chicken

Burger Bite Off with SFC

How hard is it to find a crispy chicken burger that’s tasty & tender? Apparently, it is in 2020! During our research for the Ultimate Chicken Burger, we ended up disappointed more times than happy and had to drive to KFC for some poultry consolation. But even KFC have been losing ground by the year, with oily and crumbly chicken offerings that are a far cry from what we used to savour & salivate upon just a couple of years back. In the meantime, other franchises like Chick King have been sharpening their game and rubbing their hands with joy.

One other franchise that came up on our chicken radar is Southern Fried Chicken. This year we visited the Birkirkara place 5 times, during different times of the day and specifically during weekdays. If we saw long queues we would skip the visit, and come back when the staff were relaxed, to give them the benefit of doing the best job they can. Unfortunately during these visits, we were given dry chicken two times in a row. So we were on the fence. We decided to do one final burger test, and this would be it! We tried their Empire fillet, which is made from a chicken fillet piece, hash brown, cheese, lettuce and mayonnaise, encased in a soft sesame seed bun. This time around, the chicken was moist and succulent, with a spiced batter crisped to golden excellency. The chicken part itself was handcrafted with the right amount of crispy batter and a tender core. From a texture perspective, it’s a massive step up from KFC. The portion was generous and had a good diameter and thickness to it. The cheese is an American slice and one element that can be massively improved upon. It would be in place if this was some ground chicken burger like McD do, but we need proper cheese with real chicken! It would make the product taste a tenfold finer. Mayo was well-dosed, but the hash browns were of the freezer bag variety. And that’s something that needs urgent improvement. All this provides 37.9gr of protein, 28.8gr of fats and weighs in at 583 Calories. The fries can be a hit and miss affair too, but when they are left their due time in the frier, they are crispy and savoury, and amongst our take-away favourites.

Despite all these shortcomings, we liked the Empire burger so much, that we went one step ahead, and added an extra chicken fillet into the mix, making this one an “off the menu” double chicken burger exclusive! Now we’re talking! At less than €10 for a meal with drink and fries, this was a no-brainer… #MaltaBurgers approved, with two thumbs up!

Cajun Chicken Licken

In the early days of 2018, we visited Gyros & Churros, a new eatery set up on the ashes of the legendary White Arrow, one of the most iconic students’ snack bars from yesteryear. The unique concept of merging Greek and Spanish street food proved to be a hit with both students and neighbourhood families. In the start of 2019 things got excitingly more interesting for burger lovers, as G&C introduced a lineup of four burgers. One of them is a chicken burger done the Cajun way. So we had to check out what the culinary team of Marco Lombardi, Matthew Bugeja and their kitchen brigade were up to.

Sometimes you’re just craving a burger, but want a beef-less version that doesn’t sacrifice the juicy, delicious taste and sort of take a break from your American-style beef burger. Poultry patties are often suggested as a healthy substitute and that’s why we believe that chicken burgers deserve more attention. It’s not surprising that poultry has proven healthier than red meat in scientific studies. Poultry even has better fats than red meats. If done right, chicken can be your secret weapon to flavorful, yet lean burgers. But if you overload the chicken with batter and breadcrumbs, and deep-fry the whole concoction, all this healthy preaching flies out of the window! And that’s something that G&C must have thought over when designing their version of the chicken burger, as theirs is as health-conscious as humanly possible for a poultry burger.

Mind you, this is not just any chicken burger, this is built around a juicy, chicken breast that is grilled and cajun spiced. It doesn’t stop there either. This burger is topped with a creamy mayo sauce, rucola and shredded parmesan cheese that compliments it perfectly. Get one of the loaded fries on the menu and you have yourself an epic combo, customised to your liking. The chicken is the main attention grabber in this burger. Indeed at the heart of the burger, we get 130gr of chicken fillet breast that’s marinated in cajun spice, English mustard and garlic. There is no fancy batter, so we get to enjoy the chicken meat au naturel. Cajun seasoning is a simple spice blend that typically contains a mix of paprika, garlic and onion powders, dried thyme, and a hint of cayenne. It has a warm, smoky aroma, with a mild heat that warms up your tongue, but doesn’t cross into deep-spicy territory. And that’s exactly what the doctor ordered in combination with chicken! Imagine juicy, moist chicken fillet meat grilled with perfect char on the skin, with the heat and flavours from the cajun seasonings… this would be it! The chicken truly has a succulent and tender core and an overall splendid flavour. This is also one fiesta of a chicken burger aimed for those who urge to experience flavours beyond what they’re already familiar with when it comes to burgers.

The brioche bun that holds all the ingredients is lightly coated with sesame seeds and has the perfect texture to melt into the patty, creating a unified bite with every taste. It’s filled with sliced tomatoes and onions that provide a good amount of crunch. The bowlful of leafy rucola also helps to enhance the flavours with its peppery and tangy taste. The Parmesan cheese has a hard, gritty texture and is left in its natural state rather than melted. It’s slightly fruity and nutty in taste and is a well-chosen addition to this burger.

For those who like to nibble on fries, G&C have you sorted out in a big way. They have a selection of loaded fries, anything from cheesy fries with paprika, to the superb, pulled pork ones with spring onions, parsley, bbq sauce and smothered in salty and nutty Edam cheese. This particular fries dish turns out to be a long-time favourite of ours. If their pulled pork burger is anything as good as the insanely tender and loaded-with-flavour shredded pork on these fries, we know which burger we’re going for next! These fries are meant to be shared between 2 or 3 people, but there will always be those hungry piggies who will eat it all on their own! After all that food goodness, you might also want to try one of the four coloured lemonades, which are served in a signature bulb-like bottle! The Coconut Blue Lagoon one has a very strong deep blue colour and a potent silver swirling effect that is a vision to behold! This is a very welcome and refreshing option in summertime, after a burger and fries and is something cool from the usual cola.

But wait, there’s even more! There’s no way we’re leaving G&C without the mandatory churros! Churros are South American doughnut sticks, that were primarily introduced in Malta to the masses by G&C. This sweet treat is deep fried in oil and rolled in cinnamon sugar. You can also go wild and heap a variety of crushed sweets on top! But classic churros were not enough and the mad inventors at G&C have come up with hot dog style, large-sized Churros stuffed with ooey gooey creams and topped with chocolate. These are similar to the South American churros which are typically filled with rich dulce de leche. There’s one with Kinder Bueno, a KitKat churro and another with white chocolate. There’s no alternative but to taste them all and make your mind, which one is your favourite sweet treat!

In a matter of months, since they have introduced their burgers, Gyros & Churros have won the big burger game in the crowded Junior College area, thanks to their churros, loaded fries and the current shift in local trends, as Millenials are growing up and making up their own mind on what they like, instead of relying on Instagram photos or on what Facebook marketers propose. The fact that there’s a lot of right things to like with this chicken burger helps too. For one, this culinary creation is packed with flavours, so there’s no wonder why patrons have been flocking to try it out since it was introduced earlier this year. It’s smoky, zesty and has a little bit of a spicy kick to it, just like good chicken burgers should be. It’s also a big & solid eat that will satisfy your craving for chicken for the whole day! If you want to keep your caloric count down, this is definitely the next burger to try out. And when it comes to us, there’s no doubt that this is set to become our Sunday favourite burger.

Holy Trinity

In recent years we’ve been bombarded with healthy eating messages left, right and centre. The doctor, the media, the government and even the school teachers have instructed us to eat fit food. We totally love that. Yet, one burger joint in Hamrun dares to defy the rest by inviting us to eat irresponsibly. Get your knives and forks ready. Then put them aside, as today we’re off to Hamrun to eat the Bandit way!

After much teasing in 2018, Bandit opened its doors to unsuspecting Hamrun people in the first days of January 2019. With age-old and iconic eateries like Tivoli and the town square Gabbana to measure up to, the people behind Bandit seem to have no fear. But who are these people? Clint Tabone, Gareth Bartolo and Matthew Piccinino where all raised in Hamrun, and this project seems to have been a long time coming. They went for the name Bandit because bandits don’t live by rules and love to challenge conventions, especially those of culinary nature! Last year has seen a resurgence in things burger in Hamrun, with places like Chick ‘n Bites and Journey trying to come up with something different than the standard Gabbana cheeseburger. But how will the new challenger Bandit fare? We defied thunderstorms, wind and rain to find out.

Situated right next to the majestic San Gaetano church, one of Bandit’s signature burgers is aptly called the Holy Trinity! This curious creation is a combination of three different types of meat in one bun: a 180gr beef patty, a piece of buttermilk chicken thigh and crispy bacon for that extra crunch. That seems to be what a bandit would want to eat these days. Chef Martin Debattista, an ex-teacher who spent the past 15 years working in kitchens all over UK and Malta, raises the grill temperature and gets ready to prepare this Spartan special. The patty is made from cuts of brisket & short rib to produce a pleasingly granulated burger. This is a flavourful grind with an optimal ratio of fat to lean. The Spartan beef blend tastes rich and has a good texture. As soon as you bite into it, it just melts, gifting you with an intense beefy flavour. Short rib might be short, but it’s about as marbled a cut as you can get. The muscle’s constant action makes this cut packed with flavour. The distinct flavour profile of the Brisket and percentage of fat content yields a rich patty with a humble meat-and-potatoes attitude. This robust patty blend has a ton of personality with some slight sweet undertones, which we truly loved.

Buttermilk fried chicken is the ultimate comfort food, and this burger comes with a hefty dose. The chicken thigh is marinated for 2 days in a buttermilk mix, covered in seasoned flour and then deep fried until golden and crispy. The buttermilk definitely creates a tangy tenderization here. There is a fair amount of time and labour involved here, but the Buttermilk fried chicken is one of those finger licking foods that we miss from times gone by when KFC was still top at the chicken game. Hamrun is chockful of chicken takeaways but the extra crispy breading in this thigh is definitely going to cause a town-wide craze.

We love super crispy bacon, the kind you get in English breakfasts, cooked on the stovetop and drained properly. It seems that there is some sort of secret to crispy bacon that eludes many Maltese burger joints. We pity the Millenials that only know the limp, squishy and greasy bacon from Burger King and McD. We really do. When Chef Martin promised us crispy bacon, we stood open-eyed. Indeed the bacon here is beautifully crusted, the kind that’s a joy to crunch between your teeth. These kitchen Bandits have nailed the bacon dead on!

A burger needs accompaniments, and the pickles are a God sent here as they bring the yin to the burger’s yang. The juicy snap of the pickles, salty and vinegary, mingles well with the textured meats, providing a much needed acidic boost. The pickle is a sort of palate cleanser here, allowing you to experience the sharp contrast in flavours and more fully appreciate the taste of the beef, chicken, bacon and cheese sauce. There’s also a maple mayonnaise made in-house that will make you smack your lips, as it goes especially well with the chicken.

Anyone can grill a burger, but it’s the condiments that separate the mundane from the memorable. And that one memorable condiment of the Holy Trinity is the cream cheese. Warm, oozing cheese is never a bad idea. Here Bandit have taken this concept to the unexpected limits. Their cheese sauce is so spectacularly and stupendously rich and gooey, that they slather it onto every ingredient inside the burger! No one is spared! Say goodbye to cheeseburgers as you know them, as this one is laden with spoonfuls of cream cheese sauce made from besciamella, cheddar, Edam and some sharp mature cheese for good measure. The sheer amount of luscious cheese sauce is artery-clogging, but that’s the whole concept of the Bandit. Needless to say, this purposely creates an irresponsible and messy burger, where taste takes over visuals.

In the end, we ate it all! That’s because, all the burger elements do work together in harmony, never taking away from the symphony of the beef and fried chicken. The pure, unadulterated goodness profile of this beast burger has definitely catapulted it into the top position, as far as Hamrun burgers go. In due time it will gain cult status amongst Hamrun people and beyond, like the never-forgotten Bhima burger.

Chicken & Chips @ Queen’s

Hands up all those Millennials who love the McChicken!
Fried chicken seems to be the most popular burger option after the undeniable beef. It’s a favourite of many Maltese as much as it is in Kentucky.

Today we spotted a new International franchise in town, that has a chicken burger hidden amongst their potato fries menu! Truth is, we came for the fries, but were intrigued by the chicken burger! Queen’s Chips is an Amsterdam style chip shop that opened its doors last July, on National French Fries day, right next to Paceville’s Burger King. How will their chicken burger fare against the palate proven offerings from other established express burger joints? Even though we’re awed and distracted by the aroma of fries, we’re driven to find out!

Queen’s Chips started as an Italian franchise and shortly became renown for its paper cone Dutch-style fries. Just in case you wonder, it has no affiliation with the pastizzeria in Hamrun! They only have one chicken burger on their menu, so you don’t have to spend endless minutes wondering what to order! And their chicken burger focuses on the essential basics, as it’s made from a crispy minced chicken patty, sandwiched between a soft, pillowy bun, and layered with fresh Maltese lettuce. But here’s the twist, that’s going to propel this burger ahead of other express burger joints. Queen’s Chips have upped the ante, by letting you choose the burger sauce from a selection of 20 wild flavours! And when we say Wild, we do mean it. There’s everything from a whisky sauce, to curry ketchup, Moroccan, black pepper, Algerian and Tartar, just to name a few.

The chicken patty is made from 120gr of breaded chicken fillet, fried at 175°C. It has an oblong shape and is enormous when compared to something like Burger King’s Crispy Chicken offering, as it hangs out lasciviously from both ends of a standard-sized bun. Patties are fried in an own container, so they do not spoil the oil and mix with the fries. Queen’s Chips are using very modern friers, with automatic temperature control to keep the oil stable whether they are doing 1 or 5 burgers at a time. This yields a chicken patty that is moist and tender, and most importantly, very consistent. The consistency is that of white meat that has been ground fine and shredded all the way with no chewy knuckle bits and with a crunchy seasoned batter shell, that sports a golden colour ready to dazzle and delight. The breading is crispy enough, making it edgier than the classic McChicken. The batter is most probably made from wheat or corn, with a dusting of very light spices. The crunchy and uniform breading and tasty chicken inside checks all the prerequisite boxes for great flavour.

The slightly savoury bun is very fluffy and seedless. It squishes under very little pressure, but all it needs to do is hold the lettuce and chicken, and it does a good job at that. Apart from the chicken itself, the sauce is the second most exciting element. These signature sauces are made in Belgium and they pair well with the kick of the chicken’s seasoning. Any of these sauces seem to compliment with a touch of creaminess and controlled messiness! We tried the Cheesy Crazy (to experience the maximum messiness effect) which has a very strong cheese aroma. If you like American cheese with your chicken burger, this is the one to go for. There’s also the more classic tartar sauce, with onion, parsley and mixed herbs. But really, the obligatory game here is to never choose the safest option and go berserk in your choice!

The burger is presented in wrapping paper, to avoid sauce spills. This minimalist approach works perfectly in like with Paceville’s mood & environment. It also looks much more triumphant that those McD mashed burgers, where you wonder if the prep guy angrily smashed both fists into the bun, before lovingly wrapping it in paper!

As if not content enough with the burger, we also tried out the Kentucky chicken strips. And boy, we’re so glad we did! Chicken strips are the most glorious incarnation of handheld fried chicken. They’re heftier than nuggets and simpler to munch on than wings. We couldn’t resist from pimping up our burger and incorporate these strips INSIDE the burger itself, to build our own one-of-a-kind QUEEN’s MEGA burger! Now we’re talking big-league business!

These strips are made from fillet pieces, or what looks like the white meat that is located on either side of the breastbone. Unlike the burger patty, they have a plump texture and lumpy chunks of Kentucky flavoured seasoning that gives KFC a good run for their money, as they have a true and certain distinction with a more verve spiciness. There’s a superlative crunch from their thick breading, without any overpowering of the overall chicken flavour, which is slightly salty and rich. The consistency of the crispness is huge. A sort of buttery taste develops after the first 3 bites or so, something which we liked and urged us to consume even more of these. These chicken strips are quite hefty and burly, and there’s a considerable amount of chicken with a fibrous texture in each one. We could barely fit 2 inside our burger. They are a chicken meal by themselves, even without the aid of dipping sauces. Not that you should skip on the sauce. It’s just that between one saucy strip and another, sometimes one needs to enjoy the taste of the naked chicken piece itself.

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Just like us, you will most probably stop by Queen’s Chips for the inhouse specialty, the fries. And they won’t disappoint. When it comes to fries, this is where the similarity with any other express food joints ends. If you plan on ordering a large portion of chips, think twice, because their large is nothing like anything you’ve seen… it’s large as in 1 KILO large! The small and medium are 250gr and 500gr respectively so they might be more manageable for us mere humans! The potatoes are imported as whole fresh potatoes from Holland. Dutch potatoes are known for their unique characteristics, energetic flavour, compact texture and an ideal consistency for frying. They are fried in 2 stages in sunflower oil before making their way into your mouth, thus earning them the nickname of Double Dutch Fries! They are first fried at a low temperature to remove excess moisture from the potatoes. After a resting period of 20 minutes, they are fried a second time for a short timespan, this time at a much higher temperature to create a thick chip that is moist from inside and crispy on the outside, making them the definitive must-try french fries in Paceville, and overall Top 5 potato chips material.

Do you know why the Dutch can eat French fries with mayonnaise and not become obese? It’s all in the daily biking! Speaking of mayo, you can also add extra extravagant sauces to your chips, and we suggest the Samurai, which is a pinkish dry and spicy sauce or the Curry ketchup, with its oriental spiced flavour. Even though we loaded them with sauce, the fries didn’t get soggy so easily, and that’s another attribute that scores high in our books. And just like in Holland, we predict that these will dominate the Paceville street food scene by the end of the year!

As if the fries were not enough, here’s an extra bonus from Queen’s Chips… Crunchy churros covered with white or standard chocolate sauce! These big sticks of cinnamony-sugary heaven are very popular all over Latin America and Spain, but in recent years they have spread all across Europe. They are made from fried dough and taste similar to fried pastry, albeit a bit saltier. They do taste as delicious as they look.

These days, the Paceville food scene is overcrowded with all kind of restaurants and express food corners, but Queen’s Chips have managed to disrupt these standards with a chips novelty, and a supporting list of street food that is a big notch above other burger franchises. We’re definitely keeping an eye on them, for future surprises, as all this writing made us crave for more chicken & chips!

Kennedy loved Chicken burgers!

V18 has kickstarted a topical chapter in the nightlife of the old Capital. With literally hundreds of restaurants populating every nook and corner of the straightest streets in Malta, we embarked on a mission to trace the most entertaining burger that Valletta has to offer. We were looking for glitz, exquisite taste, nonconformity and food inventiveness. So we ended up in the most indecorous part of Strait Street, known to Valletta’s residents from the golden age, as The Gut… or the old Red Light district to you and me! After 50 odd years of neglect, the area has been turned inside out, into glimmering diners and bar quarters. One of the first places to open its doors in October 2017 was The Kennedy. Probably named after JFK’s assassination in the sixties, this is a mix of gastropub and hipster hangout. The owners handcrafted the interiors with everything vintage, with a hint of shabby chic, from the solid wood bar to all sort of paraphernalia hanging on the walls. If you’re looking for whiskey, gin and tapas, this is the nightlife hub to be. If you’re looking for one of the most interesting chicken burgers we came across this summer, this is the place to be too!

Dione has been working in and out of kitchens for the past 12 years. He literally runs Kennedy’s whole kitchen operation on his two hands, and that’s the way he likes things. He’s also the brains behind the Sweet Home Avocado burger, a chicken burger with a strong Spanish flair. There are 2 thick pieces (200gr) of chicken breasts, coated in a mix of buttermilk and panko. Each one is covered with layers of guacamole sauce and cheddar cheese, with battered onion rings wedged in between. Everything is encased in a brioche bun, with cherry tomatoes and rucola at the base.

The chicken is fried a level of golden crisp on the outside, with a succulent and tender core. It has a wonderful crunchy coating with a splendid flavour, due to the crafty use of panko, which in itself is extremely light. The buttermilk also helps add a delicious layer of juiciness, making us extremely pleased with the tangy tenderization that it provides. No one likes dry burgers, and unfortunately, we’ve had not a few encounters with dry chicken breasts in the past weeks. Due to the high acid content, buttermilk will help cut into the chicken and impart any spices you add. This is part of the secret process that KFC used, but seem to have lost along the years, as their current chicken fillets are nowhere as good as this one.

Guacamole is a traditional sauce used in Mexican cuisine. If it was good for the Aztecs, then it’s definitely good on our chicken too! The avocado is savoury like a vegetable but botanically-wise it’s a fruit. When it’s ripe and you mash it into a paste and add lemon, cilantro, chiles and tomatoes, you get Guacamole. This sauce is perfectly smooth, refreshing and spicy and it’s a welcome replacement for mayonnaise. This bold peppery flavour on top of the chicken provides a satisfying palette with much zest, that makes this burger both interesting and fresh. There’s also a layer of sharp Cheddar cheese that adds a smooth and seasoned creamy kick. This burger is loaded with onion rings, and there’s a lot of them! They are not garnished on top of the bun, but crammed inside, in their own layer, between the chicken breasts. They are thick and sweet, with a good flavour on the crumb. The rucola and tomatoes used are from local fresh produce, and bring colour and vibe to the looks of the burger, with a little wet crunch taste. Truth is, there’s very little replacement for the tangy fresh juiciness of a tomato, or how the bright flavours interact with chicken.

You can either get fries, wedges or sweet potatoes as the main accompaniment to the burger. The sweet potatoes were surprisingly & stupendously crispy and seem like the best choice. You also get coleslaw and ketchup sauce in fancy containers that go well with the decor.

This is one fiesta of a chicken burger aimed for those who urge to experience flavours beyond what they’re already familiar with when it comes to burgers. It’s also a big & solid eat that will satisfy your craving for chicken for the whole day! And just like The Gut itself, if you like venturing far beyond the boundaries of beef burgers, then you will find the Sweet Home Avocado to be a surefire hit.

Hola it’s Paella time!

How hard is it to find a crispy chicken burger that’s tasty & tender, and not dry? Apparently, it is!
During our recent research for the Ultimate Chicken Burger, we ended up disappointed more times than happy and had to drive to KFC for some poultry consolation.
But what if KFC is having a bad day and lets you down with oily and crumbly chicken?

That’s where one of you came in and saved the day! Brian told us that there’s an unequalled chicken burger in his hometown, that’s just waiting to be discovered by us. So one sunny afternoon we went off to Bugibba square, where we found a bunch of lively people who welcomed us into Bistroteca. This restaurant is not new news to us. It originally opened in 2015 but was relaunched in December 2017 as a bistro concept. One of the key people behind this reinvention is Chef John Busuttil. John has been working incessantly in kitchens for 13 years, and even worked for a year as a private chef on a luxury yacht, berthing in 25 different ports! Once that adventure was over, we’ve spotted him here and there, driving the kitchen of a number of burger places, building peculiar and colourful burgers like no other. And that’s just what he did at Bistroteca. In the very enticing burger menu, we spot our Paella burger, a poultry creation inspired by classic Spanish cuisine.

Let’s delve into a quick historical observation. The original Paella Valenciana from the early 1800s consists of saffron-infused rice, cooked with rabbit, chicken, snails and different types of beans. The dish solely exists because of rice, as rice has existed in Valencia since forever. The 20th century, with the rise of popularity of Picasso & Dali, saw a burgeoning interest in all things Espanol. In 1950, Elizabeth David, a cookbook writer published his “Book of Mediterranean Food”, which included a recipe for Paella made from the untraditional combination of shrimp and chicken. Before long, gourmands all over England, Europe and America were serving all kinds of variants of the dish. The Paella of the 2000s evolved and transmuted shape, and today many Spanish restaurants serve a long list of paellas, including ones stocked with seafood and a variety of meats.

This burger has 3 main elements inspired by the Spanish Paella: chorizo, chicken and prawn. At the very base, there is a layer of red chard and 3 slices of chorizo. Red chard leaves are tender and have a taste similar to beet greens and spinach. The leaves are earthy, whilst the red crunchy stems are slightly sweet and have a similar taste and texture to bok choy stems. Every country has its own variety of sausage that people are proud of, and the Spanish have the Chorizo, which is a spicy dried and cured meat sausage. It’s somewhat similar to salami, though it has a very dense and almost chewy texture and adds a lot of richness and smokey flavour.

At the heart of this burger, there’s the premier element we’ve been looking for the whole time, the breaded chicken. This boneless thigh is tenderized with a mallet, rubbed in paprika and breaded in a mix of buttermilk, eggs, flour and panko breadcrumbs. Chicken thighs are more tender and juicier than other cuts, so it was a very good move to use thighs instead of something drier-by-nature like a breast. A good chef can really maximise the flavour from the tenderness of the chicken thighs itself, and this can be attested and tasted perfectly here. The chicken is the main attention grabber in this burger, and it’s succulent, and handcrafted with the right amount of crispy batter. From a texture perspective, it’s a massive step up from the king of express chicken burgers… KFC looks like a spongey breaded chicken in comparison! The chef was very open-handed with the portions too, as we get a whole thigh chopped in half! It also has a good diameter and thickness to it, and makes the whole burger two storey tall!

What’s a burger without sauce? This element has not been neglected as there’s a generous amount of prawn-based bisque sauce. Bisque is a smooth and creamy soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans. Chef John uses carrots, leeks, onions, thyme, garlic, paprika and obviously prawns. Making a bisque is a very inventive method of extracting flavour from the prawns. It’s a time-consuming labour of love, but the result is a flawlessly creamy sauce with a thick consistency and delicious sea-flavour. This tangy sauce has a certain zip to it that works well with chicken.

No Paella burger worth its name would be such without a king prawn vigilant at the top, and this one is fried in tempura. Tempura is a popular Japanese dish of deep-fried seafood that is coated in a very light and airy batter, yielding a very consistent fry. In Japan, you’ll often find speciality restaurants that only serve tempura. Here the Tempura is made from egg white and fried at a very specific temperature so it gratifies the best result.

No burger is complete without the compulsory sister side dish, the fries. Problem is, what fries could live up to such a major-league burger? So we did not get your standard burger house fries, but sweet potato crisps! We’re big-time suckers for sweet potatoes, but these fabulous hand-sliced crisps are even grander than our all-time favourite Badass sweet & salty potatoes that started it all. We rarely tasted sweet potato chips so crispy, light and flavorful! Three bites in and we were hooked. We haven’t been this happy since Christmas time, and dare we say, we are ready to cross from one side of the island to Bugibba, just to savour these crisps again. There must surely be some sort of magic trick involved on how Chef John crisps these up equally on both sides, as the result is amazing. Our Top 5 Fries charts are trembling big time!

This Spanish-themed burger is hearty and every mouthful creates a deliciously tasty sensation. The meat to bun ratio is exceptional, as there’s much more chicken than bread, and that’s the way it should be. The bun is malleable and it almost fuses with the chicken, just like a moist, soft wrapper that’s subtle enough to let you appreciate the crispy texture of the thigh. As far as Spanish burgers go, it’s unchallenged and lonely at the very top of our burger charts. As a chicken burger, it’s racing triumphantly towards the top, and it seems that for the time being there’s very little in its way.

Chicken BBQ Bacon @ Xmas Time

Five years ago, on this very same day, we launched #MALTAburgers with the main intent of covering all the new burger options that were popping up all across Malta. The very first burger we listed at the end of 2012 was the Texas Grander from KFC. We’ve come full circle and are back at KFC, to see what Malta’s most popular chicken express-food house is up to these days.

The image on the front window at KFC Gzira shows a humongous box with a bbq burger, a piece of chicken and all the sides your stomach can dream of! We’re in!

The BBQ Box Meal is made up of a chicken fillet, 2 pieces of bacon and a golden hash brown. The usual lettuce, cheese, mayo, and bbq sauce are there too. The chicken fillet is the original recipe one, it’s moist and tasty and has a crunchy, appetizing texture. Moist is a key factor here… Give us dry chicken, and we will run away faster than Road Runner! KFC prepare these daily, and we check out the Gzira one on a monthly basis, and their track record is usually always on the upper-quality scale in the express-food scene. Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe of herbs never fails to impress. They also have a Zinger version (called the Supercharger) for those who like spicy chicken. The hash-brown adds a mushy layer to the stack, whilst the bacon brings in the smokey flavor. This is one of the very few KFC burgers with bacon inside. We wish the bacon could be a tad more crispy, as that would have catapulted this chicken burger into a higher level of awesomeness.

The mix of textures works really well and this burger seems to have everything going the right way. The BBQ flavor is quite strong and present, though the burger is neither spicy nor sweet, so it has a good balance for those hungry ones, who just want to grab a chicken and bacon burger and devour it in one go! Aesthetically, the burger looks the part. Indeed the box meal also has a chicken piece, drink, fries and a side (onion rings, salad or corn). We think this box meal is definitely a chicken-craver quencher… If you’re famished and in the Gzira area, you know what to do!

We wish that KFC would keep the ball rolling in this direction, and hit back again with bigger chicken burgers and grander boxes filled with even more awesome sides.

In the meantime, we’re out of the office, keeping up traditions, and burger hunting on Xmas eve…

You Dirty Louisiana!

When it comes to a quick burger meal of chicken, only two places tick all the boxes. In our books, the chicken has to be moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, the price has to be affordable, and the service has to be quick and efficient. Give us dry chicken, and we will hate you for eternity! The team at KFC in Gzira have been consistent throughout the years, and that leaves us no choice but to love their chicken burgers!

So when we heard of their new burger, The Dirty Louisiana, we literally ran all the way from the office to Gzira (15 minutes!) to listen to what’s all this fuss with this Dirty talking from this Louisiana girl. It turns out that the Dirty bit in the name is due to its overload of 3 different types of sauces. So the burger is very saucy. And according to language slang, saucy = moderately dirty!

The burger is a mixture of the original recipe fillet, smothered in 3 sauces and joined by two layers of cheese, three pickles, and a hash brown. This configuration is working out successfully for KFC, as we have noticed variants of it in their past burgers. When you think of KFC, you want chicken with those 11 specially blended herbs and spices that create the perfect layer of crisp, and that’s what we have at the heart of The Dirty Louisiana; a piece of chicken with a good crunch on the exterior which gives way to a soft interior.

The saucy overload comes from 18g of mayo black pepper sauce, 15g of bbq sauce and 15g of supercharger sauce. This last one was created for those seeking a fiery hot and spicy flavour, and is based on chilli. It’s not “dragon breath” level of fiery, but it’s spicy enough to give a flavourful punch. There’s no doubt that there’s more than enough sauce oozing down the sides. It’s a flavour sensation, as the eight different combinations of these three sauces make every bite taste distinct and peculiar… the brown barbecue sauce tastes rich, the cheese and chilli based supercharger sauce tastes hardcore and the black pepper mayonnaise provides a cooling sensation.

The burger is topped with three slices of pickles, which are slightly sweet and cut through all the other components to hit your palate. This addition was a well thought out move by KFC as the overall burger is quite spicy. The heat stays with you all the way through The Dirty Louisiana, until the very last bite. The mix of textures is spot-on; this burger really seems to have everything going the right way.

The Dirty Louisiana comes in a big box, and it’s one of the largest burgers KFC have come up with to date. It seems that KFC want to give big eaters what they want… big, dirty burgers, not just in the name, but also in size! Aesthetically, the burger looks the part, and it’s built to look big. What you actually get is not too far off from the promotional images of the perfect burger. Whoever put this one together in the back kitchen, should be proud and get an achievement badge.

The burger itself packs 735 calories and 35g of protein. As if that’s not enough protein, the box deal meal comes with a signature KFC chicken piece. Who are we to say no to more chicken!

A word about the KFC fries. We love them almost as much as the chicken! They are crusty and have an all-crunch edge. They are always dry and appetizing and never marred by the steaming of a closed bag. If there ever was a French fry contest, KFC would get an award from us.

The Dirty Louisiana should be proud of itself, to have qualified as one of the bigger and tastier burgers that KFC have made to date. We wish that KFC would keep the ball rolling in this direction, and hit back again with an even grander burger in the weeks to come. In the meantime, we’re off to Gzira to have another one!

Hank’s : Legendary BBQ Chicken Burger

Legend has it that in the mid-1980s, an American gentleman settled in the UK. Known as “Hank” amongst his newfound friends, his American cuisine soon made the rounds of the country, and our protagonist opened an all-American bar and grill in his new homeland. What started out as a UK based franchise in 1985 expanded to 15 or so bars around the world from London to Bangkok, Beirut to Ibiza.

It’s 1995, and Hank’s comes to Malta and finds a new home in St. George’s Bay at the Corinthia Hotel. Back in the day, one of the first staples on the menu was the BBQ Chicken Burger, and that’s what we are here for today! We want to see if this burger is as Legendary as the name implies. Hank’s have been honing this burger for 22 years, so we’re not going to settle for anything but the best chicken on the planet. Luckily we’re in no hurry, and patrons get 3 hours of free parking at the Corinthia complex, so anyone can enjoy their food at a leisurely pace.

Amidst the Americana memorabilia and street signs (they bear the names of the men who built this place) we find Chef Eric who’s been fulfilling the hungry dreams of tens of thousands of patrons for the past 6 years. Today he’s single-handedly running the kitchen, and he’s set to impress with his grilling skills.

At the heart of the Burger, we get two pieces of chicken fillet breasts. They are marinated in Cajun spice, paprika and garlic. There is no fancy batter, so we get to enjoy the chicken meat au naturel. On top go two pieces of back bacon. We love back bacon as it includes both the loin from the pork back and some belly in the same cut. It’s much leaner than the streaky variety and meatier! The BBQ sauce is made in-house and adds a very smoky flavoursome taste to the whole burger. Melted Emmental cheese provides a slightly nutty flavour and holds all the meat elements well-stacked together. Caramelised onions, lettuce, tomatoes and sliced onions make up the vegetable part of the burger. The expertly toasted sesame bun is made locally for Hank’s, with Mustard mayo spread on top. We also get coleslaw on the side.

We love to have options when it comes to sides, and Hank’s have a selection of French fries and jacket potatoes. The jacket potatoes with melted Emmental Leicester cheese are a must if you love the more mushy potato style as we do, but for those who adore classic fries, Hank’s are crispy and perfectly salted as they come.

There’s a lot of right things to like with the BBQ chicken burger. This culinary creation is packed with flavours, and there’s no wonder why patrons have been flocking to try it out for the past 22 years. If you want to keep your caloric count down, this is definitely the next burger to try out.

On the other hand, if you’re like us and don’t mind an extra calorie here and there, then it’s a Cardinal Sin to go to Hank’s and not try out the Warm Fudge Brownie! This sweet delicacy is made from classic brownies with a delicate crust and moist, velvety centre. It’s topped with pecan nuts and thick vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and yummy marshmallows. In our opinion, this tops Hank’s dessert menu and is in a sweet league of its own. For those who prefer ice cream, Hank has his own speciality Sundae, with three flavoured scoops of ice cream, brownie chunks, cherries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Hank should be proud of how the Maltese are running his original concept and making a good impression in burger land. #MALTAburgers would love to see Hank come up with a new Legendary burger to challenge our taste buds.

The 3 Floors: KFC Tower Stacker

Houston, we have a problem! We’re just done with a beast workout at the gym, and we urgently need to replenish our levels of protein & carbs. We’re in the Msida area. What do we do?

Solution: drive to KFC, and stock up on chicken!

#MALTAburgers is in front of KFC in no time at all, and the first image that impresses is the window-sized poster advertising the humongous Tower Stacker Burger! We’re game.

The place was recently redecorated in a modern metropolitan style with an appealing red-black-gray colour scheme. Just perfect for a laid-back lunch in the summertime afternoon. The Tower Stacker is offered in two varieties, with Original Recipe fillets or Zinger taste. We start thinking and considering options, but ultimately opt for the only viable solution: get both!

The Tower Burger is made up of 3 main floors: 2 pieces of chicken fillets and a golden hash brown. The usual lettuce, cheese, mayo, and ketchup are there too. This is the main blueprint for the Maltese version of the Tower Stacker as it seems that every country sports a slightly different configuration. The chicken fillets are moist and tasty and have an appetizing texture. KFC prepare these daily, so they have to be good. The Original Recipe fillets are covered with Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe of herbs, while the Zinger ones are even crisper with a stronger herb mix that adds heat and some more! If you like spicy chicken, then definitely ask for the Zinger Tower Stacker. The hash-brown adds a mushy layer to the stack. We noticed that the chicken patties are much wider than the promotional photos, which is a superb thing (remember we are hungry).

And here comes a challenge. How do you eat the Tower Stacker? This will depend entirely on every individual’s personality.

There will be the hungry dude that will apply all his level of brute force, squeeze the burger like an industrial iron press, roll it in half, and bite off!

We did not do that and started to bite pieces at random angles, from all around until we reached the core.

We know there will be those who will use knife & fork and cut it into tiny bits and eat it like a Princess during Fashion Week… but who are we to judge?!

After all plates were cleared, we think that the Tower Stacker is definitely a hunger quencher as it’s the largest burger in the current KFC family lineup. If you’re famished and in the Gzira area, you know what to do!