Categories
American

Extra Crispy – Merrylands NSW Restaurant Review

There is this rumour going around Western Sydney that the Extra Crispy group of fried chicken restaurants was originally a set of Broaster Chicken franchises that broke off and renamed themselves in order to avoid the licensing fees surrounding the Broaster name whilst continuing to use the broasting equipment. Whilst I cannot independently confirm nor deny this, it does seem like the chicken that they have is extremely similar to that which is provided by the Broaster chain, with the one exception that the level of salt at the Extra Crispy chains in Western Sydney varies considerably store to store – often a bit oversalted.

Whilst I normally avoid taking part in the night time Extra Crispy orders, one particular night I had a Crispy Classic Chicken Burger ($12) featuring a crispy chicken patty, halal beef bacon, lettuce, American cheese, pickles and spicy sauce. It was actually quite good. The size and value for money was on point, the flavour was good and for once in my life it was not extremely salty.

I also shared in a number of 10 Buffalo Hot Wings ($12.50) which I felt could have been just a little bit more buffalo than what we received. The photos on the electronic menu does make the buffalo sauce appear more substantial than what we received and if they were hoping to cater for customers who wanted only a mildly buffalo experience when ordering buffalo wings, they could have at least added more buffalo sauce on the side. Were I to order this again, I would at least try and add a comment asking to smother the wings in sauce.

Extra Crispy Merrylands
1/228 Merrylands Rd, Merrylands NSW 2160

Categories
Café

Angus – Marrickville NSW Restaurant Review

I finally got my wife to agree to go to Angus with me, having seen it mentioned multiple times online as a source of a good fish sandwich.

The fish sandwich ($27.39) was indeed good. The fish was soft and moist, with a crunchy crumbing. The tartare sauce was generous and highly dilled, with the brightness and tartness of capers adding additional flavour.

Though the housemade focaccia was high in volume, its airy and compressible structure meant that it didn’t feel like a burden to consume, and overall the balance of flavour, moisture, and bread was on point.

For our second sandwich my wife chose the crumbed chicken sandwich ($24.01), which is not something I would’ve chosen in addition to crumbed fish, but this is after all a democracy (sometimes).

Neither of us liked the chicken sandwich as much, both finding it dryer and less flavourful – attributes that the furikake, fermented chilli mayo, pickled cucumber, and slaw could not fix.

Overall
Prices were paid as written, inclusive of a 10% weekend surcharge – which on one hand makes sense because of penalty rates, but on the other hand I suspect weekends make up a disproportionate amount of their business. $27.40 for a fish sandwich is really too much, no matter how good it is, and $24 for a less good chicken sandwich is as well. Because of this, Angus will have to be one and done for me.

Angus
69 Meeks Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204

Categories
American

Yum Burger – Five Dock NSW Restaurant Review

One of the first meals we had in our new place was from Yum Burger, a convenient 0 minute walk around the corner from the Five Dock Coles, and a relatively price-conscious choice for two new mortgagees.

The Classic Aussie Burger ($12) does what it says on the tin. It features a single beef patty, a slice of American cheese, red onions, lettuce, tomato, and some barbeque sauce all sandwiched between a bun. It was of adequate size and flavour for the price – definitely a solid budget pick, but did not do anything to astound.

The hot chicken burger ($14.50) was a bit tastier, owing to the inclusion of jalapenos, chilli mayo, and hot sauce, which all matched well with its healthfully grilled chicken breast fillet. I would not mind having another right now (he says, as he has chicken in the air fryer going in the next room).

The hot chips ($4.50 – small) were thick cut and crispy but ultimately difficult to judge as I didn’t have them immediately after they were cooked (I finished my shop first).

Thoughts
The fit out is sleek, clean, and modern, clearly updated in the last few years comparing its current appearance to old photos from Google Maps, though a bit of the pictorial information has been lost from the backlit menu board.

Unfortunately there’s no double patty option on the menu – even the even the “man burger” option announces its manliness through a lack of vegetables and the addition of bacon, but no extra beef patty. Though the portions of meat in the burgers were adequate, a bit of extra meat often goes a long way, and something I feel many wouldn’t mind paying for.

The people working there seem to be the owners however so I suspect they have a bit of latitude when it comes to off-menu additions.

I’ll probably be back.

Update October 2025

I was walking buy and saw an ad out for fried skewers. I had 5 lamb skewers for $7, not really knowing what they would be like. They ended up being less Chinese than I expected them to be (to be fair, there was nothing really indicating Chineseness apart from the guy who runs the store being Chinese), though not completely non-chinese.

The meat was juicy and mostly lean, with one fatty bit but overall less fatty than most Chinese skewers. The flavour was umami with a slight hint of sweetness and saltiness – difficult for me to put my finger on, but definitely not the chilli and cumin that I had hoped (with no good reason to). Not the best, but definitely inoffensive and good value.

Yum Burger
Shop 5/133 Great N Rd, Five Dock NSW 2046

Categories
American

Butterball BBQ Chicken – Earlwood NSW Restaurant Review

I don’t remember the exact set of circumstances that led to me getting an $18 burger and fries right after spending like $100 at the slightly upmarket grocery store across the road, but I did it and didn’t regret it.

The dirty bird ($18), with two pieces of fried chicken, bacon, onion, pickles, peri aioli and a maple glaze was fat, delicious, and juicy. Potentially could only be optimised or ruined (you’re welcome to your opinion on this one) with the addition of pineapple, which I do not believe was on offer.

What really wowed me, even outside of the really good burger, were these chips. I don’t know how or what they did, but they were just so good. So crunchy, and not just immediately crunchy, but even crunchy after a 10 minute drive home. Absolutely delicious, I can still taste them six months later.

Butterball BBQ Chicken
1/8-10 Clarke St, Earlwood NSW 2206
(02) 7209 5460

Categories
American

Flame House Co – Campsie NSW Restaurant Review

I actually had a great Portuguese style grilled quarter chicken here like a year ago that I clearly forgot to write about, but let me now tell you about this excellent burger I had recently.

This Fried Chicken Slaw Burger ($13) was one of the best chicken burgers that I’ve had in recent memory. The chicken was thick and juicy, deep fried fresh to order, which is the only way that you can achieve such a perfectly crispy exterior. The slaw was your average mix of carrot and cabbages, but swimming in a rich creamy mayo that seemed to amplify the creaminess of the slice of American cheese which melted under the heat of the chicken patty soon after this photo was taken. The buns were oiled and grilled on the outside, making it a mess on the hands to eat, but absolutely delicious and probably awful for those watching their macros, as well as anyone a mere five days after their laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The pickles were present and yummy but not out in force today. I will ask for extras next time.

Very solid.

Flame House Co.
Clemton Park Shopping Village. 60 Charlotte St, Campsie NSW 2194
(02) 8084 7314