Belle's Hot Chicken

Although Brad and I almost always do brunch on the weekends (cause he just loves his eggs in the morning!), it’s nice once in a while to be almost forced to do something different. Such as this one particular Saturday, where I had a job to do in the morning in the city, so instead of brunch, Brad and I decided (or perhaps I dictated) to meet up for lunch at Belle’s Hot Chicken. 

If you live in Melbourne and haven’t heard of Belle’s Hot Chicken, you must be living under a rock, as this Nashville style eatery storms into Gertrude Street and quickly woos hearts with fried chicken goodness, Southern style.

I was worried that it’d be difficult to get a table, but at 12:30pm, there’s no issue securing a booth and throughout the lunch period, it doesn’t get that busy while we’re there. Although I guess it being a perfectly sunny day also makes it more convenient as there’s plenty of outdoor seating as well. 

I’m a bit early, so request to have the usually spiked sweet iced tea without the alcohol. I’m somewhat surprised to see it arrive slightly cloudy, and that it has a surprisingly nice musky and floral note to the flavour. Perfectly refreshing on a warm day.

When ordering your chicken, you simply choose which part of the chicken you would like to eat, followed by how hot you would like (from ‘southern’ all the way to ‘really f**kin’ hot’), and one side. There’s also an ‘off the menu’ menu, but I’m a little bummed this visit that the chicken livers didn’t make an appearance…simply means I’ll have to revisit I guess…

When Brad eventually shows up, we opt for medium wings and hot tenders, with a side of coleslaw and old bay fries (of course). Our wings are a gorgeous golden colour, and the tenders arrive glowing slightly red. I’m impressed that both aren’t very oily, and are delightfully succulent. The crisp skin on the wings is an absolute winner. The tenders (on Rob’s recommendation) are a great way to test how much spice you can handle, since they are pretty easy to navigate with cutlery, so you don’t have to get your fingers and mouths coated in the spice. 

In terms of spiciness, if there was any spice in the medium, it wasn’t really noticeable for Brad and I, but it did taste well seasoned, and the hot tenders had a nice burst of heat into the mouth. Definitely keen to step it up next time and try out ‘really hot’, or even ‘really f**kin’ hot’! 

Coleslaw is a nice cooling contrast, mayo enthusiastic and refreshing, while the crinkle fries are a little anaemic for my tastes, but well seasoned. They remind me a bit of the fries from the Shake Shack in the states, not super crispy, and a little bit on the softer side, and I generally prefer my fries a little more golden and crisp. But still, can’t ever really say no to old bay seasoning now can yah?

I’m also more than chuffed to see that our chicken orders also come with a couple of slices of pickles, which perfectly offset the spiciness and richness of the chicken. Note to self to order an extra serve next time!

After Rob introduced me to orange wine at Town Mouse, when I saw it on the menu at Belle's Hot Chicken, a surprising addition to the wine list, I knew I had to order it. With it’s body, but refreshing palate, it went quite well with the fried chicken.

I was impressed with how reasonably priced Belle's Hot Chicken is, I think it’s amazing value, and even with the alcohol, wasn’t much more expensive than our usual brunch would be…and you are getting a whole lot of chicken for $16. Do I want to be here all the time? Definitely. I have yet to try Belle’s charms in the evening, but I can only imagine after some late afternoon drinks, how good the spicy and piping hot chicken would be…

Belle's Hot Chicken

150-156 Gertrude Street

Fitzroy 3065