TLO Hot Rods are back

Let us welcome back an old friend for his third incarnation. We first welcomed the Hot Rods box meal roughly 18 months ago and it quickly became a modern classic and firm favourite amongst the KFB team. We were therefore delighted when this reappeared as a TLO just 6 months ago and are ecstatic to see it appear yet again at this very special time of year.

KFB has made many entreaties to have the hot rod box meal added as a regular menu item much the way the Big Daddy meal and the boneless banquet have crept in. The genius here is the boneless element as opposed to the bony piece of chicken that usually adorns my box meal. Their satisfying size, texture and latent heat that unleashes itself after a few chews is incredible.

Although we've seen a 40p price rise in 18 months and the Hot Rods Box meal now costs 4.89 this is still a great product which saves me (who doesn't eat bony chicken) wasting a piece from my individual box meal.

The advertising has altered slightly with the current batch featuring a thermometer that's overheated due to being used to attempt to ascertain the heat of a hot rod. and we also now have the addition of a 13.49 family size boneless banquet featuring the Hot Rod.

And the special time of year, aside from Christmas being an important religious festival, December holds its own special significance for KFC lovers. December was the month when our lord Harland ascended to Chicken heaven from the top of mount Poultry to oversee his empire for all eternity. To be able to enjoy the Hot rod at this special time is truly a gratifying experience.

Not Much remains to be said about the Hot Rod box meal. this is a TLO at its best. You can read past reviews here.

KFC ICELAND

Always keen to push back the frontiers, KFB has visited what could possibly be the most northerly group of KFCs in the world.........Iceland.

And the reason for our visit? Well, to celebrate the recent vanquishing and subsequent departure of arch enemy, rival chain and nemesis.......Mc Donalds, who last month closed their three Icelandic branches leaving them with no presence in the country whatsoever.

KFC however retains a strong position in the country and this reporter found 3 branches without even looking for them. The country boasts at least 4 more, not bad considering the entire population of Iceland is only 300,000. That's an incredible 1 KFC per 42,000 people compared to the UK ratio of 1/75,000.

Not only do they provide the population with delicious chicken they also add to the architectural grandeur and character of the country, with the most recently constructed Keflavik restaurant (shown below) gaining plaudits by featuring in British architecture magazine Archdaily (read the article here).

But what you really want to know, how was the food?

Firstly, the menu was huge, it was how I imagine the KFCs in heaven. A large board displayed all my favourites past and present as well as a few innovative products to boot, that I'd love to see in the UK. As well as the usual OR Chicken pieces, also on offer were Zinger Tower Burgers, Zinger Boxmasters, Twisters (including a zinger twister which I'd love to see in the UK) and a TLO of the Wrapstar and the innovative Meltz (small chicken pieces in a Mexican style sauce sandwiched between a folded wrap, incidentally this product was spotted doing the international rounds in Germany 04)

The below picture show the menu options in all their glory, and note the bottom right option to add any of the 4 sauces to be slathered across your chicken. The only thing feasibly missing was the Hot Rods.

Slightly overwhelmed at first by the huge choice on offer I opted for a Zinger tower (of Course) as well as taking a Zinger Boxmaster (I had loved its British incarnation as the Blazin' Boxmaster), some Meltz and a Wrapstar as well as fries and a pot of gravy. The order was promptly prepared and I took it to our spotless table (as were they all in the restaurant) complete with cruet set........very civilized, but sadly they wouldn't last a minute in England.

And so the feast began, or at least I attempted to begin it. However, when I tried to pick up my ZT box it felt as if my burger had been substituted with a lump of lead. I soon discovered that I was not the victim of some cruel prank but the recipient of the most massive and mighty ZT ever constructed, we weren't talking quarter pounders, we weren't talking half pounders we were talking very close to the 1lb mark(of which 85% was pure Chicken). If this wasn't GM Chicken (which would be no bad thing) then I'd love to know what they're feeding them over there. I have tried to capture its awesome size in pictures but I fear I may not have done it justice.

The Burger itself was well constructed with all the key ingredients in their proper proportions somehow though it just wasn't quite right. the ETC coating tasted odd and the Zing was not as strong as our homegrown stuff, Icelandic mayonnaise too differs taking on the guise of something more akin to sour cream which was actually a very refreshing ingredient as opposed to the sometimes cloying UK mayo. 10/10 for effort but really a 6/10 for taste.

The Zinger Boxmaster too suffered a similar fate, huge size just not enough zing, the Wrapstar however was a faithful representation of its British counterpart and the Meltz were tasty, moist and very reasonably priced at 899kr.

The gravy however was a let down being described as 'bad canteen gravy' and although sporting a rich brown colour it tasted like it had only been made using half a step. The chips too suffered in the same way as their British counterparts, being very satisfying fresh from the fryer before cooling rapidly to become insipid and unappetising.

Overall, the pros:

Breadth of menus
cleanliness
portion size

The Cons:

The gravy
the chips
the fact that it was just not quite right.

Result 7/10

KFB visits Europe's biggest KFC

Here at Kentucky Fried Bloggin' we're not afraid of going to great lengths in order to further our chicken-based knowledge. So as you might imagine, when we were informed that Europe's biggest KFC was situated in Munich, Germany we immediately began planning a visit. The first thing we had to do though was to verify the size of this beast. By utilising our contacts at KFC we were put in touch with a mysterious group of characters known only as 'the Development Team' from Dallas (we kid you not). Here's what they had to say:

"The Munich KFC is certainly one of, if not the largest KFC building footprint in the world. All in all, it’s approximately 2650sm which includes a covered drive thru, two levels of covered parking, two levels of dining, an outdoor seating terrace, and a children’s play area. I don’t have the exact seating count, but I believe it has between 150 & 200 seats"

Now that is big. Really big. Armed with this information, the planning began in earnest. This complex process mainly involved the use of Lastminute.com and a credit card. With the flights and accommodation were now booked we were all set to visit the European chicken holy grail!

Fast forward to our arrival in Germany. It just so happened that our trip coincided with a hugely famous international event, said by some to be the world's biggest festival. It was called something along the lines of 'Oktoberfest'. Naturally though, this was mere coincidence. It was the chicken that had brought us all this way. After accidentally spending a day at the aforementioned festival we decided it was time to begin the pilgrimage. There was only one problem: we had no real idea where it was situated. Still, that's what the friendly folk at hotel reception are for, right? Let's just say we ended up causing a queue of around 20 disgruntled holidaymakers while we probed the staff for directions.

KFC Munich is not an easy restaurant to locate. It is far from the closest public transport links. And yet, undeterred by the disconcerting distances on the map in front of us, we struggled on, hungover but determined. But wait, what was this in front of us? A test from the Colonel himself? Yes readers, there are Golden Arches en route to the KFC. (And if you're wondering whether or not we stopped there, I suggest you stop reading this blog immediately and wash your mouth out with Chicken McNuggets) We wandered on until suddenly, a familiar shape appeared on the horizon. The 3 red letters we all yearned for...K.F.C. Was it a mirage? Could they really be that big? Would we pass out before we actually reached the holy ground? Find out in part 2 of the pilgramage post.

Newcastle-Under-Lyme KFC: Branch Opening

It is not often that KFB gets to visit a new branch on the day it opens, what with the daily grind and constraints of work. However this new branch in Newcastle-Under-Lyme is a mere stones throw from my place of employment. After work I headed straight there to sample what I hoped would be some fine cuisine and to witness history in the making.

This new branch is situated on Liverpool road at the site of the former Hanging Gate public house. However the old building has been demolished to make way for a purpose built state of the art eatery. Here is the first look:

Visited 2nd November 2009 (opening day) 6pm.

OVERVIEW
At 6pm this was peak time and I could only just fit through the door before being confronted by a rather large queue. Although there are other more established branches within just a couple of miles of this new one it seemed that many curious Novocastrians had flocked here in their scores to appraise this new and seemingly welcome feature of the town.

Having always played second fiddle to nearby Stoke-On-Trent, Newcastle will welcome the advent of this new era, seeing itself as finally having achieved parity with its nearby rival in the fine dining arena, by finally witnessing the arrival of KFC.

This restaurant does have a provincial air about, it is small, with at most, seating for 40 hungry diners. Its decor is of course modern but features low easy benches to better accommodate the slower pace of life out of the capital. I personally find these lounge style benches unconducive to serious eating and prefer to see branches with the banquet table, which nearby Fenton branch boasts. This restaurant also offers a Drive Thru facility to increase its rate of sales. It is located on a busy thoroughfare and looms invitingly to the hungry passing motorist.

CLEANLINESS
On this occasion the restaurant was spotless due to its infancy, although the tables could have been cleared a little more often. This minor indiscretion can be forgiven however due to the busyness of the branch at the time.

TOILETS
Its toilet facilities are also noteworthy and have been witnessed in a few of the smaller branches, one unisex cubicle that also accommodates any disabled patrons is all that is on offer. However during this particularly busy visit this limited number seemed to cause neither problems or queues.

THE STAFF
There were a many staff who seemed (as it was the first day) to know what they were doing. I saw only 'team members' as opposed to any white shirted 'team leaders' but the apparent lack of figurehead hadn't left the team rudderless and they functioned well. They were however as usual let down by customers whose aural skills were laughable. I saw one staff member become irritable after he had shouted out an order which remained unclaimed after his fourth clear and loud proclamation of its readiness. In KFBs book if you have ordered and are waiting for food then the onus is on you to keep your attention focused in order to claim it as soon as it is ready.

THE ZINGER TOWER
This is the yardstick by which each branch can be measured. This particular burger impressed. It was well constructed needing no realignment, the hash brown perched squarely atop the fillet which itself sat squarely on the bun, there was plenty of salsa and the lettuce as usual was verdant, crisp and plentiful, whilst the amount of Mayonnaise was not overpowering. The Hash brown was well cooked and crispy. The burger had been sat for a couple of minutes as evidenced by the advanced melted state of the cheese, its overall taste though showed it had not sat too long. The Fillet itself had plenty of zing and the ETC coating was just perfectly balanced between crispy but not overcooked. The Chicken could have been slightly more juicy and the sesame kaiser bun was slightly over toasted. Overall the ZT 8/10

THE GRAVY
A poor one step though allowable in this instance as there probably wasn't yet any crackling to produce that fine 3step we all know and love.

THE CHIPS
I Lucked out and obviously enjoyed some chips from a fresh batch. Hot, crispy and delicious.

ANCILLARY ITEMS ISLAND
Each item bin contained its designated offering although one or two of them were running low and as all the staff seemed to be busy behind the counter I wonder how long it was before one or more items was unavailable.

What disappointed about this particular visit was the lack of celebration that a new KFC had sprung into existence. This should be celebrated by opening offers or even at least a banner with a proclamation of greetings. Sadly there was utterly no indication that this restaurant had opened this very day. However despite this, this has the potential to be a great little restaurant, although a bit too far out of my way to visit often. There will be a follow up to this post in a couple of months to see how this restaurant has continued to fare.

Overall Rating 7/10

Halloween tales of horror: The legend of Leicester Square

If you're looking for a story to set your blood curdeling like a 5 day old krushem this halloween, look no further than this TERRIFYING tale - if you dare!



When officials from a SINISTER government agency descended upon the Coventry Street premises of KFC (possibly on a DARK AND STORMY NIGHT, although that is unconfirmed) they expected the usual high levels of quality shown at kfc branches around the world, and for the staff to have put blood sweat and tears into the production of the finest chicken products. Little did they know, the staff had been fulfilling this mandate - LITERALLY! (sound of a spooky castle)

Venturing inside, these baleful bureaucrats claim to have discovered conditions that would make the Colonel roll over so fast in his grave you could strap magnets to him and use him to power L.A - BLOOD-CAKED floors, MICE INFESTED corners, corners full of CRAWLING COCKROACHES, and perhaps most EVILY of all - A LACK OF HYGENIC FACILITIES OF HANDWASHING! (sound of a blood-soaked mummy)

Little is known of the rest of the tale, although rumours abound that KFC has pleaded not guilty on all 13 charges brought under food hygiene regulations, and has pledged to immediatly fix any problems if they have occured. KFBloggin' itself ate at the outlet only recently, and can report that the dishes that they enjoyed were of excellent quality and the staff were courteous and fast despite how busy they were. In fact, none of our hard-eating reporters suffered any ill effects at al-HHUURGH OH NO IT'S THE CURSE OF THE LEICESTER SQUARE KFC, RUN, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES DEAR READERS, I'M UNDERGOING A HIDEOUS KAFKAESQUE TRANSFORMATION AND YET STILL HAVE THE TIME TO TYPE OUT THIS COMMENT! ARRGHHHhhhh...

EDITORS NOTE - We discovered no remains of the author of this article - just a CHICKEN siiting at his desk. BEWARE!

Tooting branch: The UK's latest opening KFC

We all know the drill. The end of a boozy night approaches and there's only one thing on your mind: chicken. Thankfully, the late opening of most KFC branches means your fowl thirst can be quenched right up until 2am in some cities. Today though a KFB tipster has sent us this top secret document displayed in the KFC Tooting branch's window.



Yes you read it right folks. 4am opening. Is this in fact the latest opening KFC in the UK? KFB are already planning a 4am road trip. Will they just have original recipe pieces left at that time of the night or will the veritable Zinger Tower still be on the menu? Only time will tell.

Ghetto Chickenst*r

They've taken they're time to get a handle on this, but last month Loaded magazine's Malcolm Vex, the self styled 'Voice of da street' weighed in with his views on the KFC Str££twise menu.

The Str££t wise menu has been with us for a little over 12 weeks now and I've been surprised to get some good reports. People have been generally responding well to the price and although haute cuisine this isn't, this is a way to get your Chicken fix for just 99p. Although the Mini fillet falls just outside of this price bracket at £1.19 it is the best product to adorn the advertising placards by a mile.

KFB reviewed the Str££twise menu shortly after its inception, read our views here, or, for a more ghetto take on the streetwise offerings click to enlarge the image and read Malcolm Vex's viewpoint.

Whilst Mr Vex upholds the pricing as good value, he seems affronted by the portion sizes. KFB however just like to see the Colonel popping up in such exciting places as the hood.

Branch Review :Stetchford

It has been a very long time indeed since I have had a 2 week interval between KFCs. However this fate befell me whilst I was out of the country for two weeks visiting Cuba earlier this month, ostensibly as a tourist, but really checking out possible restaurant locations prior to the removal of the US embago.

After one week without Chicken I had become a little tetchy, after two, unbearable. I resolved that my first meal back should be at KFC Stetchford, located in a Birmingham suburb.




It's address:



Church Road
Yardley
Birmingham
B25 8UX

Situated in a modern building which it shares with a boots pharmacy, this was a good clean and modern branch. At 4pm there were a few customers, but not too many. I had to wait a short while for my Zinger Tower but when it was delivered, it was hot and fresh and well proportioned.

My fellow diners agreed that their pieces of chicken bore all the hallmarks of freshly cooked fayre, steaming hot, moist and juicy.

The gravy here was ok, but can only been given a 5/10. It was satisfactory 1step, but nothing to blog about.

The anciliarry items island AII was well stocked and a casual customer could want for nothing.

Overall

Zinger Tower 7/10
Branch 7/10

KFC- Buffalo Toasted Twister (TLO)

Launch date: Monday October 19th 2009
End Date:Sunday November 29th 2009

Following the impressively named but in fact lacklustre "BBQ BEAST BOX" this TLO is a more modest offering. It's simply a £2.99 speciality toasted twister which can be turned into a meal with regular chips and drink for a further pound.

I rated this particular offering mere hours ago at the newly refurbished Festival Heights branch in Stoke- On-Trent. Although at ten to five, and so well outside any peak hours where one can expect the freshest products, I was served an exemplary Buffalo Toasted Twister.

It was tightly wrapped and evenly toasted, although the Chicken and lettuce wasn't crowning the top of the wrap quite as majestically as the advertising literature has suggested (See bottom Picture). However, its demure appearance only served to pique my interest further and I unashamedly moved in for the kill and took my first bite.

The Chicken was hot and fresh, and a wave of sweet BBQ sauce engulfed my mouth but was quickly tempered by the sour tang of the buttermilk from the ranch dressing before a third dimension of savoury cheese flavour completed this backwards cycle that had begun sweet, before culminating on satisfying savoury notes.

At this point i carefully reverse engineered the product to take this picture of a magnificently constructed piece of art:

To avoid 'wrap syndrome' I ate from the other end and then continued to devour the entire offering. This was hearty fayre, and scored over the last TLO by palliating what had been the unremitting BBQ sauce with, in this instance the ranch & cheese.

Possibly the addition of a further ingredient to freshen the taste would add slightly to this TLO or just the addition a little more lettuce to leave the palate feeling more cleansed.

This is a good solid offering from Luis and his team.........KFB endorses it. 7/10

Guess who?

Answers in the comments please...