FRIED chicken may no longer be the unique selling point. But we have another American brand, Genuine Broaster Chicken, jumping into the fray – since last year in the country and last month in the city– with a promise of offering something different. The Hyderabad franchise launched by mother and son duo Vandana and Karan Sethe, is already a hub for groups of youngsters coming in with their friends to enjoy their platter of fried chicken with drinks that unexpectedly arrive in half-broken soft drink bottles. We find that the American brand has found favour with people in the age group of 20-25, who enjoy American rap and pop and love watching cricket on big screens.
The small space in the posh local on Jubilee Hills is rather ingeniously designed. Apart from the indoor section, there’s an outdoor setting for those who want to spend long hours digging into their burger and pasta, sipping on their cold coffee and watching the cars zoom past Road Number 10. Cricket lovers will be delighted to know that there are special offers as Indian Premier League starts on April 4. The black and white posters of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe add a distinct pop twist to the décor, and the baseball helmets hanging from the walls could well be a conversation starter.
The menu offers a limited number of dishes. But their signature fried chicken platter is delicious, relatively healthy and lives up to the hype. First up on the table for sampling is the Broaster platter that include three kinds of fried chicken – Happy Fry, Hot Masala Chicken and Legendary Broaster Chicken, along with three dips – Cheese Jalapeno, Thai Sweet Chilli and the Curry Mango. The Legendary Broaster Chicken which was crispier than the rest was the best of the lot, and the tangy mango dip went well with it. “The chicken is cooked in a patented Broaster fryer that is relatively healthy and uses 50 per cent less oil,” says Vandana.
Next up on the table, are the Palak Paneer and the Lamb Rogan Josh burgers, where green and red buns take us by surprise. Karan informs, “While the freshly baked palak paneer bun uses spinach extracts, the lamb one uses beetroot.” The breads are indeed soft, but we felt that the patty for the Lamb Rogan Josh Burger could have been juicier. Post that we sampled the Paneer Ghotala Khichdi, from their fusion food section. The dish is a meal in itself and can be spiced up as per your taste.
From the drinks menu the Chul Bul Soda, the Thumbs Up sprinkled with chaat masala and Bul Bul, with Fanta and a dash of caramel are perfect to sip on a sultry April noon and are reminiscent of Delhi streets. However what took our breath away was the rather simple drink called Palank Tod which is one expresso shot, mixed with red bull and served in a beer glass. It wouldn’t be too far off the mark to say that this drink is the teetotaler’s answer to the Jägermeister.
Price for two: Rs 600 plus taxes,
Details: 23550049