We met BonBird, the little sister of Pickl and here are our thoughts

Bon, Bon, Bon…

BonBird has officially opened its doors in Dubai and if you know absolutely anything about team What’s On then you will know that we do love a bit of fried chicken – in just about any way that it is presented to us. When we first heard that Yolk Brands, the company behind Pickl and 1762 were opening a fried chicken joint we instantly knew that it would be im-peck-able.

The BonBird branch is located in City Walk Dubai, right next door to big sister, Pickl. With floor-to-ceiling windows out front, you get panoramic views of the sticky-fingered diners inside. The chicken shop is set out in minimalistic chic — white tile and red accents to celebrate the BonBird emblematic branding. It truly is all about the chicken for them. Which is just the way we like it.

The good bits

BonBird know exactly what they’re doing. Everything we sampled from the menu, hit hard. Just the juiciest pieces of chicken, coated with love and a batter that is quite possibly the tastiest we’ve had in a hot minute.

Speaking of hot stuff – no What’s On chicken tasting session would be complete without us putting ourselves through mild torture by testing out the hottest flavour level available. We are gluttons for the spice-sweat of regret. Full disclosure, their top tier spice level — the XXX, likely won’t be the hottest thing you’ve tasted (it’s roughly equivalent to Pickl’s Nashville heat level), but it still gave our lips the old fresh from the filler appointment look — and the least spice tolerant member of the team (me) did require emergency milkshake. Despite that, we were still impressed by the deep layered chicken herb ‘n’ spice flavours, underneath the hotness.

Mega buckets

Ever since the BonBird videos have been popping up on socials, we have all been wondering about the cheesy goodness that is the chicken melt sandwich. And all that can be said is after the heat of the XXX hot chicken, we’d happily be buried with a lifetime supply of the chicken melt sandos.

The cheese coats the top of your mouth, and the chicken is juicy on the outside, and perfectly crisp on the outside. We thought the cabbage would be a wild card but it paid off in the best way possible. Complimenting the richness of the cheese with a different crunch that clearly sets it apart from the chicken.

A special mention goes to the fries. Wow. They were top-tier, S list. Sprinkle the fries with chicken salt, and enjoy pure bliss.

BonBird, City Walk, now open daily 11am to 2am. @bonbird.uae 

Images: Provided and social