In Search of Golden, Crispy, Delectable Fried Chicken - Farmshop, Pann's, Jim Dandy, Huckleberry, The Brentwood, Republique, Honeybird, Howlin' Ray's and more!

Gr8pimpin · June 16, 2019, 6:24pm

OMG, how could I forget Freddie’s and Brent’s!!!

Gr8pimpin · June 21, 2019, 7:33pm

Posted on another thread:

A5KOBE · June 25, 2019, 3:06am

I struck out at Cuckoo on Sunday, they were closed.

Consolation prize, Brent’s Black Pastrami Rueben.

Gr8pimpin · June 25, 2019, 4:44am

So sorry!! Yeah I knew they were closed on Sundays.

But having a pastrami Reuben at Brent’s is a HUGE win!!! Honestly, I would rather have that any day over hot chicken!!!

A5KOBE · June 26, 2019, 3:08am

No worries, I didn’t bother to check so totally my faultand Brent’s was an excellent back up plan.

Chowseeker1999 · July 6, 2019, 10:44pm

Update 7:

I thought that perhaps we were done with a Fried Chicken Journey for a while, but the call of possibly finding more amazing crispy, crunchy golden brown Fried Chicken lured us back in.

Gus’s Fried Chicken (Burbank)

We had been to the 1st L.A. location of Gus’s Fried Chicken a few times, but happened to be passing through this area and remembered mention of their 2nd branch in Burbank, so we stopped by.

This location is smaller than the Crenshaw main branch, but still felt welcome.

3 Piece Combo - Fried Chicken Breast, Leg and Thigh:

There’s no other way to say it: This was a total Salt Bomb! We were shocked. We brought along one of our friends who also tried the OG Crenshaw location, and has been on a few of the Fried Chicken eateries on this long journey, and she also agreed it was really, really salty.

The Chicken meat tasted fresh, but it was crazy salty. Not as bad as Ralph’s and Von’s Fried Chicken Sodium Overload, but it was the saltiest Fried Chicken we’ve had on this journey outside of those 2. I hope it’s just a fluke, but we all took small bites of each piece and couldn’t finish the rest.

Collard Greens:

The Collard Greens were fine, thankfully much less salty than the Fried Chicken, but nowhere close to the amazing version at Howlin’ Ray’s.

French Fries:

Gus’s Fries had a decent crispness to the exterior, but that was about it. Overly salty as well.

Gus’s Fried Chicken (Burbank)
509 S. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
Tel: (747) 231-3990

Additional locations at Mid-City (Crenshaw) and Long Beach.

Honeybird (Revisit)

It had been a while since we last visited Honeybird, and with a good 3/4 of a year or more, we were hoping they might’ve improved their frying technique on the Fried Chicken.

Unsweetened Ice Tea:

Refreshing.

Phil Lee O Fish (Crispy Whitefish, Lemon Dill Aioli, Pickles, Tomato, Cabbage):

Besides the Lemon Dill Aioili being a bit too runny, the Phil Lee O Fish (Chef-Owner Phil Lee’s take on McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish) is still the reason to come to Honeybird:

The Crispy Whitefish Filet is incredible: Lightly fried, not oily, with the crunch of the Cabbage, Pickles and creamy-tartness from the Lemon Dill Aioli, it certainly evokes a Filet-O-Fish, but just much, much better. So good!

Fried Chicken & Waffles:

Unfortunately (as can be seen in the pics), Honeybird’s frying technique has not improved. I suppose it’s a little less burnt than some previous visits, but it’s still very uneven and when looking into the back kitchen from the cash register, it looks like many of the staff are new / different from their opening team.

The Fried Chicken Breast was overcooked, dryish, and salty. Very one note.

The Fried Chicken Thigh was inherently juicier, but still tasted too salty and the crust was uneven, lacking any crispiness with only a mild crunch.

Just look at this Waffle and Unmelted Butter! Yes my FTC’ers, this is a ball of Butter that has been sitting on this Waffle for a few minutes (from kitchen to table), and it remained Unmelted the entire time: The Waffle was lukewarm / cold.

It was also rubbery and lacked anything redeeming to waste calories on. Avoid at all costs.

At this point, the only reason to go to Honeybird is for their Phil Lee O Fish, and it’s not worth a long drive for, but if you happen to be in the area, it’s worth a stop.

Honeybird
714 Foothill Blvd.
La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
Tel: (818) 415-0489

https://www.honeybirdla.com/

Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. (Revisit)

Similar to Honeybird, we wanted to see how Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. might be doing these days, and stopped by as well.

Chicken Dinner Set:

If there is one thing to appreciate about Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. is that it’s consistent: The outer crust has a light crunch that is oil-saturated, and the meat within has always been consistently moist and fresh-tasting. It is also consistently greasy and oily tasting just like our previous 5 visits. Everyone in our group left feeling the same way.

Ultimately this is just their style of Fried Chicken: There’s a marinade that lends a sugary note to the oiliness here and those two factors combined make it almost cloying / hard to eat after a few bites.

Sweet Ponzu, Sweet & Spicy Ponzu and Yuzu Pepper Sauce:

As before, the Sweet Ponzu and Sweet & Spicy Ponzu turn the already cloying Fried Chicken into a pseudo-Kyochon-like Korean Fried Chicken angle. The Yuzu Pepper Sauce is much better, helping to cut through the greasiness. However, they only provide that tiny amount in the picture. They charge $1.50 per tablespoon of this Sauce if you want more.

Cabbage Slaw with House Dressing:

I liked the freshness of the Raw Cabbage to help cut through the meal. The House Dressing is a bit too sweet here though.

Chicken Rice:

The Chicken Rice that comes with each dinner set is fine. It’s not like a Hainan Chicken Rice, but has a more basic “Wet Rice” taste.

Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. is very consistent in its offerings, and I appreciate the lightly crunchy batter and juiciness of the Chicken. The style / flavor of the Chicken isn’t for me, though, but they have a big legion of fans, as there’s always a wait every time we’ve gone. It’s a solid place if you’re in the neighborhood.

Tokyo Fried Chicken Co.
122 S Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Tel: (626) 282-9829

Cuckoo Rooster

Driving out to Agoura Hills is quite a bit of a trek, but thanks to the report from @Gr8pimpin wondering how this might compare to Howlin’ Ray’s, we decided to tack this on our Fried Chicken Journey.

Walking in and looking at the menu, perhaps the old saying is true, that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

There are 6 Heat Levels (the 7th choice is just a Garlic & Soy variant), just like Howlin’ Ray’s, and even the descriptions are ripped off from Howlin’ Ray’s:

Howlin’ Ray’s Level 1 Country is “No Heat.” At Cuckoo? Level 1 = “No Heat.”
Howlin’ Ray’s Level 2 Mild is “Brush of Heat.” At Cuckoo? Level 2 = “Brush of Heat.”
Howlin’ Ray’s Level 3 Medium is “Feel the Burn.” At Cuckoo? Level 3 = “Feel the Burn.”
Howlin’ Ray’s Level 4 Hot is “Burn, Baby, Burn.” At Cuckoo? Level 4 = “Burn, Burn, Burn.”
Howlin’ Ray’s Level 5 X-Hot is “You’ve Been Warned!” At Cuckoo? Level 5 = “You’ve Been Warned.”
Howlin’ Ray’s Level 6 Howlin’ is “Can’t Touch This 10++.” At Cuckoo? Level 6 = “Please, Think Twice.”

Seriously.

Knowing how hard Chef Johnny Ray Zone and his wife worked to get their operation off the ground, imitators were inevitable (how many of us remember the joke in Australia known as Howlin’ Jay’s?), but right here in L.A., for another restaurant to try and rip them off? That’s just a jerk move.

On to the food.

Fries:

Tasting like standard Sysco manufactured Fries, there was a light crunch on the outside, not overly salty. These were fine.

Fried Chicken (Leg & Thigh) - Naked Heat (No Heat):

One look at the battered exterior and you can tell this is nowhere near as good as Howlin’ Ray’s. Taking a bite…

Oily, greasy, slightly crunchy batter. Over-salted, and the Chicken meat within is moist, but very one note and way saltier than Howlin’ Ray’s. It looks like Cuckoo Rooster ripped off Howlin’ Ray’s for the Heat Levels and attempt to sell “Hot Chicken” in L.A., but Cuckoo is using Buttermilk Batter, resulting in a much thicker, heavier (and in this case badly fried, oil-saturated) Fried Chicken. Not in the same league as Howlin’.

Fried Chicken (Breast & Wing) - Mild (“Brush of Heat”):

Cuckoo’s Level 2 “Mild” is one note heat. Compared to Howlin’ Ray’s (which contains a variety of Chilies) and is much more nuanced, Cuckoo’s Level 2 looks the part, but flavor wise is rather boring. The exterior crust is similar to the Naked, a Buttermilk Batter that is on the oily, heavy side, slight crunch, no crispiness, and the worst part is the Chicken Breast meat is overcooked. As you can see from the picture above, the batter is completely separate from the Chicken meat, there are chunks of undercooked Batter, and the white meat is dry and really salty.

Original Crispy Chicken Sandwich + Mac & Cheese:

The Mac & Cheese is OK. Not enough Cheese and more creamy / saucy than anything.

Original Crispy Chicken Sandwich - Level 3 Medium (Burn, Burn, Burn):

Cuckoo’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich definitely looked like it was trying to imitate Howlin’ Ray’s. The crimson red exterior turned out to be an accurate reflection of the spiciness: The first bite sent an immediate spike of heat into your mouth, this was far spicier than Howlin’ Ray’s Level 3 Medium, in a different way: Cuckoo uses only Paprika and Cayenne Peppers for its Level 3 Medium, but they use too much of it (the jump from Level 2 to 3 is severe).

But taste-wise? I’d agree with @Gr8pimpin that it was juicy, not overly salty (much better than their Bone-In Fried Chicken), and the initial taste definitely gave off a hint of Howlin’ Ray’s Level 3. But their “Cuckoo Sauce” (instead of Howlin’s “Comeback Sauce”) isn’t as compelling, and the Bun isn’t as soft as Howlin’s.

But this was the first offering at Cuckoo’s that was very solid. If you were in the area and felt like a Hot Chicken Sandwich (Nashville-style), give their Original Crispy Chicken Sandwich a try. But the rest of Cuckoo Rooster’s menu feels like a shadow of Howlin’ Ray’s, and is nowhere near as good. In this case, I prefer Oscar Wilde’s variation on the famous saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

Cuckoo Rooster
5653 Kanan Rd.
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Tel: (818) 851-9566

Chef Marilyn’s, Queen of Down Home Southern Goodies

As we lined up with the friendly locals on a lazy weekend afternoon, you could see that Chef Marilyn’s, Queen of Down Home Southern Goodies was a restaurant that meant something to the neighborhood. We saw some destitute-looking folks walk in and wave at the staff, and they began to fix up some food for them to eat (free of charge). Still more walked in ahead of the line and paid, but we saw them throw in some extra food for the hungry, homeless looking people and greet them by name.

This isn’t some fancy place: Many items on the menu are $0.99 with most of the menu under $4. But it was welcoming and friendly. This is To-Go Only, there are no places to dine.

Fried Chicken with Spinach & Collard Greens:

The Fried Chicken Breast has a decent crunch, with a hint of crispiness. The Fried Chicken is made in batches and sits under a heat lamp for orders, but turnover seems to be pretty high. But more surprisingly, it’s not overly salty, and the Chicken Breast meat is moist(!).

Fried Chicken Thigh:

The Fried Chicken Thigh is even juicier, has the same light crunchy batter with a hint of crispiness and is not salty either. The seasoning felt a bit basic, but for $0.99 I’d say the QPR is quite high and there’s not much room to complain. This was actually solid.

Collard Greens:

Unfortunately, their Collard Greens were rancid! It tasted like they went bad (they, too were only $0.99).

Sauteed Spinach:

Their Spinach was much better, tasting fresh, iron-y, and straightforward.

Chef Marilyn’s was so surprising, we had to give them another try to see how consistent they might be.

2nd Visit:

Their menu changes daily, so some items may not be available on a certain day, all served via steam tables:

Fried Chicken, Red Beans & Southern Style Green Beans:

Southern Style Green Beans:

The Southern Style Green Beans were spot-on: Cooked down to a very soft consistency, but evoking the best type of childhood memories of long-cooked Green Beans. Tasty!

Red Beans:

Their Red Beans were nicely seasoned, not too salty, and were toothsome and earthy. (And yes, they can mix in some Steamed White Rice to make “Red Beans & Rice” if you want.) These were also very solid.

Fried Chicken Wing:

Interestingly, their Fried Chicken Wings were gigantic! They were far bigger than the Drumsticks, making it feel like they bought extra-large Chicken Wings just for frying. We lucked out and arrived as a new batch of Fried Chicken was coming out of the fryer.

The Fried Chicken Wings were piping hot, the batter was crunchy and crispy, but this time, there was too much salt. Nowhere near inedible status, but they were much saltier than the 1st visit.

Fried Chicken Breast:

The Fried Chicken Breast was also piping hot, literally just out of the fryer 2 minutes beforehand. The exterior was also just as consistently fried, crunchy, crispy (better than the 1st visit), but the interior Chicken Breast meat was overcooked badly. The 1st visit was better for the meat, but the 2nd visit was better for the exterior batter.

Fried Chicken Thigh:

The Fried Chicken Thigh was also searing hot, right out of the fryer. It was fried to the right temperature as the Fried Chicken Skin was ultra crispy and lightly crunchy, and there was no unrendered fat left. Yum!

The actual Chicken Thigh meat? It was moist, juicy, but very one note. This is an example where even fresh out of the fryer, piping hot, perfectly crispy Chicken Skin can’t save the Fried Chicken when comparing it against better recipes for flavoring of the meat itself (a la Howlin’ Ray’s, and a few other contenders). It tasted mainly of a basic Salt Marinade, which was fine, but it got boring after a few bites.

Ultimately, Chef Marilyn’s, Queen of Down Home Southern Goodies, is a pleasant surprise for great value, delivering affordable Fried Chicken to the masses, far better than Ralph’s, Von’s or Fast Food Fried Chicken in terms of price to value. When you can get Fried Chicken Legs & Thighs for $0.99, and many other sides at $0.99, and where the sodium levels don’t skyrocket to high blood pressure-inducing levels, it has its purpose in the neighborhood and for anyone passing through in search of affordable, solid Fried Chicken.

Chef Marilyn’s, Queen of Down Home Southern Goodies
2638 Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
Tel: (323) 737-8101

Gjusta (Revisit)

Gjusta does so many things right, but one of the surprises might very well be their Dinner-Only Fried Chicken that’s served only during the Summer. Last year’s offering was a shock and surprise (thank you again @PorkyBelly), so we were excited to see how it fared being added back on the menu this year.

Sparkling Ginger Lemonade:

Bracing, refreshing, fresh-ground Ginger Root with, fresh-squeezed Lemonade.

(Dinner-Only, Summer-Only) Fried Chicken (Bread & Butter Pickles, Buttermilk Dressing, Honey Hot Sauce):

Something was slightly off as the Chicken arrived. As can be seen in the pics, the Batter was sporadic and loose. It fell off the Chicken too easily (or just fell apart), in some sections of the Chicken Breast there wasn’t even Batter.

However, the flavor was still as good as last year, but the Batter inconsistency was a problem.

The 2 Sauces on the side were OK, spicy sweet, and the Buttermilk Dressing was creamy, rich, but we enjoyed the Fried Chicken best without them.

2nd Re-Visit:

(Dinner-Only, Summer-Only) Fried Chicken (Bread & Butter Pickles, Buttermilk Dressing, Honey Hot Sauce):

On this next visit, the Fried Chicken Batter didn’t fall off the Chicken (we had spoken to the manager about it from our last visit). Which was great…

Except that for one of the pieces (Chicken Thigh), there was raw uncooked Batter underneath! This was a shock. The Chicken itself was fine and juicy and tasty.

We brought it up to another manager who kinda shrugged (uhm).

So at this point, it seems that for the Fried Chicken Dinner Crew, they have new / different people working and have been too inconsistent on their Fried Chicken to make it great unfortunately. (Interestingly, all our other items we ordered on these 2 visits were excellent (as usual).)

Gjusta
320 Sunset Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
Tel: (310) 314-0320

McDonald’s (Thailand)

(Full Caveat: I am not a fan of fast food. Not out of some “food snobbery” (most of you FTC’ers know I love hanging out with our friends at the plethora of amazing Taco Trucks around L.A.), but just that the “food” that you get just doesn’t agree with me at fast food joints.)

Next, no, this is not a typo.

As we were in Bangkok and passing by the Golden Arches, a large poster caught my eye: It featured large, enticing photos of Bone-In Fried Chicken, with the words “McFried Chicken” and we found ourselves suddenly making a beeline passed the politely welcoming Thai Ronald McDonald statue - “Sawatdee!” - and pretty soon this arrived in front of us:

McFried Chicken (To-Go):

I was so ready to post this on FTC laughing about how awful this Fried Chicken must be (it’s fast food, from McDonald’s!). Taking a bite…

A stunning crunchy, lightly crispy batter gave way to a nice buzzing Thai Chili Heat, with moist, juicy, well-seasoned Chicken meat that tasted fresh, and actually vibrant?!

What is going on here?!

We took another bite. Then the Fried Chicken Breast, which was also moist and juicy and with a nice heat-level.

This was seriously LEGIT Fried Chicken!

I couldn’t believe what I just tasted.

I filed it away as a fluke. But a few days later, we passed by another Thai McDonald’s.

2nd Visit:

“Sawatdee! Mr. Ronald McDonald!”

McFried Chicken - 3 Pieces:

Observe that they serve this on porcelain plates emblazoned with the Golden Arches logo, with real metal utensils. This was dine-in (as opposed to To-Go last time).

McFried Chicken Leg:

Notice the golden hue, I was scared. There was no way what we ate last time was for reals.

Taking a bite…

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

Crunchy, lightly crispy, fresh, light Thai Chili Heat, moist, juicy 100% LEGIT FRIED CHICKEN!

McFried Chicken Thigh:

The Fried Chicken Thigh? Same way. Hot, juicy, crunchy, lightly crispy, with great tasting Chicken! These local Thai McDonald’s must get their Chicken from local farmers in Thailand (it didn’t taste frozen), and judging from the quality of the Chicken I had for Thai dishes, it’s not the bland, gigantic Chickens we have here in the States.

This McFried Chicken was SO GOOD that I would legit eat this EVERY WEEK if it was in L.A. It is easily the #2 Best Fried Chicken we have in L.A. if it was transported as is (not a joke)!

(@Ns1 @paranoidgarliclover @PorkyBelly @J_L @ipsedixit @TheCookie @attran99 @Gr8pimpin @A5KOBE @JeetKuneBao and others.)

Thai French Fries:

Their French Fries were also perfectly fried, lightly crispy crunchy and delicious.

If the McFried Chicken at the 2 Thailand McDonald’s we tried are indicative of the quality of this dish, then look out because McDonald’s in Thailand has somehow created one of the most amazing, consistent, perfect Fried Chicken dishes that is better than all of the bespoke and mom-and-pop places we have in L.A. (outside of Howlin’ Ray’s). It is THAT GOOD!

The sample size is too small at this point, but the QPR is insane: 3 Pieces of perfectly cooked Fried Chicken (with a touch of Thai Chili Heat) and Regular Fries for ~$4.50. But it’s also with sadness when thinking on it, because if it got added to American McDonald’s menus, you know they’d use some mass-produced American Chicken, and with the inconsistency across various McDonald’s here in the States, you’d probably end up with a vastly inferior product. In the meantime, this was a stunner, and worth a try. At least at these 2 locations:

McDonald’s
(at MBK Center)
444 Phayathai Rd., Khwaeng Wang Mai, Khet Pathum Wan,
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 686 3517

and

McDonald’s
45/63 ทางหลวงพิเศษสายกรุงเทพ-ชลบุรี (สายใหม่) หมู่ 7 ต.เขาดิน อ.บางปะกง,
Tambon Khao Din, Amphoe Bang Pakong,
Chang Wat Chachoengsao 24130, Thailand

https://www.mcdonalds.co.th/?lang=th

Howlin’ Ray’s (Revisit)

And finishing up this journey, we had to see how these places compared with our favorite, Howlin’ Ray’s.

Walking in, Chef Johnny Ray Zone and his well-trained and super friendly staff greet us (and anyone else who wants to take a photo of them):

They ham it up for the cameras, but continue to run a finely-tuned kitchen that would not be out of place at a fine-dining establishment (all due to Chef Zone’s culinary background).

Market Side - Collard Greens:

As impressive as ever. This time Chef Zone “doctors up” the Collard Greens with the way he was taught to eat them from some old school locals back East. Long-stewed, tender, earthy, outstanding!

(X-Style) Fried Chicken Wing:

Chef Zone greeted us and a few customers and talked about how one of their newer staff members created this new variant of the Fried Chicken Wing (I forgot the new employee’s name), so they christened this dish in their honor.

Howlin’ Ray’s batter survived the coating by this melted American Cheese and it was what you expect: Great Fried Chicken with a Melted Cheese coating.

Fried Chicken Dark (Leg & Thigh), Level 1 “Country” Style (No Heat):

Taking a bite… perfectly crispy-crunchy batter, not oily or overly greasy like too many places we’ve tried around L.A. The Free-Range, All-Natural Chicken meat is juicy, bright, tender, nicely savory, but never too salty.

Outstanding Fried Chicken!

Fried Chicken White (Breast & Wing), Level 3 “Medium” Style (“Feel the Burn”):

The Level 3 Medium Heat level is perfect for my tastes, there’s a real nice kick of spiciness, but nothing that overwhelms the palate (like Level 4 and above does for me). There’s some Paprika, some amazing spice blend mixture that Chef Zone has perfected over the years, it’s nuanced, complex and keeps your taste buds dancing as you bite into the crispy-crunchy crust and the moist, tender Chicken Breast meat within. It holds up well to the Level 3 Medium spice level. So good!

(Complimentary) Pickles:

The free Pickles are snappy, piquant and offer that perfect way to balance out the Fried Chicken fest you’re having.

(Off Menu) Juicy-Style Fries:

Howlin’ Ray’s French Fries are mixed with their Housemade Comeback Sauce, Crystal Hot Sauce, Housemade Slaw and a dash of Vinegar to create this truly “juicy” set of French Fries. The result is a crazy “Wet Fries” experience, but it’s spicy, creamy, vinegary and crunchy at the same time.

The Sando (Boneless Breast, Slaw, Comeback Sauce, Pickles, Butter Bun) - Level 2 “Mild" Style (“Brush of Heat”):

It’s easy to take this for granted, until you’ve had a variety of Fried Chicken Sandwiches around L.A. and then come back to Howlin’ Ray’s to compare. Chef Zone’s Fried Chicken Sandwich is still as stupid-good as before!

An organic-shaped, All-Natural Fried Chicken Breast (Boneless), not the usual pre-formed or Chicken Tenders manufactured shaped Chicken found at the center of most of these Sandwiches around L.A. The exterior batter is awesome, like the Fried Chicken, crispy-crunchy, moist, juicy white meat Chicken within. The Level 2 Mild Heat is a playful, light heat, giving more nuance and additional layers on the tongue than actual burning heat, so it’s a good relaxing way to enjoy greatness.

The Comeback Sauce, Slaw, Pickles and that soft Butter Bun combine to make the best Fried Chicken Sandwich in L.A.!

Another Fried Chicken Journey has come to an end. While many of the places along the way have gotten worse, or stayed the same, we were glad to have found some surprises in places like Chef Marilyn’s for a very cost-affordable option in that neighborhood, as well as the shocking discovery at The Golden Arches in Thailand.

Chef Zone and his crew are still consistently awesome at Howlin’ Ray’s, cooking up the best Fried Chicken in our region, week-in and week-out, even after being open for a couple of years. That’s encouraging for Howlin’ Ray’s eventual 2nd Shop in Pasadena and future expansions, and in the meantime, know that a visit back to Howlin’ Ray’s is Fried Chicken greatness.

Howlin’ Ray’s Nashville Hot Chicken
727 N. Broadway Ave #128
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 935-8399

PorkyBelly · July 6, 2019, 11:04pm

Is Andy Gavin involved with this place?

Sgee · July 6, 2019, 11:04pm

Hahaha, these fast food joints are ‘premium’ priced in Thailand compared to the local fare.

Gr8pimpin · July 6, 2019, 11:14pm

Thank you, @Chowseeker1999, so much for the report! I went back to Cuckoo Rooster, a few days ago too, and my chicken was not nearly as good as the first time I had it. Didn’t have a chance to report it here. I agree the breast was dry. The first time I had it, it was perfectly juicy all the way through. The second time I had it (a couple of days ago my second visit I got the sandwich), the coating was much thicker than the first time. I made a comment to my cohort that the coating is way too thick to be eaten plain on its own. With the heat on it, it is better but still too thick.

It also made me decide that for the most part I’m not a big fan of batter-fried chicken. I don’t like the thicker coating at all.

Agreed, the sandwich is the way to go.

Like I mentioned I had never had anything to compare it to and I had never had hot chicken before. So now I REALLY can’t WAIT to use my Howlin’ Ray’s pass.

Chowseeker1999 · July 6, 2019, 11:19pm

Hi @Gr8pimpin,

Thank you for the report on the place! Definitely agree that the Fried Chicken Sandwich was a good offering, much better than their bone-in Fried Chicken. I’d eat that again if we were in the area / passing through.

For Howlin’ Ray’s Fast Pass, one note:

Make sure you arrive a few minutes before your scheduled time, and wait for it (with the staff knowing you’re there).

That way, as soon as the Chicken is ready, they will hand it to you and you can take it out to one of the picnic tables and eat immediately.

You want to minimize the amount of time that the Fried Chicken might accidentally “steam” in To-Go containers. So it’s better to be early and get your food as it’s ready / packed, vs. showing up late and having it steam already.

Hope you enjoy your visit!

Gr8pimpin · July 6, 2019, 11:20pm

Too bad you didn’t give me a review of this last week, LOL. My wife was in the Philippines for the last three weeks and she made a comment to me that McDonald’s had fried chicken.

Gr8pimpin · July 6, 2019, 11:22pm

I won’t drive that far for just the chicken sandwich, but I would for Italia Deli and Cake Monkey.

Thank you so much for the Howlin’ Ray’s advice. I’m saving it to my phone.

JeetKuneBao · July 6, 2019, 11:39pm

Booking my flight now to Bangkok as we speak

Chowseeker1999 · July 6, 2019, 11:47pm

Ah! I knew I forgot something… we also visited Gjusta during this latest journey!

(I’ve appended it to the original post above, but adding it here for all of you who missed it):

Gjusta (Revisit)

Gjusta does so many things right, but one of the surprises might very well be their Dinner-Only Fried Chicken that’s served only during the Summer. Last year’s offering was a shock and surprise (thank you again @PorkyBelly), so we were excited to see how it fared being added back on the menu this year.

Sparkling Ginger Lemonade:

Bracing, refreshing, fresh-ground Ginger Root with, fresh-squeezed Lemonade.

(Dinner-Only, Summer-Only) Fried Chicken (Bread & Butter Pickles, Buttermilk Dressing, Honey Hot Sauce):

Something was slightly off as the Chicken arrived. As can be seen in the pics, the Batter was sporadic and loose. It fell off the Chicken too easily (or just fell apart), in some sections of the Chicken Breast there wasn’t even Batter.

However, the flavor was still as good as last year, but the Batter inconsistency was a problem.

The 2 Sauces on the side were OK, spicy sweet, and the Buttermilk Dressing was creamy, rich, but we enjoyed the Fried Chicken best without them.

2nd Re-Visit:

(Dinner-Only, Summer-Only) Fried Chicken (Bread & Butter Pickles, Buttermilk Dressing, Honey Hot Sauce):

On this next visit, the Fried Chicken Batter didn’t fall off the Chicken (we had spoken to the manager about it from our last visit). Which was great…

Except that for one of the pieces (Chicken Thigh), there was raw uncooked Batter underneath! This was a shock. The Chicken itself was fine and juicy and tasty.

We brought it up to another manager who kinda shrugged (uhm).

So at this point, it seems that for the Fried Chicken Dinner Crew, they have new / different people working and have been too inconsistent on their Fried Chicken to make it great unfortunately. (Interestingly, all our other items we ordered on these 2 visits were excellent (as usual).)

Gjusta
320 Sunset Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
Tel: (310) 314-0320

Haeldaur · July 7, 2019, 12:02am

I’m just hoping we’re about to get a Chowseeker-style report on Thailand…

PorkyBelly · July 7, 2019, 4:40am

What’s the parking sitch like? Can I valet or should I lyft it.

And the one million baht question, do they have fof and hash browns?

J_L · July 7, 2019, 11:45pm

That’s like $2.15

Chowseeker1999 · July 8, 2019, 1:18am

Hi @PorkyBelly,

Parking might be tough, but just take a Songhtheow or Tuk Tuk and you’ll be fine. Or take Bangkok’s train / rail system which has the coldest AC in all of Thailand!

Or you might convince @J_L to borrow Jeeves and the Aston Martin for the ride over.

And yes! Thanks for the reminder. When I saw that McDonald’s Thailand has:

Double Filet-O-Fish Sandwich(!) I immediately thought of you and @J_L and @Ns1 (and @paranoidgarliclover and all our FTC fans of this), LOL.

aaqjr · July 8, 2019, 1:46am

The race is on! Who is going to be the first to eat and photograph the ‘2 cubed’ in the wild! two fliet o fish, two cheese and two hash browns

TheCookie · July 9, 2019, 8:40pm

Love this report @Chowseeker1999!

You do realize you’re torturing some of us with that Thai McFried Chicken! You’re probably right about the fresh local chicken. When Chowseeker1999 says a fried chicken is the next best thing to Howlin’ Ray’s it makes people want to buy a plane ticket!

Glad you like Chef Marilyn’s. They catered my aunt’s memorial. It was so good. Not surprised they were giving food to the needy. She has a philosophy about helping and second chances. They also give jobs to parolees to fulfill their probation requirements. Good people. I’m kinda’ surprised, but not surprised about those bad greens. Greens turn sour and bad pretty fast in buffet pans. I learned that when I saw an employee at Pampas Grill empty and replace a barely eaten pan of greens. They said they’re required to replace the greens throughout the day no matter what.

No shit. They don’t even have enough creativity to try and disguise their rip-off.

Happy Eating!