KFC on Fire!

The Pitch

At some point in recent years, it seemed as though the KFC (Korean fried chicken) hype machine had reached its peak and was in fact pointing downward.  Although Olivia's Authentic Chicken scaled down its operations and Le Coq Frit completely vanished, a newcomer has recently entered the market.

The banner is Chicken Plus, which claims to hail from Korea and have 500 locations worldwide, although there is no evidence of any presence outside of Canada anywhere on the internet.

As far as Quebec is concerned, the KFC chain made its entrance in Trois-Rivières just about a year ago.  That was soon followed by a couple of locations in Montreal.  Today I was invited to try one of those, namely the Chinatown outpost.

The Mood

While the KFC craze may be ebbing, another trend seems to be on the upswing.  In an effort to maximize real estate and increase profitability, several fast-food franchise locations have been squeezing multiple banners under one roof.

Such is the case with Chicken Plus here, which shares the de la Gauchetière locale – and ownership – with kogo specialist Chungchun.  The space is tight and crammed with enough stools for a handful of people to dine in, which is fine given most people take their food to go here.

tagged:  CLAUSTROPHOBIA ANYONE?

The Food

The chicken here is served in nicely-branded boxes, although their opening/closing mechanism is clumsy and not adapted for leftovers to go.  It can be ordered plain or topped eight different ways, in two sizes and either with or without bones.  My pal and I went boneless in two flavours: sweet/savory powdered-cheese-topped and hot-sauce-dipped.

Both featured moist and tender pieces of chicken with a casing that is less crispy than other KFC's I've had.  The one labelled "hell spicy" or "inferno" in French is mouth-burning as advertised.  This is possibly the hottest thing that has touched my tongue in years; and I loved it!

Portion sizes are a little questionable.  The $22 charged for the regular size is appropriate considering what you get; but it is too much chicken for one person, which leaves me wondering what does someone do if dining solo?  Sides consist of fries, onion rings, cheesy corn and pickled daikon, in addition to a selection of pimped-up fries.

We tried the onion rings, which were basic and an ultra-saucy jumble of fries with bulgogi.  The bits of beef somehow felt like mushrooms under the teeth and the fries were a tad mushy.  In other words, underwhelming sides but excellent chicken; and bonus points awarded for carrying my favorite Korean soft drink, the creamy/sugary Milkis.

tagged:  GOOD FOR SHARING IT'LL BURN TWICE!

The Verdict

Thanks to its small footprint, streamlined menu and catchy branding, Chicken Plus seems poised to dominate the city's Asian fast-food market.  With nine locations in Ontario and already seven across Quebec, this banner may be solely responsible for bringing KFC back into the limelight.

My issues with the pricing/portioning and side dishes aside, the star attraction – fried chicken – here is delicious and memorable!  My burned taste buds can attest to that!