Big, Big Chick

Shop 24, G/F, Yuen Long West Rail Station
Visited 14th June

Tuesday night: rugby training, a 'few beers', last train home and as I stagger down the steps of the Yuen Long KCR Station suddenly life becomes all about the smell of fried chicken. I don't eat that much 'fast food' but there's a time and a place and if I'm in the mood I normally stop at Big, Big Chick. It's a small shop located near the bus terminus under Yuen Long West Rail Station; afternoons look for the hordes of pushy school kids; other times follow the delicious aroma to the glowing yellow lights. Big, Big Chick - or Big Chicken Big if you're translating literally from Cantonese - is officially open from 8am to 11pm, but they normally keep the vats bubbling away until just after the last train. For those on the wrong side of Castle Peak Rd there's another branch on Tat Fai Path, next to the Yuen Long gutter.

Big, Big Chick is inspired by those huge Taiwanese fried chicken breasts and the menu includes chicken fillets, chicken chunks, chicken wings, chicken drumettes, chips and some strange fried sausages. On my most recent visit I went with a chicken breast and a small serve of fries. The chicken breast - which was flattened, battered, crumbed, fried, seasoned and cut into bite size chunks - was extremely tasty and would have been equally good in a chicken sandwich or straight from the bag as I had it. The meat was relatively tender with a crisp outer and it was deliciously seasoned with salt, chilli and a touch of cinnamon. Big, Big Chick cooks to order so my accompanying bag of crinkle cut fries were hot and fresh. The chicken was $16 and the chips $9 so no complaints about the price.

Touting itself as selling "Super Fried Chicken" Big, Big Chick is really just a hole in the wall dispensing bags of grease, but if that's what you're in the mood for Big, Big Chick is the place.