Review: The Bok Shop

https://www.thebokshop.com

3-4 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HP

"The Bok Shop is a brand new gourmet fried chicken and vegan faux chicken restaurant based in the heart of Brighton"

A long time ago (3rd February) in a galaxy far far away (Brighton), I finally got an answer to my question: 'is The Bok Shop just an overpriced KFC?' I probably need to disclose now that secretly throughout this post I am comparing these chicken burgers to my all-time favourite, the McDonalds Chicken Legend. If you don't agree that the simple combination of crispy chicken, crunchy lettuce and cool mayo is the best thing ever, then you may as well leave now...

ANYWAY back to the actual point of this post. My boyfriend and I visited The Bok Shop a week or so ago, looking forward to gobbling down some fried chicken. First impression was that it's a lot smaller than you'd think! Which led to some panic on my part at the thought of having to wait for food!... luckily the disaster was averted and we began perusing the menus from the comfort(?) of a wooden bench. The place has a nice laid back feel to it, even to the point of putting toy cars and dinosaurs on the tables - make of that what you will.

We ordered drinks first (groundbreaking) - I had a Savanna Dry Cider and Mike had a Firebird Paleface A.P.A. My cider came with a lemon wedge in it, which I don't think I've ever had before, but actually really enjoyed! After a surprisingly short time deliberating (I usually spend at least 20 minutes trying to choose food, and change my mind about 50 times), we both went for The Satay Night Fever. I ordered fries as a side (obviously) and Mike went for coleslaw (mental).

This food came VERY quickly which I am never a massive fan of in a restaurant, and also meant that once I'd finished eating I had 490ml of cider left to drink. But onto the burgers: satay sauce was very satay-ey (maybe could have been a bit warmer) and the chicken was good quality though could have had more seasoning. My main issue was that it was SO sloppy to eat! I guess maybe you wouldn't have this issue if you didn't go for the satay burger, but I was left with hands covered in sauce and a soggy lump of bread at the end. Now you've got that lovely image in your head, I'll move onto the sides... chips were nice and hot, but not crispy enough for my liking. Surprise winner of the night was the coleslaw!! Crunchy, flavoured really well and had a kick to it.

Overall, although I did enjoy my burger, the satay sauce and the surprising coleslaw, I probably won't be rushing back there. And if I do feel the somewhat irresistible pull of fried chicken, I'll definitely give the wings a go. I really like what they're trying to do but I'm not sure they're doing it quiiite well enough to deserve the extra £7/8 that you pay compared to fast food chains. McDonalds, here I come...