overcooked. The Chick reckons the collard greens were average and the cornbread was too dry and not spicy enough. Perhaps the Waffles are where it’s at, but we may never know.

The wait staff moved us inside for dessert and finished off our experience with a slice of Red Velvet Cake, which was proudly advertised out front. The cake was a bit dry but the nutty frosting left the Chick’s sweet tooth satisfied, if not impressed.

Overall much better than Route 66, but still nothing compared to foodie experiences back home.

Rating: 5.5/10 Clucks

Rockwell and Sons – Southern Fried Chicken Nirvana (with the Big S and the Vietnamese T)

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Posted on July 4, 2013

Rockwell and Sons had a lot of hype around it. With fried chicken being advertised as brined 3 days in advance and coming in at 60$ an order we knew that something amazing was awaiting us. It took weeks of planning and three days of brining to prepare for our epic Wednesday night of Melbourne Fried Chicken feast at Rockwell and Sons.

We teamed with our friends the Big S and the Vietnamese T and were ready to take on all cluckers. Our order (placed by Hollywood 3 weeks in advance) was two fried chickens. We didnt know the chicken came with heaps of sides but were told so upon arrival. The full order consisted of 2 whole organic fried chickens each accompanied by buiscuits, deviled eggs, assorted house pickled vegetables, Pan-Roasted Broccoli & Bonito & Pickled Sultanas, Berkswell & Cheddar Mac & Cheese and coleslaw.

The deviled eggs arrived first where each of us were given half an egg. Most of enjoyed them slowly while Hollywood gulped his half in one mouthful and as always wanted more.

Shortly afterwards the mac n cheese, broccoli, pickled vegetables, and coleslaw were served. The pickled vegetables provided many different pickled tasting veggies such as tomatoes, onions, carrots and more which were both yummy and fun to taste. The broccoli was roasted well and blended well with the accompanied creamy sauce and the whole mixture melted in your mouth. This dish is well worth it. The mac n cheese was really good. It was creamy with a strong taste of cheese. Big S couldn’t get enough of it.

Finally the chicken arrived and it was a sight for sore eyes. These were two big plates of southern style fried chicken stacked as mountains with biscuits buried deep down. The chicken was totally amazing and marvelous we don’t know where to start describing it, but we’ll give it a shot anyway. It was chopped up into big pieces (opposite of Korean style) and was double coated, freshly cooked, steamy, succulent, tender, juicy and had a good blend of spice to it. The size and number of pieces was 8 pieces per chicken which sat well with Hollywood and the Vietnamese T.

It was a challenge finishing it all but no pieces were left unclucked!

The Chick reckons the chicken could use just a little bit more spice however we all agreed that this was definitely the best Melbourne fried chicken we have had so far and it was fabulously done and truly authentic. We shall be back!

We did try out the dessert options however they weren’t impressive and just plain average.

Hollywood prefers loading more on the amazing savory dishes that Rockwell and Sons have to offer.

Hollywood’s Rating: 10/10 Clucks

The Chick’s Rating: 10/10 Clucks

**This rating has been updated. Please check the most recent post of Rockwell and Sons and The Wall Of Clucks

Trunk Diner (with The Spice Girl)

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Posted on June 30, 2013

Trunk Diner was suggested by a work colleague a long time ago to Hollywood when the list of Melbourne Fried Chicken joints was first constructed. The chick was away in Asia doing her thang so Hollywood and The Spice Girl joined forces and hit up Trunk Diner in search of another crispy finger lickin’ fried chicken adventure.

The diner, which was separate to the actual restaurant and bar, had a good casual cozy vibe. The menu was well designed but threw a curve ball at us when we realized that it was different than the online version and they didnt have the the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Kebabs, Shame on you Trunk! After some serious discussions we decided to go for the Mac and Cheese, Corn Fritters with guacamole, sour cream, bacon and house made tomato relish, buttermilk fried chicken wings and potato salad, and the Wagyu burger with gruyere cheese and sauteed mushrooms.

The food came in all at once. The burger was ok but the taste of char-gill overpowered all the other flavors which was a shame because the meat seemed thick, juicy and tender. Overall it was average and not memorable at all. The corn fritters were ok but seemed a bit cold and not fresh at all. Our suspicion here is they mightve been reheated. The guacamole, bacon, sour cream and tomato relish were doing their best but the main ingredient (the corn fritter) couldnt seem to pull it all together. It just didnt have that freshly cooked hot moisty character that you would really crave.

The chicken was a big disappointment at Trunk. It didnt seem freshly cooked at all, more like reheated. The coating was very basic and their werent any spices at all. The Spice Girl reckoned that the potato salad was a store bought salad. This was the worst chicken dish we have tasted so far.

The only good thing about our order was the mac and cheese. It was hot, creamy and just a little bit crunchy on the surface.

After the big disappointment we had we were a bit hesitant about getting dessert. The spice girl had high hopes for the Tim Tam Slam Milkshake and it was highly recommended by the waitress so we ordered one to share. The shake was below average. It was warm and didnt seem blended at all with only a few traces of TimTam flavors. We finally broke our silence and finally complained to the waitress but that didnt get us anywhere really.

Overall, our experience was very bad. If you are thinking of good fried chicken then do yourself a favor and skip this place because we guarantee that you will find a much more memorable experience across the road at Gami or if worse comes to worse The Chicken Scene reckons that even a fast food option (yes even KFC) would be better.

Hollywood Rating: 2.5/10 Clucks

The Spice Girl: 3.5/10 Clucks

Gramercy Salary

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Posted on June 7, 2013

The Cullen in Prahran has an upscale eatery attached called Gramercy Bistro. It had been written up as one of the top 10 best places for finger licken Southern Fried Chicken in Melbourne, so we had to check it out.

It is also conveniently on the way home from work for the Chick, so it was a perfect option for a quiet Friday night. We arrived in time for “Wet Hour” (like happy hour but wetter). The Chick went for the $5 Mojito which was a bit too sweet but good enough for $5 and Hollywood tried a local St. Kilda brew.

The menu hid the chicken in the Small Plates section labelled “Southern Fried Chicken Ribs”. As an American, the Chick found the phrasing odd, making it seem less like chicken and more like beef. Add to that some Jalepeno poppers, beetroot carpaccio, zucchini fritters and a burger to share and we had a meal.

We were warned that the poppers varied in spiciness, so the Chick was pleased to find they were on the hot side. Good, but we’ve definitely had better.

The beetroot carpaccio came with a stuffed zucchini flower, fried, plus walnuts, and pomegranates seeds. The flowers were nice, but the beetroot lacked a bit of flavor, it worked well wrapped around the zucchini flower.

The zucchini fritters were the best of the entrees, with a light flavor and lovely whipped goat cheese on the side. More please!

The Chick was very disappointed with the Chicken ribs. They were the right texture, good chicken pieces, fresh and came with a nice dill dipping sauce. But the breading was so salty it overpowered everything else. Hollywood was happy to consume the plentiful pieces left by the chick (a very sharable portion) but agreed it was saltier than he’d prefer.

The burger came from the grill, so was a bit charred. Not a star burger, but it was packed with yummy bacon and came with garlic aioli and nice thin crispy fries.

For dessert we ended with a delightful white chocolate cheese cake. It was a decadent morsel perfect for sharing that had the right balance of flavors.

The bill added up quick here, and the plates are hit and miss. The Chick wouldn’t go for the chicken, but would go back for the fritters, however Hollywood found a good option if you are in the neighborhood.

Hollywood’s Rating: 6/10

The Chick’s Rating: 6/10

Dr Juicy Jay’s Fried Chicken and Crab Shack

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Posted on June 4, 2013

It’s been a bit since we have explored the latest in the Melbourne Fried Chicken scene and we just found out about a new contender, so it’s time for some good ol finger lickin’ fried chicken. Dr Juicy Jay’s has all the potential to be the next big thing in the land of fried chicken especially with a hip name like Dr Juicy Jay’s Fried Chicken and Crab Shack.

Dr Juicy Jay’s is located in The Public Bar, a live music dive bar in North Melbourne, a suburb that holds special memories for Hollywood. We reached the Public Bar and we have to admit that this place lived up to its reputation as quoted “The Public Bar, with its peeling paint, sagging couches and toilets that promise an olfactory adventure, is probably the only joint divey enough to do this food justice. “It’s a shithole,” says Will. “I love it.” So will you.”. How can we resist a place with a description like that?

We went during the week and the place was full of patrons savouring the limited menu and one table was taken up by a photo shoot. I can only assume the result is now gracing their facebook page. We managed to find a spot at the bar and put in our heavy order of Shrimp (Creole style shrimp, new potatoes, lemon, butter, garlic and old bay), Juicy’s Low County Boil (Traditional Frogmore-style Crab Boil of local crab, cob corn and sausage with plenty of seasonings and spice), and most importantly, the Southern Fried Chicken which was described as Juicy’s secret blend of 21 herbs and spices, golden fried. Then the Chick noticed the Corn Dog on the menu and had to put in a second order, it is rare to find good corn dogs outside county fairs and it was worth a shot!

The food arrived gradually. The shrimp arrived first which was a big portion of 22 pieces of shrimp drowned in a great garlic butter sauce with lemons and potatoes and accompanied by hot sauce. The shrimp was hot, succulent and tasty full of garlic/butter/lemon flavors. Some of the best garlic shrimp we have ever had.

Shortly afterwards the crab boil arrived accompanied with sausage and cob corn. The crab was superb and the Chick smashed it with a great sense of joy. The crab was fresh, the butter was perfect and the sausage matched well. It was a mess in the best possible way.

Finally the corn dog and fried chicken arrived. This was Hollywood’s first corn dog and was not a fan of it due to the taste of the coating. Whereas the Chick felt that it needed a smaller dog to properly balance the flavors and the dough was a bit undercooked.

The Fried Chicken was right on the spot in terms of portion with approximately 20 pieces of chicken strips that were hot, steamy and full of flavor. We couldn’t taste all the 21 herbs and spices but the taste of cajun was all over it. After digging into the chicken we did notice that it was just a little bit overcooked/dry as you can also see by the dark color of the breading. However that didn’t stop Hollywood from smashing all the chicken pieces. The side ranch sauce was ok but seemed a bit thin. The herbs were fresh, but it didn’t have the right strength to match the fried chicken properly. The Chick went for the hot sauce instead.

Dr. Juicy Jay’s Fried Chicken

All in all, the chicken was good but the true stars of the show were the shrimp and crab and that’s probably the reason why it’s called a crab shack. The Chick will remain vigilant for the best Aussie corn dog experience.

Hollywood Rating: 7.5/10 Clucks

The Chick’s Rating: 7/10 Clucks

Chambers Fried Chicken

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Posted on April 30, 2013

During an epic night of drinks out in Melbourne, our friend Wes mentioned how he has a good recipe for fried chicken and thus a deal was made between him & Holywood. Wes was invited to wreak havoc on our deep fryer and deliver us his famous fried chicken. We set a date and turned over our kitchen and fryer (remember – never deep fry while drunk) to see what magic tricks he could teach us.

Check out how Wes turned these raw materials into some finger lickin’ golden crispy :

Dizzy supplied the roasted potatoes and a perfectly prepared Halumi salad to complement the main. Since we are all extra careful cooking chicken, we may have kept them in the fryer too long. So some of the pieces were just a little bit dry but that didnt stop us from smashing all the chicken.

It was fun to get such a wonderful meal from our kitchen without doing a thing!

Conclusion:

Wes knows his chicken and breading! In this day and age, it’s good to know someone like Wes Chambers, otherwise our fryer would not get the attention it deserves.

Wes, we are ready for round 2! This time we can trust the thermometers.

Cinnamon Cookie

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Posted on April 16, 2013

Tales of Cookie being Colonel Tan’s big brother threw us off a bit in the beginning, but nonetheless we were focused on our goal of exploring all the top contenders of Melbourne Fried Chicken and Cookie was on the list.

We hit up Cookie right after attending a comedy act at the town hall on a Monday night. Cookie is located on level 2 of Curtain House on Swanston street. We had tried to get a reservation the Saturday before but were too late, Monday was far less busy but still a good crowd for a slow night.

We were handed menus by the very friendly waiter and confusion immediately arose; first the wine list was a tomb that The Chick became immersed in, plus the menus were so big and packed with so many dishes it took a while to find the chicken. Finally we found it under the large dishes section labeled as ‘deep fried five spice chicken with sweet chili sauce’ and offered as either a 1/2 or a whole chicken. The Chick wanted to do the “feed me” option but knew she wasn’t hungry enough to enjoy it. After lots of discussions we finally threw some darts at it and selected: taro dumplings with chili sauce, spicy cashew, tomato, cucumber & coriander salad, the drunken noodles with minced pork & green chilies, and a half serve of the fried chicken. The waiter told us that the half serve comes with 7-9 pieces.

The food arrived all at once, re-enforcing the sense of being overwhelmed by food. The Chick didn’t approve of the dumplings because they were too gooey, so the consistency was off in her mind. Hollywood thought they were good enough to eat two. The cashew salad was crunchy, fresh, spicey and very good. The drunken noodles were a hit, spicy, good texture from the minced pork and good wok fried noodles. Hollywood and the Chick decided that dish was well worth the visit and would be ordered again someday.

Last but not least, the chicken came out in a basket of 8 pieces and seemed similar to Korean style chicken (in terms of breading and the way pieces were cut) but more seasoned. The spices were a good blend and had a distinctive taste of cinnamon. Most of the pieces were hot and steamy. The chicken was good but dipping it in the sweet chili sauce added a bit of a kick to it which was a good bonus.

The array of dishes provided and the fushion of flavors was an overall good exciting experience. The chicken was good but its not what comes to mind when dreaming of fried chicken because the cinnamon makes us think of a different kind of cookie.

Hollywood Rating: 6/10 Clucks

The Chick Rating: 6.5/10 Clucks – extra half a cluck for her favorite baking spice

Jazz City Sydney

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Posted on April 15, 2013

The Chick had a work trip scheduled to Sydney, so the decision was made see how Melbourne Fried Chicken compares to Sydney’s. We did an online search and found that a good contender would be Jazz City Diner. We discovered that the diner was closed to add authentic BBQ capability, but thankfully the sister branch Milk Bar was open and serving the essential menu items.

It took a bit of effort to find the place (google maps lead us a stray). The Jazz City Milk Bar is on Palmer Lane, Darlinghurst, in a little square with other hopping dining establishments and no signage. It was a small popular place that has most of its seating outside on white plastic furniture. It would have been good to see their main location at Jazz City Diner as it seats more people. Be sure to a make a reservation if you want to sit, especially for the weekend.

We were lucky to have two good friends (from the USA) joining us so we could order more than our normal two dishes. The menu boasted many exciting options. After a long discussion amongst ourselves and heaps of consultations from our friendly waiter we ordered the Ultimate Texas chili cheese burger with tortilla crisps, the southern fried chicken burger with creole fries, the macoroni & cheese as a side, and the southern fried chicken and waffle. We were on the verge of ordering the Jamaican jerk BBQ wings, with onion rings but held off.

The Ultimate Texas chili cheese burger had Texas style spicy beef chili, a beef patty, cheese lettuce, mayo, pickle, relish, guacamole, jalapeño chilies, fried tortilla crisps, and cumin mayo; All the ingredients to make it a sloppy burger that hit the spot.

Hollywood felt that the southern fried chicken burger lacked the taste of the chicken breading. The chicken itself was well cooked, not too dry or greasy and was covered in a tasty tobasco mayo. The bun did seem to overwhelm the chicken burger a bit, so maybe a bigger slice of chicken wouldve been better. The Chick isn’t usually a chicken burger fan but found this one above average. Still it was not her favorite item on the menu because of the fluffy bun.

The macaroni & cheese was extremely good. It was just a side, but was packed with classic cheesy goodness. It didn’t have a thick top crust, but rather a sprinkle of breadcrumbs that was given a quick bake.

Finally, the main event: The chicken and waffle consisted of two big pieces of chicken which were a thigh/drumstick and breast. The waffle was large and thick and came in a traditional round shape with maple syrup in the perfect little pitcher. The chicken was tender, hot, double coated and had the right crispy crunch. The coating was spicy, but not overly so, Hollywood felt it needed more spice. The Chick embraced the sweet/savory experience and merged the waffle, syrup and chicken bites so she didn’t notice the lack of spice. Since the serving was split 4 ways, we each got only about 3 bites. After the plates were cleared, the flavors were so good, we all craved another taste, and the order of wings we avoided at the beginning was put in.

The Jamaican jerk BBQ wings came with onion rings and were delivered personally by the friendly owner. The Chick reckons these were the best rings she has had since coming to Australia. Not too greasy, just the right amount of breading to onion ratio. We were so excited to dive in that we forgot to take a photo, and we were so engrossed in the spicy flavor we didn’t stop till only bones and crumbs were left.

Finally our friend ordered a shake which he had been craving for months and hadn’t found a proper experience in Sydney yet. Jazz City delivered, but the straw was too small and no spoons were available takeaway.

The surprising thing was not feeling to full after a sizable spread. The Chick felt the portions were perfect – not really American sized, but that’s a good thing. The prices were Australian sized, $24 for a plate of chicken and waffles. But since it was better than your average diner, we have to say it was worth it.

We were full of joy when the owner mentioned that a Melbourne expansion was on his mind. Bring it on, Melbourne needs more diners of this caliber!

Hollywood Rating: 8.5/10 Clucks

The Chick Rating: 9/10 Clucks