It seems like we eat more fried chicken than usual these days (unless it's a vegan month), with new fried chicken joints opening up on every corner and I'm wondering if it is not pandemic related. Could fried chicken be the perfect comfort food? If so, keep eating it for a few more months and do not let your guard down just yet because of the seeming nearness of the vaccinations.
Fritou is a Quebec chain that has been around since 1993. CFR in Abbotsford (on George Ferguson near Gladwin) is not the first place in BC to serve Fritou chicken (there is 777 Pizza in Surrey and Duffins in Vancouver serves it as well...or at least used to....I can neither confirm nor deny at the moment) but I am pretty sure that it is the first location dedicated to the brand.
I noticed Fritou on a drive-by (on my way to get my haircut) and stalked them until they opened. It was a little confusing at first. Their website was useless (it is much better now) and apparently they had supplier problems but now they seem to be rolling. On my first visit, they had a six wing and fries special for $12.95. These were not wing pieces but whole wings and they were fantastic. This is definitely some of the best fried chicken that I have ever had. It is 24 hour brined and pressure deep-fried. It is always freshly made (be prepared to wait a bit), hot (my God, don't burn yourself), moist and flavourful! The fries were ok being the type with a coating that makes them very crispy.
I got an order of General Tao Chicken (comes with rice) to bring home for Mharie (and saved a couple of wings too). It was alright being a bit sweet and could have been spicier. Made with fried chicken also, I feel like it would have been better hot in the restaurant.
We decided to check out Fritou again to confirm that the fried chicken was indeed spectacular and it was. This time we ordered a 3 piece combo (2 pieces spicy and 1 piece original). Again the chicken was piping hot from the fryer, crispy but juicy inside. Amazing!
We opted for onion rings instead of fries and they were also very good. They could have been hotter and I think that's just a timing thing that will be learned with experience (the o rings had to wait for the chicken). They are just newly opened after all. They were still very ungreasy and tasty.
I am not a big fan of poutine. I especially dislike it when people refer to poutine as Canada's national dish (really?... fries, gravy and cheese?...that's the best we can do?) but I thought that since this was a Quebec-based chain that they might have the inside track. Well, we were wrong about that. The fries were OK but on the soggy side because that what happens when you cover them in gravy. The gravy was meh as it is chicken gravy and that's the way they make it in Quebec. The cheese was not of the squeaky variety as it should be. The bottom line is, eat the chicken but don't bother with the poutine.
This is a mostly take-out place but there are 4 socially distanced tables available at the moment. The owners are a lovely friendly couple and they are clearly interested in their customer's experience. And they make wonderful fried chicken!
Food 4 out of 5
Comfort 4 out of 5
Service 4 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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