Normally, I wouldn’t drive all the way to Richmond for fried chicken. However, I was already in the city and within close vicinity of where this chicken shop was, so decided to give them a try.
What I assumed was a sit down café was actually a commissary kitchen, where they one of over 10 different vendors operating out of a shared kitchen space, each sharing the same front desk.
You order via kiosk, selecting the brand and what items you want from their menu. The great thing about this particular unit is that you can mix a match orders and order from as many different vendors as you want. And each of them will one by one bring up your order to this very counter for you to then take away.
There is no place to eat so naturally I found myself grabbing my boxes of fried chicken and heading home to eat it there. The downside of this is that you’re not getting the full fried chicken experience, where it is best fresh out of the fryer when the skin is still crispy and the meat is still juicy.
Thankfully, thanks to technology and kitchen appliances like the air fryer. You can get a pretty decent reheat ant home. Although I will never truly know how it was intended to be had. But it sure did smell delicious in my car on the way home, which only heightened my appetite. And it caused me to drive all the more quicker.
I got it in several cuts. A large 7 inch butterfly filet of crispy breast meat, dark meat chicken tenders, and popcorn-like nuggets. Each had the same golden breaded deep fry with a hint of grease. So neither clean fried chicken, nor the greasy fast food kind, but somewhere in the middle.
What has them standing out is their sauces to dip all the above into. Familiar from other chicken chain options, but all together unique on to itself.
There was one that reminded me of honey mustard, but was neither directly sweet like honey or had the pungent nature of mustard. The chipotle aioli looking sauce didn’t have any of that chilli heat and was more neutral with a mayo based. The spicy syrupy looking sauce was actually spicy with a sour tang to end on. And the one that looked like tartar sauce with chunks, didn’t have its iconic herb-mix tang and it reminded me of a coleslaw mayo. None of it bad, each was just not want I was expecting, but after a few dips and crunches in, it does grow on you.
Fat Choi Chicken
11151 Horseshoe Wy #15, Richmond, BC V7A 4S5
(672) 533-2813
