Summary
Chicken 12/20
Sides 4/10
Service 3/10
Magic 5/10
Total 24/50
The story
I was darn hyped for this one. The first KFC I’ve reviewed outside of the state since the rona got us all down. How do the people of the capital cook the chook? How does the ACT fry the kai? What’s the word on the bird?
Grim. Grim is the word on the Australian Capital Territory bird.
I was in town to run the Canberra half marathon, which was a held on a perfectly cool morning and went off very smoothly thank you for asking. Post-race I made the wise decision to hold off on eating to give my stomach some time to settle, and to build up a titanic hunger that only a luscious feed of KFC could satisfy.
I was also joined by my wonderful fiancé. Rest assured that while her company was enjoyed and appreciated, I didn’t let her views taint my professional opinion.
The order
I really felt like an original filet burger but was disappointed to discover that this particular KFC was one of those scam ones that offered two tenders in a burger rather than a filet. The claim is that it’s smaller than a normal KFC, and so doesn’t offer a full menu to save space. The two items that are missed are the potato from the potato and gravy, and the original fillet. This makes absolutely no sense to me so I refused the tender burger and, instead, went with the three-piece quarter pack, for $11.95.
The three-piece quarter pack has 3 pieces of chicken (two large and one small), a medium chips, a potato and gravy, a bread roll, and your choice of refreshing beverage.
Regarding the great potato and gravy swindle, some will try and tell you that potatoless potato and gravy is a positive thing. That is a lie. Take gin and tonic. The gin is definitely the star of the show, but if you start drinking G&T without the T, you’re dancing to a whole separate tune. Same deal with potato and gravy.
Chicken – 12/20
Credit where it’s due, I was able to specify no thigh and was given a rib, a drum, and a coveted breast piece. That’s extra rare given that two large pieces and one small is, strictly speaking, against the rules.
The chicken looked great. Crisp well formed pieces, with a little oil on the outside and all of the skin sticking on just as it ought to. The texture was also pretty good, having a little bit of chew to it, but not being too tough.
The taste was substandard though unfortunately. It’s hard to say why since it looked so good, but I suspect that it was because it was served at a slightly odd temperature. We were there at 2pm and the chicken was lukewarm by the time in made it into our carboard boxes. The optimal temperature is (I believe) at 70-80 % of max temp, or refridgerated. This was 50% of max temp and not popping. Taste will hide a multitude of sins but without it… 12/20.
Sides – 4/10
I’ve already illuminated by distaste, theoretically, for the pure gravy option. I was pleased to have my poor pre-judgement backed up by a runny tasteless mess pottled in front of me in practice. The gravy was as far as I could tell made out of hot water, corn starch, and brown. Weak af.
The chips were well cooked but under seasoned. I’d specifically asked for extra seasoning and so was justifiably miffed.
The pepsi and bread roll were both fine but as bit players in the spectacle they can’t lift the score from a lowly 4.
Service – 3/10
The staff were heaps grumpy. All of the tables were filthy when I arrived and I asked old mate to clean one. He did it but he was displeased. 3.
Magic – 5/10
If you haven’t guessed by now, I was unimpressed by KFC Canberra. It was grubby, quiet, and grumpy. But it did have two little bits of something special:
- The artwork.
Consistent with Canberra’s position as the home of the National Gallery, KFC Canberra has the most appealing artwork of any restaurant (Fast food to fine dining) that I’ve ever been to. See below the big man + pigeon combo that was the most intriguing piece. If you take a look at the Darlinghurst KFC review you’ll see some eerie echoes.
- There is an automatic compacting rubbish bin
Pretty nifty.
Mingin or Finger lickin?
Mingin 😦
KFC Reviews 