Chennai Burps

This is the great Fried Chicken Face off. Mention fried chicken and Colonel Sanders comes to mind, but this is out two wannabe’s who have set up shop in Annanagar. The first one is called “Chikin Lickin (CL)” and the other “Chick Punch (CP)”, if there was an award for originality and creativity in the business of nomenclature I suppose both will not stand a chance. But this is not about names so I will go on to the main story.

We (D & I) hit CL as I wanted to check it out and understand why it seemed deserted always. The place is located on the first floor and is easily accessible; parking is a problem on the now narrow Shanthi Colony Road but we managed on that evening.

The walls were painted with various scenes involving a chicken, but some how one of them which showed a man on horse hunting a chicken was very funny and I still do not know if it was intentional. The seats were rather uncomfortable and hard and for people who are big felt inadequate. Also the moment you enter the place a strong smell hits you that can be a little unpleasant.

I ordered a 2 piece chicken meal (Rs. 110) that had two pieces of fried chicken, fries and a soft drink and a mini chicken burger, while D ordered a veg burger and a chicken wrap. I will first comment on the other items and save the meal for later as it will be part of the comparison. The chicken burger was mini and rather unremarkable, the veg burger was tasty and a better buy. The wrap was a roti with assorted vegetables and chicken and again was unremarkable.

A major issue was the size of the plates, they were woefully small and by the time I finished eating I had liberally spilled a lot of fragments on the table. They did not have a replacement so it was very uncomfortable to eat.

Now for their standard meal, the chicken had a very dark colour and seemed to be coated with spices, in appearance it looked like it came from a tandoor and was surprisingly not oily on the surface. It was not remarkable in taste and frankly was a little disappointing considering its appearance. I say unremarkable because it was almost bland. The fries were limited and the soft drink was the usual.

The meal did not leave me satisfied and so we dropped into CP to check if they fared better. In order to compare we ordered the same two piece meal at surprisingly it was also priced at Rs. 110. We decided on a takeaway as it was closing time and we got our order in quick time.

A word about the place, it looks modern, the seats are comfortable (I sat on them to check) and the staff courteous, it seemed that a colony of people from the North East had migrated en masse. They do use normal plates so another issue was resolved. And before I forget the parking is just about the same, if you are lucky you get one.

Now for the food, the chicken was flaky, deep fried and tasty but it was drenched in oil. The fries were generous and well done. It was what you would expect when you go to a place like this.
I do not know if it is like KFC and to find that out I just have to wait for a few more days as they are opening in Annanagar in fact opposite CP!.

However with regard to this face off, my verdict is in favour of Chick Punch for they provide tasty food, with a standard ambience and reasonable pricing considering the current competition. We will wait to see how they fare against the heavy weight Colonel.

Personally if I would want to eat chicken, I would still prefer to try the grilled chicken at Shaksi’s Capri, but that will be another story in itself.

Rating

Chickin Likckin ▼
Chick Punch ▲