Breakfast comes to KFC

It was with great trepidation that last Saturday I ventured towards KFC's flagship UK branch in Marble Arch, London. For I was about to sample the biggest new addition to the menu we all know and love since the introduction of burgers back in the nineties: KFC AM.

Having heard rumours of the breakfast as far back as last year I was understandably dubious. Was it really true? KFC, for breakfast? Sausages, made of chicken? I had to find out. I set off alone at approximately 8.40 (KFC AM is served between 7.00 and 10.30 am). The indication I stumbled upon was a tactical poster ad at Marble Arch tube:

My interest now piqued, I ventured forth towards the restaurant. What greeted me was beyond all possible imagination, for no less than seven new items have been added to the already glorious range. Be sure to expand the image to the right for the full details (though as this is a test period don't be surprised if we don't see them all for the official launch). In fact, such was the choice that I suffered a momentary lapse in the decision making process. What was it to be? The classic twister, remade with breakfast ingedients? The Wrapstar with literally everything on the AM menu in it? The eggy bread of the Loader - possibly the most unusual of any fast food breakfasts i've seen. In the end though I settled on the Charger. And a sausage one at that. Let's face it, you're all wondering how a chicken sausage tastes right? And the purest test is to try it sans bacon.

So down I sat, Charger in hand. The anticipation was killing me. I had just enough time to snap a cheeky photo before delving into the golden glory in front of me and let me assure you, it was everything i'd hoped for. The sausage was flavoursome and meaty, the cheesy omlette...well it was cheesy. In fact it could be argued cheese has the strongest presence in this menu. From pepper jack cheese slices to cheese omlettes to mild cheese sauce to grated cheese. Dairy product haters need not apply.

Charger: 7.5/10

Next up: the AM Wrapstar.

Paul here. After Al's initial foray into the land of KFC AM, it was my turn. While travelling to Marble Arch, my thoughts were consumed with worry and doubt. Would the new breakfast menu live up to the hype? Surely this could not be the Colonel's first real failure? I turned to the menu as I arrived at the restaurant on Sunday morning - I had already decided to have the AM Wrapstar, but when confronted with the full menu and an impatient chicken technician (till operator) I found myself in two minds. Such choice! In the end, I committed and went for the AM Wrapstar. Aside from the Challenger box meal (only a truly hungry man would attempt this) the AM Wrapstar appeared to be the most feature-laden menu item consisting of no less than 9 ingredients: chicken sausage, bacon, chesse omlette, cheese sauce, hash brown, a tostada, diced tomato, grilled tomato ketchup (yes, grilled) all packaged in a heated tortilla wrap. One thing I had noticed on closer inspection of the product image was the presence of baked beans, carefully positioned between the two central sausages. There was no mention of beans in the product description however - a shame, but none-the-less I found a quiet seat and laid out the meal.

One bite into the AM Wrapstar and I took a good helping of all the layers. The cheese omlette in particular was a taste sensation, complemented by the warm cheese sauce and diced tomato. In terms of meat, the chicken sausage and bacon combination were both hearty and filling. As I reached halfway, I looked down, only to spot several baked beans languishing centrally between hash brown and sausage. The promotional poster was indeed accurate, taking the tally of breakfast iungredients in the AM Wrapstar to 10. Let me just say this - if you're seeking some kind of early morning sustenance, look no further.

AM Wrapstar: 8.5/10

Ever Wanted To Work at KFC HQ?

It's something we've all dreamt about. Imagine working behind the scenes for KFC...what would it be like? What is the Colonel like as a boss? Do you get to eat KFC all day? Is everyone terribly obese? These are just some of the questions that I had, and thankfully many of them were answered in this interesting feature from Marketing magazine. Click the image to read the article and find out what it is actually like to be an employee of the greatest chicken merchants on the planet.

Boneless wonders

For years now I've been somewhat of a pariah in the chicken eating world. the 'bird' is the most scrumptious of all the meats and with 11 simple additions becomes the world's greatest foodstuff. My problem, however, is that I've always found the menu limited due to my inability to eat chicken on the bone. For years I got by with fillet burgers, then in time 'zing' was introduced to the menu. Now however the proportion of boneless products on the Colonels menu has mushroomed. we now have more choice than ever before and 'boneless' has actually become a buzzword. There are mini fillets, crispy strips, fillet burgers, fillet towers, twisters, popcorn chicken, the wrapstar (will it make a comeback) the original boneless box, the slightly larger 15.99 boneless box and recently the boneless variety box. but the newest addition the "boneless bites flavour station" with barbecue, sweet chilli and fiery pepper sauces to choose from. This burgeoning class of boneless foodstuffs is heartily welcomed. Score 1 for the colonel!

Bouncers Hired to Prevent Trouble at KFC

KFC Camden has become the first fast-food restaurant in Britain to be forced to employ bouncers in an effort to prevent trouble at the crime-ridden location. In recent times, patrons of the North London eatery have been slashed with a knife, smashed with a bottle and kicked in the head, while reports have suggested that the premise often "smelt of cannabis".

Aside from the fact you'd need to be clucking mad to venture here after dark, I am curious as to what new rules have been put in place with the introduction of this new security. If my knowledge of bouncers is anything to go by, I can only assume that there is some kind of dress code to be followed and that you must be able to walk in a straight line to get in. Of course in this case, I fully support these requirements - as we all know, if you're not visiting KFC dressed as a Kentucky gent in a fine white suit, with a fresh palette to sample the Colonel's delicious chicken, then you shouldn't be there anyway.

Read more here.

Lancaster: The Review

Lancaster KFC has for many years been an extremely sad experience. Sure, the Colonel did a fantastic job renovating the place with bright colours, Kandinsky prints and even a large kiddie's banquet table. Sadly, that was probably in around 1980. Up until last year, grease dripped from the ceiling (literally), tables were left strewn with rubbish and the kiddie's table? Well let's just say, the Colonel's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices has an incredible ability to make its way between a glass surface and the printed table veneer underneath it. This was not a place you'd want to spend a lazy afternoon in. Proceedings used to go something like this:

• Enter
• Queue for a ridiculously long time
• Order
• Wait
• Wait some more
• Receive order from a server who looked as though he'd grown up in an Oliver Twist era poor house
• Eat lukewarm chicken purely because you knew you'd be letting Harland down if you didn't
• Feel dirty

So it comes as an extremely pleasant surprise that Lancaster KFC has finally been refurbished. Imagine the looks of joy on our faces when our Northern correspondent first informed us. "What would they alter?" we wondered. "Will we ever be able to enjoy our lukewarm chicken on the kiddie table again?". Our answers were forthcoming upon the reopening in February: "It's exactly the same" our misinformed correspondent told us. Saddened by this news, it was with a heart full of sorrow and a head full of low expectations that we made our way back to KFC.

Lancaster KFC sits at the very peak of what we can refer to as the town centre, thus rendering it visible from a great distance and causing it to act as an extremely gratifying welcome to the town itself. Even from this great distance, we could tell our correspondent was severely misinformed. The signage has been updated with the new branding, the interior completely renovated. Even the kiddie's table has gone (attempts to locate it in skips out the back were unsuccessful). But the best addition? Lancaster KFC now contains two large leather sofas to kick back and enjoy that chicken on. Surely a first for the chain. The Zinger Tower was excellent. Excellent to the degree that long term KFC veteran and contributor to this blog, Dave, said it was the greatest he had ever tasted. This is how fried chicken should be my friends.

8/10

(Northern correspondent is now fired)