Golden Spoons Review: Chicken! Chicken!

CNS Editor | 30/03/2017

(CNS Foodie): Chicken! Chicken! sits in a corner of West Shore Centre (the pink one) on West Bay Road. Do not let the mundane location put you off because as soon as you walk in you are embraced by the warmth of the open rotisserie roasting chickens over a wood fire. The next thing to hit you is the aroma of those cooking birds, which should be all the enticement you need to sample the wares.

Cementing the deal is the sign to the side of the oven which provides facts about how healthy this option is versus fried chicken.

The establishment has a warm hearty feeling with its white picket fence and bright, colourful décor, reminiscent of a country home. There are sections of tables, draped in rustic-themed tablecloths and sporting Caribbean hot sauce, divided by hanging window-style frames. Every inch of the small rectangular area is well utilised.

This is clearly a hot spot (no pun intended) for lunch as there always seems to be a queue during those hours. The service is cafeteria-style with a line-up of hot and cold dishes served by employees standing behind the counter. Depending on the person, sometimes you are greeted nicely but other times the service does not seem all that genuine or warm. The servers walk you through the process of ordering starting with if you would like your meal to go or dine-in. The very colourful menu is displayed on the wall behind the servers.

Each lunch meal comes with two sides, referred to as “More Good Tings Asides”. And the food is well displayed and looks extremely appetizing. There are multiple sides to choose from including traditional rice and peas, pasta, and a variety of vegetables and potatoes.

I ordered the classic regular meal of leg and thigh, with sides of their buttery mashed potatoes with the skin in it and steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrot, and cho cho) that were well-seasoned and flavourful. I would also recommend the braised carrots. My total bill with a drink from the fridge and 10% off from a discount card (the restaurant takes part in several discount programmes) was $9.40.

The chicken was juicy and perfectly seasoned; it easily fell off the bone. The sauce, which came on the side, was a tangy broth with herb seasoning. Overall my meal was delicious. Not too salty, full of flavour and hearty.

Each meal also comes with a neatly packaged, generous hunk of homemade cornbread, a nice traditional Caymanian side. It was moist and dense with a hint of sweetness and had a thin golden brown top. One disappointment: I was looking for desert because normally there are huge chocolate chip cookies or brownies on offer, but they did not seem to have any that lunch time.

Overall, Chicken! Chicken! is like a healthier version of traditional fast food because it is easy to order and the food comes quickly as everything is already prepared, which led me to give them a three-spoon rating for service. The prices are reasonable for the portion sizes.

If you are not in the mood for roast chicken, there are other options such as chicken and vegetable soup, jerk chicken wrap, classic chicken salad and spicy pasta salad.

The food is scrumptious and savory, and as a regular customer, I can confidently say that the quality is consistent. They are open for lunch and dinner with the evening chicken meals, which come with larger portions of the sides, each costing $2 more.

Gratuity is not included.

CNS Note: The review was previously posted with the wrong spoon ratings. We apologise to Chicken! Chicken!