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For the second year, Juke Fried Chicken in Chinatown is participating in Dine Out Vancouver. I was invited to a tasting of its $25 menu.

Food

The appetizer includes two options. The Country Biscuits are to die for! They were warm, had a nice crispy crust on the outside, and soft, buttery inside. Combining with the herbed schmaltz (think butter), mmm it’s one of the best biscuits I’ve had in town. There was leftover from the tasting, so I brought some home. Even with reheating, my family was still marvelled by how delicious these biscuits were.

The other option is Fried Zucchini Pickles. Since it’s home made, it’s not pungent and acidic like the typical pickles. There’s a bit of sweetness in them. The corn flour-cornmeal crust was thin, making the exterior perfectly crunchy. The honey dill dressing goes well with it, and I tasted a hint of heat too. I didn’t think much of it when I saw this option on the menu, but it’s actually some good munchies before the highlight of the meal.

Suggested by the restaurant name, obviously fried chicken needs to be on the menu.

For main, you get Three Piece of Fried Chicken with East Asian Peanut Slaw and a side of Bacon Baked Beans or Dijon-Herb Potato Salad. With a batter made with cornmeal and gluten-free panko, the chicken is gluten free (actually, the whole Dine Out menu is gluten free except for the biscuits). Boy, were they good. Super crispy skin, yet the meat was still moist and juicy. And flavourful too, you can taste the seasoning and herbs in the meat sans skin. As for the sides, the Bacon Baked Beans were tender, smoky, savoury yet sweet. The Potato Salad uses whole baby potatoes so you can feel the snap of the potato skin while the inside is still creamy. I really like the use of extra herbs in the potato salad, making it more fresh and less heavy.

To eat the fried chicken, at each table you would be provided with two house made sauces – beer spiced honey and hot sauce. The beer spiced honey contains the fizz like beer, and while it’s mostly sweet, you could taste the beer flavour. It’s like drizzling maple syrup on your fried chicken except this is more interesting and it’s addicting. The hot sauce, on the other hand, has a good amount of heat and acidity. It also goes well with fried chicken.

For dessert, you get the Dark Chocolate & Coffee Parfait. It’s almost like a panna cotta but lighter. It’s creamy with a hint of bitterness. The mixed nut praline added some crunch and texture to the dessert. It’s not super rich, and it’s probably a good thing after devouring three pieces of fried chicken.

For this Dine Out menu, they’ve also created two cocktails. Naive Melody – Tequila, sweet vermouth, vanilla, lemon, orange bitters. This was the sweeter cocktail of the two; quite fruity.

The other cocktail is called Winner Winner (haha clever!). It’s like their version of a Moscow Mule – Bourbon, orancio, lemon, cardamom, ginger beer. This had a hint of smoke, and was more spiced forward.

Final Thoughts

Juke’s Dine Out Vancouver menu isn’t your typical white table cloth 3-course dinner. And it doesn’t necessarily offer a lot of choices. I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up at the tasting, but I was surprisingly impressed and thoroughly enjoyed everything. Unless you cannot handle gluten, you most definitely should get the Country Biscuits as your appetizer. As for your side in the main course, it’s really a toss-up but I thought the Potato Salad was more interesting. Want a cocktail? I’m always down for a good Moscow Mule, so I’d choose the Winner Winner.

Lastly, Juke also offers a brunch menu for $20. It includes a non-alcoholic cocktail or coffee, two pieces of fried chicken with waffles, and the same dessert as the dinner menu.

I also took a quick look at their regular menu. It’s actually priced quite reasonably, comparable to fast food chains, but better quality. I should come back here soon — good that it’s nowhere near where I live; otherwise I’d be in deep trouble!

Disclosure: This meal was provided to me complimentary of the restaurant. However, the views and opinions are my own.
Juke Fried Chicken
604-336-5853
182 Keefer Street, Vancouver
jukefriedchicken.com