Summary
Chicken 18/20
Sides 9/10
Service 8/10
Magic 7/10
Total 42/50
The story
What a wonderful surprise this trip was.
The KFC in Bondi Junction used to be in a dingy little hole out of the main shopping area which, to be honest, I quite liked. It had the same decrepit appeal as one of those pubs that still somehow reeks of cigarette smoke even though no one has smoked in there in 20 years. About a year ago however, they up and moved to a new store in the main shopping area of Bondi Junction and I didn’t like it one jot. Less seating and longer lines. What’s more I’d been a few times in the recent past and have had nothing but bad experiences. A grubby shop, teenagers running amok, and slow and sloppy service.
You can imagine my surprise then when I turned up on this sunny afternoon to a clean and empty store. I’d gone to Bondi junction because it was the closest to me at the time and I’d arrived with low expectations, that were quickly blown out of the water. The restaurant was resplendent, the service was speedy, and the food was tasty. Kudos to you Bondi Junction KFC.
The order
The order itself was an Ultimate Box. 1 piece of original recipe, an original fillet burger, a potato and gravy, and a medium chips and drink. All for the low low price of $10.95.
I was able to order directly with the staff which makes a big difference. I specified no mayonnaise in my burger and extra seasoning on my chips which was no issue to the capable person behind the counter. I foolishly forgot to specify for no thigh piece of chicken, assuming I’d get a drumstick, but that’s on me.
Chicken – 18/20
I’m including the chicken in the burger under this category fyi.
Fantastic! Crispy, juicy, fresh, tasty. Throw whatever positive adjectives you want at it and this chicken can bear it. These are the sorts of days that you live for as a KFC connoisseur. It was just bloody marvellous.
The only issue is that I did get given the dreaded thigh piece. As I’ve already said that was my fault for not specifying otherwise, but it is a definite curve ball to get a thigh in a single piece box. That said, as far as thighs go this one was pretty tight. Nice crispy skin, not too slimy or greasy. In fact, it was up there with the best thighs I’ve ever had. 2 out of 20 marks are deducted for its existence, but.
Sides – 9/10
Another absolute slam dunk on the sides. The chips were hot and crispy and absolutely encrusted with that sweet sweet chicken salt. No complaints at all. It doesn’t get better than this people!
The drink was in a can which are the little touches that make a big difference. Obviously avoids the post mix scam, the can holds the cold, and I can trick myself into thinking that it’s better for the environment than a plasticky papery cup. Whether or not that’s true I don’t want to know.
The potato and gravy was also very tidy. I previously said that the Kings Cross store having only gravy wasn’t a massive deal but I’ve now reassessed, the potato makes it pop. One point is lost here simply because I’ve had better gravy.
Service – 8/10
The service was fast as fuck which was lovely because I didn’t want to be hanging around there. The guy who served me handled my order with aplomb so I can’t fault him at all.
There were two people behind the counter though and I started speaking to one who seemed to think it was funny that I was trying to give him my order and sent me over to his mate. I didn’t see that it was funny so you lose two marks here.
There were a bunch of signs up all over the shop saying ‘please don’t bully our staff’. Obviously, a good message but if anyone is bullying them, I can tell you that that guy was pretty bullyable.
Magic – 7/10
As you can tell I had a bloody good experience here and that’s enough for 7/10. But today was remarkably consistent but missing any of those special pieces of magic that can send a great experience into a stratospheric one. I can’t even tell you what it is that I’m looking for, but when I find it I know it and today didn’t have it.
Mingin or Finger lickin?
Finger lickin 🙂
KFC Reviews 