CHICKEN RUN (part 1) - JAPS FRIED CHICKEN

been hearing about "the best fried chicken in the country" for quite some time now. jap's fried chicken. you can find this spot in st helena (thanks randy). it's quite easy to find. from piarco side, you pass the new airport, pass the old airport, make a right when the road leads to the major road, then make another right at the first traffic light. look for the red, white and green japs sign on your right hand side.




the sign is similar to the custom box. i found the illustration to be quite amusing, but with a claim like "...de best taste around!" right next to it, it was wise for a first timer like me to save the laughs for after the tasting. the first thing of note was the number of cars. this place was obviously scoring. but i soon realized that the cars were a small tell tale sign compared to the line of people coming out of the door. i endured said line (which actually looked more intimidating than it was) and purchased the coveted product.

impressive:
clean surroundings
price!! 2 piece and fries = $20. up sized fries = $3. fish and fries = $25. quite affordable
hearty portion sizes... even without up sizing
efficient system... it cut down the long lines in no time
an ok looking chinese food place next door just in case you end up feeling for a beef fried rice instead of fried chicken, but already made the trek
the branded stuff like the bag and boxes take it out of hole-in-the-wall realm and gives it that franchise look we love
the prep area is visible from the front, so you can see what's going on. no behind the scenes

not so impressive:
the parking sucks... but there's a yard for some sort of business a little further up that can be of service if you don't mind a very short walk back
there are a few tables for dining there, but with lines of people crowding the space the experience can't be that great
the funny illustration of that chef. the design was ok with the logo alone man!



but how did it taste though?
it has that home flavour as opposed to the mass produced, oily big franchise product the big boys pedal. i'm guessing it's because the oil in their deep fryers does less work, so the product is fresher. maybe. the meat was well cooked straight to the bone though. commendable. there was some seasoning, but not as much as i anticipated, proving once again that anticipation is a dangerous thing. the crust was crispy and tasty with a spicy kick, but the meat itself was just passable. not bad, not great... passable. all in all, i disagree. i don't think japs is the best fried chicken in the country. they make an ok chicken that looks as though the taste is consistent, which is a good thing. i was at least hoping for some hole-in-the-wall-secret-sauce, but that wish didn't come to pass. just the regular mass market condiments with a nice pepper sauce.

i'd buy it again providing i'm on that side, but i won't leave home to get it, unlike some other options that i'll bring to the table soon.

peace