Review: Slim Chickens in Bury St Edmunds at arc Shopping Centre

Bury St Edmunds’ latest fast food joint appeared to be a hit with customers on its opening day.

Taking up residence in the former Carluccio’s in the arc Shopping Centre, Slim Chickens’ opening on Thursday was met with queues as a hungry public were eager to get their hands on free chicken.

This marked the American chain’s first eatery in East Anglia – and I was there on opening day to sample it for myself.

Now, I don’t typically eat a lot of fast food unless I’m already on the go, but I have always had something of a weakness for fried chicken, so when I was asked to sample it, I couldn’t say no.

The public were keen to see what this new place was all about, as the place was rammed and queues had formed before the eatery even officially opened.

After about 20 minutes I got in, and went about ordering three different meals to try and sample as many different items from the menu as I could without overphasing myself.

The firm’s flagship food item is ‘hand-breaded’ chicken tenders, and so it would have been impertinent to not try those.

Speaking with management, I also learned they had a limited selection of plant-based meat alternatives on the menu, so I opted for a plant-based sandwich. And lastly, as it’s a chicken eatery, I had to grab some wings – the hottest on the menu, of course.

Now, let’s get one thing out of the way: we have to temper our expectations with fast food. This isn’t fine dining, and so you should not expect to have your mind blown.

My first thought on ordering – outside of initial confusion – was that the menu was a little pricier than I expected.

Upon inspection, it is more expensive on average than its neighbour Nando’s, and if you put a gun to my head and told me to choose I’d likely pick the latter. However, when it comes to portion sizes, Slim Chickens is the clear winner, which appeared to be a point of pride for management.

For reference, 10 wings in Nando’s will set you back £11.95, while in Slim Chickens it is £13.45.

The tenders were decent. They’re not my first choice of chicken as they do tend to get a little dry, but they go down easily and were tasty enough, and dips on offer complimented them nicely.

As for the plant-based sandwich, well, that’s a different story. Now I understand why eateries offer plant-based alternatives but I still sometimes don’t see the point of them. On its own, it left a cardboard aftertaste.

That being said, it is a sandwich, which is a sum of its parts. The addition of sauces, optional cheese, pickles and bread complimented it nicely and cancelled out the unpleasantness. It still wasn’t as good as a regular fried chicken sandwich, and I probably wouldn’t order it again, but I’ve eaten worse.

The wings were also great. They weren’t as hot as the name ‘inferno wings’ would suggest, but they were perfectly cooked and seasoned.

Now, I may not have thought they were hot, but one of my colleagues said they were too spicy for him. Admittedly, I can also drink a cup of coffee pretty much straight from the kettle or machine, so perhaps I’m an anomaly.

My big bone to big with places like this is how salty the food is, and it was the same here. Prepare to drink a gallon of water afterwards.

Most of the people at the eatery on opening day where families with young children or teenagers. And I think this is going to be its target demographic.

The stand-out for me was the quality of the service. The staff were enthusiastic, positive and happy, which appears to be a trend at the firm’s other outlets. However, it was opening day and there were press present, so that’s to be expected.

The food also arrived very quickly. There were several dozen people at the eatery, and my food still arrived rather quickly. I waited about 10 minutes.

Now, I was obviously unable to eat everything on the menu, and there were some things I missed.

Other options I was unable to sample included chicken wraps, loaded fries, salads. There is also a good selection of dips and sauces.

For what it is, I think the food is decent and was better than I expected. However, the customer service and enthusiasm from staff did heighten it.

That being said, it is fast food and a chain to boot. I always prefer independent traders for this type of food – and I do often find it difficult to recommend chains.

My experience with Slim Chickens was pleasant enough, to the point where I would recommend a visit if you haven’t been.

If you have kids, I imagine its menu has all the ingredients to keep them happy.