Tuesday 14 July 2009

Product Profile: The Fillet Tower Burger

The Fillet Tower Burger, a cornerstone of the modern KFC menu:
A 100% chicken breast fillet coated in our Original Recipe herbs and spices, topped with cheese, ketchup, hash brown, crisp lettuce and our deliciously creamy mayonnaise - all served in a freshly toasted bun.

The official description is precise and to-the-point, reeling off a delicious list of attributes which, in my opinion, make the Fillet Tower Burger my product of choice. But why I hear you ask! A fair question, so please let me explain...

I could waffle on for many paragraphs about the toasted Kaiser bun, the creamy mayo and the crisp hash brown, but as avid followers of the blog I am sure you have all read DG's product profile of the Zinger Tower Burger and you are fully aware of how the ingredients and flavours combine to create one of the most (if not THE most) astounding burgers known to mankind. You may be thinking:
"Why should I bother reading on?? Surely the Fillet Tower Burger is exactly the same as a Zinger Tower Burger, just without our beloved zing? In fact, why would anyone even consider it when you could get the exact same product but with zing ASWELL for a few pence extra?"

A rookie error. In fact, I have overheard many a novice muttering such statements between friends when eyeing up the menu before making the final decision. Leaving aside the fact that some patrons may not be a fan of "Zing" (and may therefore opt for a less spicy alternative - enter Fillet Tower/Fillet Burger/Mini Fillet), there is one hugely significant reason for swaying the way of the FT; Original Recipe.

One of the most eye-opening revelations that we discovered on our trip to KFC HQ was that the Zinger Fillet found in the Zinger Burger and Zinger Tower burger is prepared off-site and has a different coating, known as Extra Tasty Crispy (ETC). This delicious coating gives the Zinger chicken its crispy crunch and spicy kick, both essential for a perfect ZT...but here is where the difference lies. The FT features none other than 100% Original Recipe chicken - that's the colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices right there.

Now let's not forget also that all OR chicken is prepared on the premises, breaded in-store and served fresh that day - I often feel that for this reason the chicken in a FT burger is somehow juicer and more tender. Finally, a controversial reason but one that I am not afraid to admit, I will often opt for no-zing just so I can experience the purity of the OR flavour, without any spice or salsa to take the attention away from my tastebuds.

I would urge all readers to consider the Fillet Tower for what it is - a truly different experience - not a clone, not an inferior product - and one that should not so easily be cast aside in favour of zing at every opportunity. Sure, the Zinger Tower deserves high praise indeed, but let's not forget: this is Original Recipe chicken, at it's best, complimented by a host of fine ingredients, just as the Colonel would have expected it.

5 comments:

ALbad said...

I heard the Colonel was a huge Zing fan. You can't beat marinated meat for succulence. I'd be curious to try a Fillet Tower with salsa...

dg said...

You put across a very convincing case and it is the MD's burger of choice! Stats?

Anonymous said...

What's this ETC stuff?

how do you know this?

dg said...

Actually had a FT with my hot rods box and have to say it was excellent but yes, salsa would make it more excellent with just a tad more texture

paulbot said...

ETC is extra tasty crispy, the coating they use on the zinger chicken in the zinger burger and zinger tower burger, and on crispy strips we suspect! we were told this at KFC HQ by the head of product excellence, so it comes with some weight of truth :]