The KFB Festive Tower Burger

For many years we at KFB have had a dream. A dream so beautiful and so potentially delicious that we've been afraid to put plans into motion to make that dream a reality. Well my chicken-loving readers, the time has come.

We for many years have felt that KFC are missing a huge trick by not offering a festive-themed burger over the Christmas season. In fact, we went as far as to share the idea for the burger you are about to witness with the head of product development during our famous HQ visit a couple of years ago (has it really been that long already?). Sadly, and some might say foolishly, they just weren't willing to listen. KFB believes the only man who would have been willing to take note of such a radical and genius idea would have been our Lord Sanders himself.

The idea is simple: take all the core elements that make a traditional Christmas dinner so fantastic, remove the bland items such as dry turkey or soggy sprouts and combine with all that makes KFC so wondrous. Our ingredients list was as follows:

• Chicken fillet pieces
• Stuffing
• Roast potato
• Gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Spinach
• Buns

And now the construction could begin in earnest. Our first job was to prep the potatoes which were to function as a hash brown replacement. These were cut into 8mm thick slices, covered in oil and seasoned before being roasted in a hot oven. To accompany them in their fiery furnace was stuffing and of course, the chicken. Top tip: be sure to use chicken fillet pieces rather than the far inferior reconstituted pieces that are so prevalent in our supermarkets and often coated in a deceptively tempting sounding 'southern fried coating'.

Next up came the all important assembly - an exercise that has turned so many otherwise delicious Zinger Towers into a sticky, uneven mess. We started by spreading cranberry sauce on the top bun half and carefully laying spinach leaves on the bottom. This was followed by the chicken, roast potato slice, stuffing patty and a generous helping of gravy. Disclaimer: We did in fact use the Colonel's own wonder-liquid in our burger, if only because we have never tasted a home-made gravy that could match the consistency or taste.

All that was left to do now was to place the top bun upon our mound of lip-smackingly succulent sustenance. Et voila!

And so onto the tasting. The most immediate problem we faced who how on earth to eat the thing - our mouths sadly only being the size of an average human's rather than some kind of huge monster's. Once we'd overcome this issue with some gentle squashing, we took our first bite. A rush of festive flavours immediately brought to mind Christmas trees, snowy scenes and glowing stars in the night sky (though this was perhaps something to do with the Christmas music in the background). It was highly enjoyable, the stuffing providing a nice texture contrast with the crispy potato and the saltiness of the chicken being balanced by the sharp, sweet cranberry. 

Not everything was A1 though - the chicken was of course nowhere near the standards we've come to expect from the Colonel and though certainly yummy, the stuffing was slightly bland and sloppy. Had we had more time, creating our own chicken coating and sausagemeat-based stuffing would have alleviated such concerns.

The verdict: 7/10

But could have very easily nudged its way up to a supreme 9 with home-made chicken coating, sausagemeat stuffing and perhaps even a little bacon.

For other home-recreations be sure to view our Toasted Twister, Double Down and Zinger Tower recreations.

Double Whammy, Griddled Chicken & Blazin' Mini Fillets

Where better to launch your latest and greatest gut busting product than in Western Europe's most obese nation. Although these products have already appeared on the continent and been undergoing limited trials in the North East, griddled chicken has been rolled out across Scotland in the form of the Brazer. When KFB got word of this we thought we'd combine a trip to the UKs most Northerly branch, Inverness with an appraisal of this revolutionary foodstuff.

On arrival not only did we find the Griddled chicken we'd expected but a further much talked about innovation that KFB has always hoped to see, the Zinger Mini Fillet and to top it off, a breakfast trial was taking place in Glasgow's Argyle Street branch.

We'll begin with the main event......The Brazer

On offer was:

The Brazer burger, griddled chicken on a bun with sauce essentially

The Brazer Max, In imitation of our favourite, this sees the addition of a delicious hash brown

The Brazer Twister, eschewing bread in favour of wrap.

The Smokin' iTwist

Marinated is herbs and without the signature coating the introduction of the Brazer represents a seismic shift. KFB tried the Brazer Maxx, twister and the griddled chicken iTwist. The pictures below speak for themselves, but what they can't show is the taste.

The chicken remained moist but also firm and full textured and.........tasty. Whilst it's not the same satisfying taste sensation contained within the secret recipe it is a good solid foray into a new and exciting market.

The Blazin Boneless Banquet was also on offer sporting new Zinger mini fillets and bringing this great pure chicken product some fresh attention and a fresh reason to order it. A great addition to the range, lets just hope it gets a nationwide roll out soon.

Kentucky Jack: The Review

We all know the drill by now. The Colonel releases a new 'Time Limited Offer' (TLO) every six weeks in an attempt to spruce up the menu at your local KFC. And if you're anything like us here at KFB HQ, you've probably become a little tired of the whole exercise. Time after time we've been 'treate

d' to rehashed versions of existing products, simply tweaked with new sauces or the addition of a different salad type. Imagine our excitement then when the Kentucky Jack was first announced. Finally, something slightly different and not a wrap in site.

Allow us to break the product down for you:  2 mini breast fillets encased in a 'rustic ciabatta style bun' with honey bbq relish and monterey jack cheese. Our initial reactions were somewhat quashed by the mention of BBQ - a sauce that we can only assume the Colonel got some kind of masive discount on sometime last year, given the amount of TLOs it has been appearing in. However, we try to be as objective as possible, so it was on to the tasting.  

The first thing that strikes you is the box - far classier than any previous menu items:

Construction was reasonable, with one exception - the BBQ sauce was situated solely within the very middle of the bun - leading us to ponder its very existance in the first couple of bites. 

As it turns out, the sauce was unsurprisingly one of the weak spots anyhow, meaning we shouldn't complain too much (yes yes, we know there are some BBQ fans out there). A couple of elements stood out - the mini breast fillets, whilst perfectly at home in the Mini Fillet burger itself, just weren't big and juicy enough to step up to full sized burger status, overpowered as they were by the doughy ciabatta. 

The cheese however was excellent.   Now perhaps we're not being totally fair on the blighter - one of our other testers was actually a big fan of the Kentucky Jack. It's just that recently, the bonesless banquet for one has become irresistable - so much chicken, so much purity of taste with none of the bread to distract (a similar story for the Double Down we'd imagine).  So, a valiant effort then, marred slightly by bread, sauce and chicken portion size.  5/10 

iTwist Hits the UK

19/07/10

In the greatest shake up to the Chickenspere in recent memory KFC has introduced the iTwist to the UK. Although somewhat behind our continental brethren, the addition of the iTwist bridges the gap between snack items such as the Streetwise menu's Rollers as a sort of Premium snack product.

There are currently 2 flavours on offer, the Sunny and the Sweet. In the UK this is not offered as a meal option but as an individual product retailing for 1.49 each.

KFC asks us to 'Follow the Adventure' promising more exciting flavours to follow: so lets look at the two we already have:


The Sunny is a strong product blending the Chicken we all know and love with a spicy Mexican style sauce. Verdict: a good solid product.

The Sweet: however with its curious choice of ingredients is excellent but I fear may only find favour amonst more discerning diners. The ingredients in question would not seem out of place in a upper class eatery and KFC has been brave enough to bring this to the masses, offering a delicious mini fillet with caremalised onion relish and Goats Cheese. The relish was sweet, tasty and busrting with flavour but the sweetness was well tempered by the goats cheese which provided a dry, rich and satisfying aftertaste.

Although not offered as a meal like our recent report on the Icelandic version each iTwist makes a very satisfying side order to a meal. KFB looks forward to enjoying the range.

Secrets of the I Twist revealed

On this blog, back in May we revealed that an ops shakedown had been sighted in Wales and that a new product may be on the prowl. KFB received this tip off too late late to try it in wales during its secret testing phase, however as you knew we would KFB endeavoured to get its mouth on one of these iTwists so that we could let you know what it was all about prior to its expected UK launch.

It wasn't easy, and my journey took me here:

No, it's is not a secret KFC testing facility somewhere in the Kentucky dessert, although it does look like one. This is KFC Keflavik nestled on the Reykjanes peninsula in South West Iceland. Inside its sleek box like but harshly beautiful exterior, there lurks a minimalist restaurant incorporating a Bila Luga, (drive Thru) a kids play area, (complete with two storey slide similar to that seen in Munich) beautifully colourful faux leather covered seats, a large gleaming stainless steel counter and of course as you'd expect......lots and lots and lots of happy people.

This was a KFC of such uncommon quality that it had even managed to grace the hallowed pages of that doyen of independent travellers, the Lonely Planet. Readers of which will know, that to see any kind of fast food outlet recommended is a rare thing indeed.

So, what is the iTwist?

Well, it's a full meal costing 899IKK, or roughly the price of a UK meal, but with a twist.........

What's the twist?

As well as the standard drink and chips you get the iTwist, comprising not 1, but 2 separate 1/2 size wraps, both incorporating a mini fillet but each with its own unique flavour named the Sunny and the Yummy

Tell us about them?

The Yummy in a bright red wrapper was good, a succulent mini breast ensconced within a fresh wrap, salad, cheese and an undisclosed but tangy, spicy, tomatoey and altogether quite agreeable sauce.

Having polished that off I headed for the Sunny side of life and discovered that this will be a 'Marmite' product. Whether it will be taken to the hearts of the British public remains to be seen. It followed the same format of the yummy but this time the mini fillet languished in a yellowy sauce with a taste very similar to the always controversial pickle as found on a McDonalds hamburger......something I enjoy but that I'm all too aware that millions don't.

Whether the British version will follow the model of its foreign counterparts is unclear. It may take the name and packaging, remodelling the contents to fit in with the expectations and desires of a chicken loving nation. However rest assured that KFB will be the first to let you know of this and all innovations to grace the UK Chicken stage.

Finally........What's in a name, why the i?

Who can say? maybe it's just a cynical attempt to jump on the 'on trend' bandwagon of giving everything the i prefix which variously counjours up such modern ideas as 'internet' 'Innovative', 'interactive' and of course is the virtual talisman of the now ubiquitous Apple products. A product whose users are so desperate to let you know of their communication tool of preference; that they allow all their intimations to be hijacked and vandalised by the addition of an automated sign off to all correspondence, bearing no relevance to the communication they're sending which proclaims 'Sent from my iphone' which I have come to interpret as 'Sent by a twat'

Anyway, rant over ......I'll a fully loaded please!

KFC Cure: The Ultimate Test?

You know the ones - a headache so painful you can barely move, a terrific sense of urgency to sleep, a stomach that feels as though it could erupt at any moment. Yes my reader friends, we're talking about the daddy of all hangovers, as suffered by this author this very weekend.

The journey ahead of me was long, very long. I could tell I wasn't going to make it, my stomach crying out to me that it was seriously unhappy. And then some respite: a sign at the side of the motorway informed me that a service station was mere moments away. But even better than that: the colonel's smiling face was guiding me in. We pulled into a parking space and I suddenly took a turn for the worse. Let's just say that what happened next in the toilets was highly unpleasant but did at least free up some space for delcious chicken. I was at a low - dizzy, still nauseous and still feeling as though my head was being compressed in a vice. There was only one thing for it.

I headed up what could only be described as the stairway to heaven: the smell of moist, crispy chicken guiding me in. My brain barely functioning I placed a controversial order:

"One 3 piece variety meal and 2 hot rods please."

Was I mad? Delusional? How on earth could this classic even begin to compare to the venerable Zinger Tower?

I started with the rib: succulent, firm and piping hot. Then a few mouthfuls of hot rod accompanied by chips. I could feel the evils of alcohol slipping out of my body. I could barely feel the headache, high as I was on original recipe coating. Next up: original recipe coated mini fillet. All the pleasure of the rib with none of the boney problems that accompanied it. One cleanup wipe later and I was done. Time to head back to the car and see how i'd feel outside the confines of the colonel's safety net.

I spent the next hour or so in the car in pain, but far less pain than prior to the chicken. It was as if with every minute that the variety meal was digesting in my stomach, the feeling of death was fading. And so I have a theory i'd like to share with you, dear readers. Could it be possible that our Lord Sanders was a fan of the bottle? A fan so dedicated that he found himself suffering from the ills of a hangover on a regular basis? And could it therefore be that Harland decided to dedicate his life to finding a cure for his problem? A cure that we now know as the world's most finger lickingly-delcious chicken? Colonel: once again, we salute you.

New Product Testing

Sighted at a secret testing facility in North Wales an, Ops Shakedown for the below products. Details are sketchy although evidence can be found in a numnber of European countries of the advance of these products. The appear to be budget products but it seems a little early to be challenging the hegemony of the recently introduced 'Rollers' Perhaps they're being scaled up to produce exciting new TLOs

The ITwist.......Below is the USA marketing blurb

Strapped for cash but sick and tired of the same old cheap eats? Remix your value menu routine with KFC’s new iTwists – delicious, snack-size wraps packed with KFC’s famous chicken and exciting flavor for only 99¢! Each iTwist features a 100% all white meat Extra Crispy strip, fresh lettuce, and a blend of 3 cheeses, all wrapped up with a signature sauce in a colorful, flavorful tortilla.

Try one of our 2 new iTwists today for only 99¢ each!

•Kickin’ Jack – Sundried Tomato Tortilla and Spicy Pepperjack Sauce

•Sweet n’ Spicy – Cheddar Tortilla and Sweet n’ Spicy Sauce

The second product sighted was:

The triple dip, with special new packaging, holding 3 types of exciting dip which could herald a return for UK KFC to the glory days of multi dipping, remember zinger mayonnaise anyone or Honey Mustard dip amongst others. Rest assured, KFB will keep you informed or any further developments

TLO Fajita Wrapstar

We've had the standard Wrapstar, we've even had the Tex Mex Wrapstar and in a similar but more delicious vein we now have.......... for 6 weeks only......... the Fajita Wrapstar.

Tender crispy strips encapsulated within a hand crafted uniquiley shaped tortill wrap along with,

Salsa

Tostada

Sour Cream

Fajita Spices

Grated Cheese

The great thing about the Wrapstar is its elimination of wrap syndrome. and how such an unassuming product with its entire quota of ingredients hidden from view by the enveloping wrap can deliver such an epicurian delight when eaten.

The first couple of mouthfuls merely hinted at what lay within. I ate my way around the edge and moved in for the kill. Flavours mingled, & taste buds tingled, spices danced across my palette. this is the best TLO since the Boxmaster.

Have one for lunch

Double Down Recreation

Anyone with even the slightest interest in the fried chicken food market will surely have heard the news about the "Double Down", the fabled double chicken sandwich which was rumoured and being tested by KFC as far back as last August. If you aren't aware (and if you're reading this you really should be) the Double Down is a chicken sandwich/burger of monstrous construction...I'll leave it to the official KFC US website description and promotional pic to explain the details:

The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real and it's coming April 12th! This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!

Well, the good news is they are actually making it and you can go into any KFC and buy one...delicious! The bad news...it's only coming out in America *sob*. We here at KFB have investigated and called in to the mothership, at UK KFC headquarters in Woking. Our contact there told us in no uncertain terms:

"...we have no plans to bring the Double Down to Britain at present."

A great shame, but we can hope that if it's a huge success in the states, we might at least see it tested in the UK eventually. Here at KFB however, we can't resist the allure of a new KFC product - especially one that has sparked so much interest and caused such controversy. If only there was a way we could try a Double Down in the UK....oh but wait, there is a way! We have the ingredients, let's recreate it!

So today I set foot into KFC in Bethnal Green, London to pick up the ingredients. There are admittedly a few limitations here: firstly, Bethnal Green KFC is a halal branch and as a result, doesn't sell any product with bacon. I would have to leave this out for the recreation. Secondly, I would have to settle for the single cheese slice that comes in the Fillet Tower burger, rather than the Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheese slices in the real DD. Finally, we are missing the crucial Colonel's Sauce. One BIG plus though...I could throw in the hash brown from the Fillet Tower burger to sweeten the deal.

So, taking the Original Recipe fillet breast of chicken from a Fillet Burger and Tower Burger, plus the cheeses slice and hash brown from the Tower Burger, I was able to recreate what is essentially a modified Double Down.



The big question: How did it taste? Biting into the Double Down (recreation) was like a dream come true. With any normal burger the bun serves as a mere containing vessel for the contents, the real meat (as it were) of the meal. Of course, we love the kasier bun used in the Fillet, Tower and Zinger burgers but when all is said and done, the peak of flavour and taste comes when you hit the filling. With the DD, the taste sensation is immediate and the Original Recipe flavours are the first thing you experience. This is complimented finally in a climactic sensory overload by the delicious filling (in my case, hash brown and cheese). I can only imagine what the real thing would taste like with the Colonel's special sauce.



Ignoring health and dietary implications (as we always do here at KFB), the DD as sampled by my recreation is everything we have come to expect from the Colonel, but doubled up. The Double Down is set for huge success, and I for one welcome the day when it arrives on our shores. Next up, a recreation of the Double Down with the same filling as the real thing...and while we're at it...how about a Zinger version??

KFC Thailand: a review

Thai food has become a major institution in the UK over the past couple of decades, with even the dodgiest of boozers offering up plates of Green Curry or Pad Thai. On a recent trip to Thailand then, KFB needed to try something totally different in order to satisfy their culinary urges. We wanted to sample Thai KFC. After a day of searching, a branch within a shopping centre was stumbled upon. It was time to dine.


First impressions were good - the restaurant was packed and the smells eminating from inside were certainly alluring. We made our way to the front of the queue and snapped a pic of the menu (which we were promptly told wasn't allowed). We were excited to see most of the usual mainstays alongside some delicious looking new additions. Fish donuts, anyone?


It was only upon closer inspection though that we noticed a serious problem: there was no Zinger Tower on the menu. Zinger burgers yes but the hash brown and cheese was sadly absent. Determined not to give up, we ordered a selection of treats from the menu. First up was a Zinger meal with an accompanying shrimp donut.

Zinger burger meal and shrimp donut
Disappointing. That is the sad sad truth about the Zinger burger at Thai KFCs. With careful scientific analysis we were able to quickly arrive at the reason for the let down - no breast meat. Yes you heard that right folks - it's all dark meat in this here burger. Now I know what you might be thinking - 'But KFB, everyone knows dark meat has the most flavour - surely the Thai Colonel has struck gold with this idea'. Unfortunately if you were in fact thinking along these lines you'd be wrong - very wrong in fact. We could tell from the first bite that something was amiss - namely: flavour and texture. This was one chewy burger. And the lack of a flavour hit as a pay-off was most disappointing. In fact, the act of consuming this burger might best be described as similar to masticating a stringy piece of cardboard.

Onto the shrimp donut then. What a concept this is - breaded mozzarella cheese stuffed with shrimp and deep fried until a crisp golden brown. A great shame then that this too was a let down. The problem here was again in the lack of flavour - mozzarella is at the best of times a mild cheese but combining it with tiny shrimps and tasteless breadcrumbs and it's a bland result all round. Still, there is some novelty factor in telling people you've eaten a shrimp or fish (which we didn't sample) donut.

New Orleans Chicken Fried Rice

Not to be confused with American Fried Rice which I would strongly encourage you to read about, this seemed a concoction of egg fried rice with vegetables and a side serving of chicken glazed with something akin to Teryaki sauce. I am very pleased to report that it was very tasty indeed and suffered from none of the dryness that commonly afflicts similar dishes. Again the

meat was brown rather than white but we'd wager that it would make a tasty burger nonetheless if they ventured down that path.


Shrimp balls/Popcorn shrimp
Our final accompaniment came in the form of small round fishy balls but don't let the description put you off. Actually, scrap that, do let it put you off. These round morsels suffered from the same issues as the shrimp donut in that they were filled with cheese and basically tasteless.

So overall, something of a disappointment. We here at KFB love KFC because of the hugely flavoursome food with a perfectly balanced mixture of textures. This simply wasn't the case over in Thailand. It might have all sounded intruiging on the menu but in the eating was as bland as an old shoe. Their one saving grace? You can order your chicken (or shrimp!) online using the KFC Thailand website. Now that is an idea we need to see over here in the UK immediately.

TLO BBQ Rods Box Meal

The TLO is dead, Long live the TLO

As the Spicy texan boxmaster is consigned to the annals of history (and KFBs Archive for your viewing pleasure) so the BBQ Rods Box Meal arrives to take its place and serves as a great reminder of the sizzling summer ahead.

If you like BBQ, you're gonna love this. This TLO consists of

1 x BBQ rod: 4 skewered mouthfull sized pieces of crispy chicken slathered in BBQ sauce.

1 x Fries

1 x BBQ beans

1 x Drink

1 x BBQ beast burger: Your choice of Zing or OR breast fillet on a toasted sesame kaiser bun with lush lettuce and generous helping of deluxe BBQ sauce.

The only thing missing? a BBB dip I think.

I grabbed this on Tuesday before work and the wait was torturous, nearly 10 minutes, but I was rewarded with a small popcorn chicken for my trouble.

BBQ is always the dip I go for and I really quite enjoyed the Buffalo wrap TLO feat. BBQ sauce so I was pleased to see this offering appear. I have to admit to being more of a gravy man than a bean man so I opted for this as my side, and was well rewarded with a tasty steaming hot rich dark brown three step.

But enough of this gravy talk.

The Rod, as ever was tender although it seemed strange as the Zing was absent. These are truly mammoth chunks of Chicken however which present a real satisfying challenge for a man. The rod it seemed had been dunked in a vat of BBQ and was literally dripping. However those boffins at KFC HQ had planned it perfectly. The ratio of BBQ covered surface area to chicken was spot on, providing a great BBQ taste and satisfying Chickeny notes without being too sweet and cloying.

The main event

It looked great, the bread was just how I liked it, soft and a bit squashed, BBQ sauce oozed from the edges. The chicken when I took my first bite was firm against my bite but moist on the pallet.

With this TLO there were no surprises, does exactly what it says on the box.

6..5/10

TLO Confusion

So, the question we've doubtless all been asking ourselves over the last couple of weeks:

"What's with the TLO? some branches have Boxmasters and others Hotrods"

KFB isn't complaining per-se, but we'd love to see both products on sale at all branches instead of seeing Hotrods at some and Boxmasters at others. Well, KFB has the answer direct from the chickens mouth:

“We’re unable to offer certain limited edition menu items in some stores due to our halal trial, and we’re sorry for any disappointment this may cause. We’ve made sure that all our halal restaurants are close to non-participating stores, where offers like the Boxmaster are available, and you can call our careline or check our website to find out which stores are participating in the trial.”

On the subject of Boxmasters, it seems KFB was overly harsh in its review. We have subsequently been seduced by expertly prepared Boxmasters that were hot, fresh and saucy enough to overcome the potential dryness. In fact, this reporter has been ordering Boxmasters over ZTs on a number of occasions.

KFC EGYPT.....1001 nights of Chicken

In our continuing quest to visit KFC's at the four corners of the world, I left this sceptered isle on a crusade to Arabia and visited KFC Egypt.

I had oft heard tell of crumbling ruins in the desert surrounded by wonders of the modern world, I had never really believed these tales to be true. The following video proves that they are.




I however, opted to try a city centre Cairo branch and so headed down town to Midan Tahrir. Here some of the cities busiest thoroughfares intersect at a large gyratory circus. The demand for Chicken was so overwhelming that this one intersection boasted not one, but two KFCs, which, if standing in the right place could be viewed simultaneously.

KFC was at once easy to spot. Its bright coloured bold frontage stood out proudly amongst other city frontages that seemed moribund when viewed against the vibrancy and pulsing energy that emanated from the KFC.

The clean modern exterior gave way to an equally impressive two tier seating area. I was assailed with that familiar and welcome smell and my stomach began to purr in anticipation of the epicurean delights that awaited it, what exotic treats would a menu crafted to cater for people inhabiting an entirely different continent from my own hold?

It gives me great pleasure to answer once again that the menu, although innovative still did not match up to the UK KFC menu. Yes my UK brethren and sistren, you are eating the worlds finest KFC.
Whilst the Egyptians had embrace Zing and employed it as an option in a number of their dishes they are yet to discover the hash brown. What they did offer was a mixture of the familiar wrap, the recently introduced 'Roller' the ex UK TLO Pannini and them some other products such as the KFC Filler and The Zinger Supreme.
What could it be other than the Zinger supreme? Two meals cost 47LE, equivalent to about 6GBP. The bun was rectangular and the chicken had been sliced at a 45 degree angle to allow the bun to better accommodate it. I was greeted with a delicious Zinger fillet and then something I was not expecting, something I have not seen since those halcyon days spent visiting KFCs across the length and breadth of Europe whilst in Prague. In a predominantly Muslim country the last thing I expected to find on my burger was smoked ham. But there it was bold as brass adding an excellent extra dimension to the burger.
It was refreshing to see such a pragmatic approach. Our own UK halal KFC's will not serve any bacon products in store. Here however the food was prepared and served to me by Muslims without an eyelid being batted, and it warmed my heart.
Unfortunately the burger itself was not a shining example of finely crafted fayre and the chicken was in this instance a little too dry with not enough sauce of any description to compensate. The salad however had not wilted in the heat and seemed lush and crispy whilst the bun was soft and tasty.
Egypt boast a couple of other things worthy of a mention, their excellent KFC delivery service (we can dream) and more interestingly the worlds first KFC run by the hearing impared. I was not lucky enough to visit this branch but thought it worth of a brief time in the limelight.
Overall the Egyptians need to be applauded for adopting KFC and have certainly had a good stab at it. KFB's best wishes are with them for all their endeavours in the future.

KFC Offers Edible Reward for Missing Colonel Sanders

As disrespectful as this act was, it's really ruffled some feathers and served up some finger lickin' chicken related puns. (I'm sorry)....

VIDEO LINK

Kentucky Fried Chicken is offering $500 worth of grilled chicken in exchange for information leading to the safe return of a missing ColonelSanders bust.

The 24-inch bronze bust vanished from a Berea, Ky., KFC just before closing time on Jan. 31.

"There were three men in the restaurant, and the employee went to the kitchen," spokesman Rick Maynard recounted. "When she returned, the three men and the Colonel had flown the coop."

The bust has graced the restaurant's dining room since the 1970s, making the outlet one of the few to house expensive KFC-related art. According to Maynard, the bust – depicting a jolly Sanders in his "trademark glasses and string tie" – is worth $1,500.

"Folks who frequent the restaurant kind of miss it," Maynard says. "I think it's been replaced with a potted plant."

Maynard says KFC would like to return the Colonel to his rightful place, watching over an outpost of his fried chicken empire, which got its start just an hour down the road in Corbin, Ky. "The police ran out of leads," he explains, "so we wanted to offer a unique reward."

Maynard estimates $500 would buy about 25 buckets of KFC grilled chicken. "What we're looking for is to catch these chickens," he says of the mysterious men allegedly behind the Colonel caper.

SPICY TEXAN BOXMASTER TLO

We here at KFB have had a good day. I knew it was that time of the month again when KFC would release their next Time Limited Offer (TLO) and after the last poultry effort which we didn't even dine (upon) to mention we have not been let down.

I decided to swing by Stoke-On-Trent's Festival Heights branch before work and check out the new offer. I was greeted with a KFB all time favourite........Hot Rods! But wait a Chick'n Pluck'n minute, wasn't that the TLO just before Christmas I hear you collectively ask? well, yes it was, and I was torn by feelings of ambivalence. Was this being back good, purely selfishly because I love it, or bad, because KFC wasn't exploring and pushing the art of Chicken cuisine up to its creative boundaries and beyond.

Not Since Martin Shuker was on the team that fused breast with brown (hash that is) has there been a true foundation shaking moment in the fried Chicken world, and so, every six weeks we live in hope.

I wolfed down my Hot Rods which it later transpired are simply making a guest appearance at Festival heights and texted the team. Their replies collectively held an incredulous tone, 'surely not again' they intoned. I checked on-line and found to my pure an unadulterated joy that in deed the Hot Rod was not this periods TLO but that the Boxmaster was back in a new Spicy Texan gusie.

That was my dinner plans decided and what better way to check out a new TLO than at North Staffordshire's newest branch: Newcastle under Lyme that I haven't visited since the day it opened back in November.

So, what we have here is the Spicy Texan Boxmaster which comprises of:

Tortilla wrap

Zinger Chicken Breast Fillet

A Hash Brown

Bacon

Cheese

Texan Chilli Sauce

Ranch Dressing

Lettuce

Tagged on the promotional literature as an XL eat I gingerly ordered a meal.

It arrived along with my first disappointment, there was no bespoke packaging it had merely been crudely packaged in a chip bag, somewhat akin to blu tacking the Mona Lisa to wall without a frame.

The weight however was there, this must be one of KFC's densest products and its construction using a wrap is very helpful in keeping such a large list of ingredients held together, even if the diner must suffer a little wrap syndrome.

The Chicken was well cooked and the hash brown as always provided that comforting crunch and fulfilled its role admirably as tasty bulk, the cheese as always acted as a binding agent and the lettuce was verdant as ever.

The bacon however never truly asserted itself. When it was glimpsed by the taste buds it provided a brief and intense hit but just didn't quite reach its potential. Bacon however is hardly synonymous with Texas, but a nice idea nonetheless. The ranch dressing provided a good subtle flavour throughout the eat but I was expecting so much more from the texan chilli sauce. I wanted a sauce that scored highly on the Scoville scale but this chilli sauce was lacklustre and in need of some extra oomph.

By the end I found this a little dry and would have like to have seen some diced tomato added into the mix.

For Innovation 8

In reality this example was a 6/10