KFC's foray into Sichuan snacks meets Liao's Chinese "burgers" head-on
Chuanchuan burgers? Is that even a thing?
This summer has seen a pitched battle of midnight snacks in a crossover of Chinese and Western fast food.
KFC recently started to sell Sichuan-style chuanchuan, a cold snack of cooked meat and vegetables dipped in spicy broth.
At 59 yuan (US$8.35), the chuanchuan bucket includes a variety of 12 skewers, including chicken heart, gizzard and fried tofu. At 39 yuan, sets include two small bowls of chicken of choice, plus two spicy fried chicken wings.
Sold for 20 hours a day, KFC’s delivery fee is 9 yuan.
Chuanchuan has long been a crowd pleaser in China. A popular night-time snack, it’s easy to eat, tasty and offers a wide selection of ingredients, quite a reverse for a Western brand specializing in fried chicken, French fries and burgers.
KFC’s chuanchuan has received mixed reviews: Some enjoyed the flavor while others thought it pure fakery.
Fighting the food fight on another flank, Liaoji Bangbangji, a nationwide franchise famous for bon bon chicken (chicken served in spicy chili oil broth) and chuanchuan, announced its latest creation: Chinese "burgers."
Liaoji has created two "burgers" that squeeze signature dishes into burger buns. One is composed of shreds of braised pig’s ear, the other fuqi feipian, sliced beef and beef offal in chili sauce.
While some commend Liao’s effort to present chuanchuan and classic Sichuan snacks in an innovative way, most people just see it as stuffing them into a burger bun rather than the traditional guokui, a flatbread from Shaanxi, and prefer the real thing.
KFC has launched Sichuan chuanchuan and braised chicken products, while Chengdu's bon bon chicken franchise Liaoji created Chinese-style "burgers."
BOR Eatery: a relaxed modern dining experience
Danish chef Kasper Pedersen and his team head the kitchen at a new eatery on Anfu Road, BOR, from the Danish “Jeg bor her” meaning “I live here.”
Pedersen simply cooks what he likes to eat at BOR, and there are influences from foraging, farm-to-table and nose-to-tail cooking. The essence of BOR is cooking with love and fresh local ingredients.
BOR has removed the barriers between kitchen and dining room, the culinary team is right in the middle of the restaurant, cooking, plating and serving guests.
The space has high ceilings, natural light and large windows to create a relaxed dining space.
The menu features dishes like beef tartare with tomato and fresh herbs on fried sourdough, fried scallops with grapefruit, hazelnut and salted caramel, as well as smoked pork ribs with sour apple, mustard and pickles cooked on the Josper grill.
Sides are never an afterthought, BOR offers roasted cauliflower with butter foam, chestnut and lime, beets and gnocchi with onion cream and garlic salsa verde. Vegetarians and health conscious diners are well catered for with Pedersen’s inspiring vegetable creations.
Address: 322 Anfu Rd
Tel: 6266-7909
Grilled radicchio with burrata cheese, olive paste, toasted buckwheat, serrano ham, burnt garlic
Mammamia,we go again, with new outlet in Pudong
Mammamia, the Italian restaurant by chef Enzo Carbone, has opened a new outlet in Pudong at the Century Link Mall.
With a casual, family-style cooking, MammaMia specializes in handmade pasta and Neapolitans pizzas.
Some popular dishes from Mammamia’s menu include the classic Margherita pizza, prosciutto pizza, calzone and classic tiramisu.
Address: LG2, 1192 Century Ave
Tel: 181-5220-4267
Mammamia now has a new outlet in the Century Link Mall.
