Barcelo's Flame Grilled Chicken (Guildford)

I've always loved Barcelo's Flame Grilled Chicken.  Even more so than Nando's, however, I do like them both.  I just think Barcelo's is better.  Did you know that Barcelo's was actually first to the scene in South Africa?  Nando's actually showed up much later despite most people thinking it was the original.  Anyways enough with the history lesson...  Jackie and I were invited to try out their Guildford location within the T&T complex on 152nd at 101st.  Upon entering the store, it struck us that the dining space was large and well-appointed.  No wonder they have a sign outside advertising that they can accommodate 50 people for a private party!

Well, there was only 2 of us and we arrived in the time between lunch & dinner, so we had plenty of space!  We started with some appies including the Cauliflower Bites and the Corn Ribs.  Solid dishes with the bites being still firm with a thin and crispy batter.  Corn ribs were almost like street corn, but instead, these were lightly battered and fried.  They were drizzled with spicy mayo and topped with cheese.  There was this spicy and sweet thing going on here.

Of course, the thing to get here is the chicken, so we had the Peri Plate #2 that consisted of 1/4 chicken, 1 skewer and 2 wings.  These were all nicely charred with plenty of smoky nuttiness to go around.  We asked for mild, so the spice was in the background while the sweetness of the onions came through.  The dark meat chicken was super juicy and tender.  I found the white meat skewer to be moist despite the char.  Wings were solid too with elements of both the leg and white meat.  We got to choose 2 sides and went for the veggies and mashed potatoes.  Those potatoes were really good with the skin providing texture and flavour.

We also had the Half Pack so you can see how one of the family meals look like.  This featured a 1/2 chicken, 4 wings and 2 skewers.  This was essentially double the Peri Plate #2.  With all these pieces of chicken, we could experiment with all of the available sauces such as Lemon Pepper, Mild Peri, Very Peri and Supa Peri.  For me, it was all about the Supa Peri as it had the most impact and flavour.  I have a high spice tolerance, so it wasn't too bad for me.  You still can't go wrong with the other peri sauces as you can taste the slight spice, tanginess and sweetness.

For those who don't just want to eat pieces of chicken, especially on the bone, then there is the Peri Chicken Sandwich.  This was actually quite good with a grilled piece of chicken breast.  It was moist and tender with some mild peri sauce.  Naturally, I dunked it into the Supa Peri!  The veggies were fresh and the brioche bun was nicely toasted.  For our side, we had the Yam Fries which were crispy and not overly greasy.  It came with a spicy mayo.

Now I wouldn't blame you for laughing at me for Peri Sirloin Burger.  This almost seemed out-of-place, but let me assure you, it was actually good!  This featured real ground sirloin (and not some processed patty) that was meaty and lean.  It was seared up nicely with a nice crispy exterior.  Despite being lean, the meat was moist and not dry at all.  It was flavourful and combined with the fresh veggies, it was delicious!  I only wished it was served on the brioche rather than the Portuguese bun.  However, I get it, Portuguese grilled chicken, so need to use Portuguese bun...  The Peri Fries on the side were crispy and nicely spiced.

For dessert, we were served an Oreo Ice Cream Cake as well as a classic Portuguese Tart.  I would say the ice cream cake was pretty typical and did the job.  I did like the Oreo crust!  The tart was very silky and soft where the filling had a hard time staying within the flaky shell.  It was sweet, but was appropriate for the flavours.  Overall, this visit to Barcelo's was exactly like my other experiences (which have been many).  Chicken is prepared right being smoky and not dry.  Loved the peri sauces.  Always satisfying.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Well-charred chicken that is not dry
- Surprisingly good burgers
- Affordable

The Bad:
- Sides are hit and miss

Ma Poule Mouillée

Seeing how a bunch of non-toasted bagels from St. Viateur wouldn't necessarily satisfy us, we made the short drive over to Ma Poule Mouillée.  Of course there was a lineup and we stayed the course for 45 minutes...  We needed to see if this was better than Romados down the street.  Not sure why we didn't visit the place the last time we were here because it is across the street from La Banquise.

Anyways, we did finally get to the counter and we ordered the Louis Cyr (1/2 Chicken) with roast potatoes.  You can choose fries instead and this came with a side salad too.  We opted for the spicy and it was mild in our opinion.  As for the chicken it was not as juicy as we were expecting.  Rather, the breast was a bit dry and really need the sauce to give it moisture and flavour.  The dark meat was predictably better.  As for the potatoes, they were excellent.  Creamy and soft inside.

To get a variety of things, I also ordered the Little Talbot which was a chicken sandwich in a Portuguese bun.  Due to the dry breast meat, the sammie ate as such.  I asked for spicy and the sauce helped a bit but again, it wasn't that hot.  I guess I should've asked for more.  The side of fresh cut fries were excellent.  Crispy with plenty of potato goodness inside.

Okay, the real reason we were here was for the Poutine with chicken, São Jorge cheese and chorizo.  OMG, this was freakin' delicious and life-changing.  With all that savoury and rich gravy, the chicken was suddenly reborn.  Look at all that cheese!  It was stringy and completely covered the fries.  The chorizo added meatiness as well as a good kick.  Got everything in one bite and my mouth was very happy.

We also added one each of the Coconut and Portuguese Tarts for some sweets at the end.  I thought the Portuguese tart was quite good.  Loved the flaky and light tart shell and the silky custard filling.  It wasn't too sweet and that worked for me.  However, the coconut tart was definitely sweeter and aromatic from the coconut.  Overall, I found the chicken a letdown especially a place that promises juicy chicken.  However, that poutine is high-level.  I would come back for that.

The Good:

- Oh that poutine!

- Loved the roast potatoes and fries

- Tarts are quite good

The Bad:

- The actual chicken, especially the white meat, is not juicy

- Spicy could be spicier

Lei Ka Choi

The benefits of having a local take us around Macao yielded Miramar, Lord Stow's, Chiu Heong and Koi Kei so far, but we still had dinner lined up.  We ended up at Lei Ka Choi which wouldn't even be on my radar if it was up to me.  However, this place sports a Michelin star and a loyal customer base.  As we walked up and into the place, it really didn't scream out "please eat here", but hey, that's why it was a good thing we were taken to this place by people in the know.

We started off with a whole Big Hen Fish with fermented yellow beans on the side.  The fish itself was rather plain-looking and in fact, it was only lightly sweet on its own.  However, the real star of the show was the yellow bean condiment.  It was richly salty with depth.  On a personal level, I found the fish rather firm and dense, but that is the way it is.  Next up was one of their signature dishes in the Garlic & Chili Salt Fried Corn.  This was my favourite thing we ate all meal due to the intense flavours from the spicy and umaminess of the seasoning.  The corn itself was sweet and aromatic providing balance to the saltiness.

My second favourite dish of the meal also happened to be another signature dish in the Water Crab and Chicken Soup with 2 types of rice (puffed rice and steamed crab protein rice in lotus leaf).  The method was to combine all 3 items in bowl.  As a result, the chewy and sweet steamed rice combined with the crunchy and nutty toasted rice provided a textural contrast.  Furthermore, the sweet briny soup by itself was so full of depth and body, it was great by itself.  A fairly simple dish was the Pan-Fried Ox-Tongue served with a sweet and tangy dip.  Tender and fatty with a pleasant bite, the ox-tongue was lightly seasoned with caramelized flavours.

Another seemingly simple, but tasty offering was the Squid Meatballs stuffed with cheese and deep fried with a vermicelli coating.  This was another study in textures with the chewy bounciness of the squid giving way to a stringy cheesy centre.  Outside, the crispy noodles added a lighter crunch to the dense meatball.  The whole thing was naturally sweet and was served with a side of Miracle Whip.  The Roasted Squab (actually deep-fried) was one average dish we had.  Nothing wrong with the meat as it was tender and moist while mildly seasoned.  However, the skin was not nearly rendered enough and wasn't crispy despite the beautiful rice hue.

Back to the good, the Curry Brisket served in a toasted bread bowl was delicious.   The thick rich curry was creamy and only exhibited a touch of spice.  There was enough peppers and onions to add variation to the flavour profile.  Although hardly chewy, the brisket couldn't be considered soft.  My favourite part was the big chunks of tender potatoes that soaked up all the flavour.  Related to that, the hollowed out cubes of bread were perfect vessels to soak up the rich curry.  For our veggies, we had the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with garlic and wolfberries.  These were just a bit overdone, but still crunchy and fairly vibrant.  Flavours were mild though.  Again, this was far too much food for us, but hey, I couldn't complain about the variety.  There were some familiar items mixed in with some unique ones - an enjoyable meal with family.

The Good:
- That fried corn!
- That curry!
- Reasonably-priced for what you get

The Bad:
- Seating is not the most comfortable
- Wow, no where to park