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2015-07-25
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I'm familiar with 'piri piri chicken' only very abstractly. Piri piri is an African chilli, and its name is, I once read*, etymologically related to 'berbere', which is the spice blend used extensively in Ethiopian cooking. *I believe this was in Cliff Wright's "Some Like It Hot" cookbook.I doubt there's anything authentic here. From looking around, it seems like there's a popular 'piri piri chicken' chain Nando's (I've never been there) and this place is more copying that than anything in, let
*I believe this was in Cliff Wright's "Some Like It Hot" cookbook.
I doubt there's anything authentic here. From looking around, it seems like there's a popular 'piri piri chicken' chain Nando's (I've never been there) and this place is more copying that than anything in, let's say, Mozambique. But I'm no stickler for authenticity, especially in those cases when I wouldn't know it if it bit me in the hindquarters. So on to a purely gustatory appraisal...
supersupergirl in a review below says that the chicken was better on her second visit, because the chicken wasn't spicy. I'll second her assessment, but not her value judgment. Yes, the chicken is not spicy. I don't really see the point of naming your chicken [translation] firey hot chilli chicken [/translation] and then not making it spicy. That's like, a Doritos-level move there, bud. Anyway...The chicken is really good. Unlike, say, La Rotisserie, it doesn't make you want to take a shower to wash off all the grease soaking through your pours afterwards. And unlike, say, Healthy Chicken (which I eat at twice a month), it's extremely succulent. Unlike all comers, it's intensely charred-- you can't really see this because most of it's on the bottom in the photo. I quite liked the chicken, and highly recommend it.
It comes with two sauces, a quote-unquote spicy one (mildly spicy) and a cilantro-mint one (very minty). Both are pretty good, neither is all that fantastic.
For sides I got the fries and the coleslaw. The fries were great. Thin ones, but cooked nice and crispy and excellently seasoned-- they didn't need sauce to stand out. The sauce they came with was good too. It was creamy and mildly spicy like the "firey hot" sauce. I also recommend the fries.
On the side I got coleslaw. My wife thought this was an odd choice for me, given my aversion to copious amounts of mayo. But I really like coleslaw, when it's crispy cabbage and carrots in a *light* dressing. Yeah, it rarely is. I'd probably have liked this if it came with a colander.
My wife got the same thing as me but with different sides. Roast veggies-- I had a piece of broccoli and it was pretty good-- and mashed potatoes. Somehow it came out with salad instead of potatoes, but the staff fixed the error by giving her free salad and bringing the potatoes shortly thereafter.
Alas, I don't recommend the potatoes. You kinda gotta go for it with the butter and cream if you want good mashed potatoes. These were chunky and dry. Not a house specialty.I quite liked the food here. As far as chicken and fries go, it's a healthier alternative to LR and fried chicken places. I might even recommend it to a friend of mine who eats La Rotisserie twice a day.
My main complaint is that the tables are so close together I (a) was more or less forced to eavesdrop on everyone around me and (b) didn't want to talk that much, what with everyone eavesdropping on me. Also, the lack of spice. Honestly. Just call yourself 'Grilled Chicken Shack' if that's what you're going to do. Skip the song and dance about chillies from Africa (ooo!) if you don't put them in anything.
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