Belle's Hot Chicken

Ok I will be the first to admit that I am horrible at dieting because I just love to eat things like fried chicken. So when a friend asked me where I wanted to go on Sat (cheat day of the week) I suggested Belle's without hesitation!

V and I go way back, been friends since I was 14, I don't see her much but when I do, I always have stuff to talk about. Then when you add D and F with their gaming talk, recipe for a perfect night out.

We visited the Belle's in Fitzroy (coz I'm like totes hipster =P) and was quite lucky in that we got a table within 10 minutes at 7.30pm on a Saturday.

Armed with a menu and decision making power, there was no way I could turn down the option of the Baller Bucket. So I picked the Bucket and a few more things to share.

To start we got the fried oysters with ranch and fennel. This was interesting, as you don't get too many fried oyster dishes out there, most places like to serve it raw. The fried coating with the creaminess of the oyster worked quite well, then it was cut through with the fennel. The ranch sauce was like an extra, you didn't really need it but it was nice to have.

In the bucket you get 16 wings, 4 sides, lot of pickles and sauce. We picked the Southern and the Hot for the wings; ranch and blue cheese for the sauce; and I will talk about the sides later. The chicken was very well marinated before they were fried. The hot chicken, is not for the faint hearted. Normally I can handle my heat reasonably well but I found myself to be progressively struggling with each wing. I started to rely on the ranch sauce to take away from some of the heat. It was very saucey, I found D and F to start having sauce drip down their hands and chin.

 The Southern was crisp and well seasoned. If you like your chicken no frills, this is the one for you.

We got all the sides to try. The coleslaw was a very homestyle and chopped up type of salad. Good flavor to it and it help balance out the hotness in the chicken. The mac and cheese broccoli and almond salad was my favourite. The freshness was welcomed sensation, after all the chicken. Chips were seasoned so I guess if you are after a beer/chip/chicken combo, this would be the way to go.

Mac and cheese was V's favorite, the cheesiness of the pasta was very guilty but satisfying.

Beans and bacon was our final side. The beans were a bit overcooked and more on the oily side, this was our least favourite side out of the lot.

We were too full and decided to skip dessert.

Overall 15/20 If you are after South American food, this is the place to go. Or if you just love fried chicken, you need to try this place out. It is also a good cheat day meal!