Sue S.
Yelp
I do love fried chicken, and after seeing enough food porn fried chicken photos float by in my Yelp feed, I decided to give it a shot. We heard it was often busy so we thought Monday night would be a good chance to get in without waiting and we were right. We walked in and were seated immediately, miracle of miracles. Sadly, things went downhill from there.
First, let's get this out of the way... the chicken is bomb. Just as good as it looks in the photos. The spicy was really spicy according to my husband. The soy ginger was totally where it's at. Crunchy, crispy, juicy and delicious. I will say the soy does make it a bit salty but it is delicious. And the coleslaw is also delicious and helps counterbalance the saltiness.
Second, I saw immediately why it's always so crowded. It's on the premiere corner in Uptown and has a max capacity of 57. Yup, 57. It says so on the wall.
So what went bad? A couple of key things.
-Other than the chicken and the coleslaw, everything else we had was just OK. We got the pork belly buns, which were alright but did not have the flavor or the crispy texture that I normally associate with pork belly. We also got the ginger sesame chicken salad, which was also OK. Big chunks of cucumber, red pepper and red onion.
-Seating: So uncomfortable. We were seated at the window ledge, which at least was lower to the ground and had chairs with backs. There were other higher tables with high stools with no backs. I'm old, I'm fat and I like a good proper chair. I don't think this place was designed with us old people in mind.
-Service: Hideous. Our waitress was not very attentive. She never offered us water, and when my husband asked for some she only brought him some. My soda was empty and I asked for a refill at the same time that my husband asked for water. She brought him his water pretty quickly but my soda sat there empty as ate the previously discussed salty chicken. She brought us the rest of our food (it came out at all different times) and then brought the guys next to us more napkins and then finally brought me my soda about two-thirds full. Seriously. And then finally, when I told her I'd like two to-go boxes and the check, she then looked at me blankly and said, "Would you like me to print out the receipt for you?" Yes, that's what I meant by CHECK. Also, when she brought the check, she only included one copy of the receipt (the one labeled customer copy). Sorry - but I do actually keep my receipts and reconcile them with my credit card statement each month. This was really not OK with me. It's just poor form and unprofessional.
So, if we could get some of this amazing fried chicken without the trek into Uptown, the uncomfortable seats and the bad service, I would be all about it. As it stands, we may come back occasionally, but it probably will be awhile. The chicken IS still amazing, though. Hands-down delicious.