PETALING JAYA, Oct 12 — In season 1, episode 6 (“Fried Chicken”) of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, David Simon, creator of The Wire, says, “Of all the animals that you could consume, a chicken seems like it was brought into the world to be eaten.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Chicken is the universal meat.
It’s accessible and usually inexpensive, but more than that, it can be made delicious any way it's cooked.
It can be poached, steamed, roasted, or grilled, but nothing beats fried chicken. It’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser across age, sex, class, religion, sports team, and every other line we’ve drawn to separate ourselves.
Nobody truly hates fried chicken; anyone who claims to be is either lying or cannot be trusted when it comes to matters of taste.
For years, the Colonel ruled the fried chicken scene here with an iron fist and lickable fingers.
That all changed in the last two years with the emergence of local brands like Pretty’s Hot Chicken, Chicken & Beer, Hot Bird and even Borenos, hailing all the way from Sabah.
And now, the newly-opened Chicken Club is the latest to throw its name into the ring.
Barely a few weeks old, Chicken Club takes over the space once occupied by Joon Dining in B.LAND, Seksyen 51A, Petaling Jaya.
The branding isn’t far off from some of its contemporaries.
Gloves come in packets designed to look like condoms, and a large poster parodies the 1939 Clark Gable classic Gone with the Wind, featuring a pair of chickens in embrace in a film produced by “The Big Cock.”
Some will find it cheeky and amusing; others, tacky and juvenile.
At night, the restaurant is bathed in a cascade of red and purple light, eager to live up to the “club” in its name.
But what of the chicken?
While Nashville-style hot chicken seemed to be having its moment, Chicken Club sticks to good old battered fried chicken.
Both the original and spicy versions, the latter coated in an addictive dust of chilli and Sichuan peppercorn, are sold by the piece.
The thigh bite (RM11.99), golden drumstick (RM10.99) and wing club (RM7.99) come one to an order.
At first glance, the prices seem steep for a single piece, but they’re generally on par with other brands.
Each order comes with a sweet, garlicky chilli sauce that feels like a real throwback, and a mala mayo-style dip with Sichuan peppercorn that’s genuinely delightful.
Each order is freshly fried, so there’s a bit more of a wait than you might expect.
That wait is a good time to gorge on some chicken fat fries (RM9.99), which go down an absolute dream with the mala mayo.
When the chicken arrives, it’s blisteringly hot, with moisture spilling from the flesh as soon as you break through the crackling skin.
That moisture is the sure sign of a good brine, resulting in an almost unnaturally juicy, meaty texture – which, depending on who you ask, is exactly what you want in fried chicken.
As is so often the case, the spicy version edges out the original.
White pepper is the defining note in the original, but the spicy version, rolled in an extra layer of seasoning, brings more to the table with the same white pepper fragrance now joined by savoury depth, a gentle heat and the faint, numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorns.
A side of pickled vegetables (RM4.99) makes the ideal companion; the trio of thinly sliced cucumber, onions and kimchi cuts cleanly through all that fat.
Where Chicken Club really stands out from the rest is, ironically, in the rest of the non-fried chicken items on the menu.
The chicken rice bowl (RM6.99) is a simple affair with rice, pickled cucumber on the side and a stunningly golden boiled egg, still oozy and jammy within.
But the rice itself is rich with the flavour of chicken fat, ginger and scallions, enough to make me wish it came with a side of poached chicken.
The club noodle (RM6.99) is wok-fried and rich with chicken fat, but bolder in flavour thanks to a kick from the chilli sauce.
Its sweet, savoury profile is reminiscent of really good vegetarian fried noodles, or zhai fun.
To finish, there’s banana goreng (RM11.99) or a single scoop of ice cream (RM3.99), but what I really recommend is springing for RM5.90 and getting the all-you-can-eat ice cream.
It’s nothing fancy or artisanal, and it’s not made in-house, but everything else here already is. I just want to feel like a kid again, indulging in fried chicken and scoop after scoop of ice cream, and this more than does the trick.
Chicken Club
Lot 1, B.LAND,
2, Jalan 51a/225,
Seksyen 51a, Petaling Jaya.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am-10pm. Open from 6pm on Tuesday.
Tel: 016‑848 4257
Instagram: @chickenclub.my
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and self-deprecating attempts at humour.
