The Best Portugese Chicken ??
A Tale of 2 Chicken Shacks...
Queensway - just East of Islington is a place called "The Best Portugese Chicken" a little further West is "Bom Appetite" - both specialize in Azores Style, Rotisserie Piri Piri Chicken and the traditional acqoutrements; roasted potatoes, soft buns and fish (which I don't really go for). I've spent a fair amount of time and money at various Toronto establishments in Portugese enclaves known for this tasty specialty (Dupont, College etc.)and have a good idea of what I'm looking for. Here's my take on the South Etobicoke version...
"The Best" is not actually the best. It's a nice enough place to enjoy a bite to eat - clean, efficient, organized with a nice seating area. The chicken itself is good quality but the potatoes are not deep roasted enough for my liking, it seems the little potatoe balls have been par-boiled making them a tad light and fluffy. the texture of the spuds can be forgiven but the spicy piri piri sauce is a critical element. Unfortunately, "The Best" comes up short on sauce, I think it's just plain old Frank's Red Hot from the jar - cop out!
"Bom Appetite" may not have the quaint ambience of it's rival but it has dense potatoes and some mighty tasty bird slathered in a proper chili sauce to spice it up (get a little extra on the side to help jazz up the white bits). Bom Appetite more closely resembles the greasy Churasquerias of the inner city and let's face it, It all about the food - price is a bit lower here aswell.
Caution: be sure to step cautiously in any of these type of restaurants during the World Cup Soccer Tourney
"The Best Portugese Chicken"
Price: approx $10/chicken
Rating: C+
"Bom Appetite"
Price: Approx $9/Chicken
Rating: B-
3 comments:
We had take out from the place just west of Islington. Portuguese food is not my speciality, I've only had it a few times so I don't have a good baseline for comparisons.
As you said, it was only okay at best, although other people rave about it. If this is as good as Portuguese food gets then I'm a bit disappointed with that cuisine in general. The best feature is the price, I think we fed 6 adults and 7 children for about $40, which is a great deal.
Thanks for the review Rob.
Probir
Hey Bob, you have to try it grilled from "The Best" - it's amazing. You have to call ahead, but it's well worth the extra time.
Thanks for the tip about the grilled order... I'll give it a shot
Bobby
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