KFC World Tour, Part 2: Austria

Still on a high from my visit to Slovakia, I crossed the border into neighbouring Austria. Naturally, I made headway for the capital city of Vienna with it's beautiful Austro-Hungarian architecture, steeped in history and of course, delicious chicken joints courtesy of the Colonel.

Of Vienna's 4 branches, I headed straight to the most central and visually impressive located on Mariahilferstraße. The exterior facade combining sheet glass and wood was of stark modern contrast to the classic Baroque architecture of the rest of the city, a refreshing sight which could grab the attention of the average passer by.



Inside, I was presented with a menu not too dissimilar from that of the UK (Tower, Zinger, Twister, Boxmaster), with some similar elements seen in Slovakia (Longer) and just a couple of new, interesting items - namely the Mandarin Chicken Salad and Grander Burger. Of course, we all know that given the choice between a salad and burger, there is only one sane decision to make. I opted for the Grander Menu, and found a quiet table on the 2nd tier seating area to begin my extensive analysis.



The Grander Burger is essentially a Fillet Burger but with BBQ sauce and slice of tomato in the mix, usually only found in the Daddy Burger in the UK. With a hungry belly (and slight hang over) I tucked in excitedly, but was immediately stopped in my tracks and stricken with disappointment. Upon opening the wrapping, I was presented with a limp, dry and (oddly enough) wholemeal bun, poorly constructed with the bare minimum of lettuce and mayo and a BBQ sauce which looked more like a vinaigrette than anything else.



The proof though should always be in the eating, so I took a bite. The chicken was not the usual large, fresh, meaty breast that we are so used to in the UK, but a more puny, brown chicken. Sadly, the flavour of the BBQ sauce faired no better while the soggy bun and lopsided construction gave an unsatisfactory bite and messy hands. The lack of a clean-up tissue was the final nail in the coffin of a disappointing meal. The only positive I could take away from this experience was that the secret recipe coating did indeed taste as it should, but this is what I would have expected anyway.

I was prepared to give this branch the benefit of the doubt - maybe they were short staffed, had received a dodgy load of buns, or were training some new chicken technicians who lacked experience in the fine art of burger alignment? I hoped this was the case, and decided to forget what I had seen today and press on to my final European destination in the heart of the former Eastern Bloc - Poland!