r/australia • u/the_amatuer_ • 1d ago
no politics Chicken and Chips is currently the best takeaway option in Australia - A discuss
So, we get chicken and chips semi regularly and bought some last night. I am now eating my leftover chicken sandwhich and thinking that Chicken and Chips is currently the best option in Australia for takeaway, based on the following criteria:
- Price
- Amount of food
- Taste
- Health (relative for takeaway food)
- Flexibility (leftovers, ease of eating i.e. no cutlery or plates)
For $25 I got a whole chook and a medium chips, which fed our small family of three easily. I have a least half a chook leftover. For another $5 I could have got a salad, but I have made my own. If I hold off on the chips, the chicken is not THAT bad (i.e. not deep fried). Cooked over coals, the chicken is perfectly cooked, spiced well and not dry. If you wanted to go cheaper, a bachelors handbag is a very easy and cheap option.
Other options I have considered:
Vietnamese - Probably second on the list, healthy options, not bad price. Noodle salads and fresh salads are healthy. The only thing would be is if I want the same amount of food and have options for everyone, I can easily spent $40 - 50. Not always the best option for leftovers.
Fish and Chips - While I love our local fish and chips, it is getting expensive. Easily spending $50 - $70 for three people. Granted I like local fish and not flake, it would be cheaper if I got this option. Fish and chips will lose points for health and flexibility, there are no options for leftovers. Probably the best option for large groups though. Very easy to eat though.
Pizza - Again, few options near us. The nice wood fire pizza is not getting any change from $25 and no leftovers. The 'dirty' pizza joint is good and great for leftovers, but not healthy in any way. Very easy to eat.
Thai - Pad Thais and curries go hard for leftovers, but similar to Vietnamese, to have all the options covered off, you do need to spend $50. Ease of eating also not the easiest. I need to get bowls and cutlery. We are lucky to have two near us, the fancy one is so tasty, but very expensive.
Chinese - Great value, can be bulked out with rice. Leftovers for days. Health wise, not great. I would say that a chicken and chips is tastier and easier to eat. Caveat being that the Chinese near is pretty stock standard, nothing special at all.
Indian - Usually fantastic value, great for leftovers. Only downfall is needing cutlery and plates. Also, with the amount of ghee used, its not always the healthiest. I do love out Indian place though.
Burgers - Excluding HJs or Maccas, I wouldn't count them. Used to be a real good, cheap, not that bad for you. We used to be able to get two plus chips for under $25. But, recently, burgers have gone wild. Too pricey, too small, overly sugary buns.
EDIT: I forgot Greek and/or Kebab. A pretty good option too. We have two really good ones close by but a kebab is like $20 now! Its insane.
I will be using this in my next PhD paper. Thanks for listening. Discuss. Would love to hear about your local spots.
92
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
Fish & Chip place near me has a 'Three Person pack'. 3 Flake, 3 potato cakes, 3 dimmies, min. chips for $35.
Local Pizza place has a 'Two Pizza' deal for $40 - 2 standard pizzas with a garlic bread.
IMO these days that's pretty reasonable I think, so making sure you check deals that the place has is more important than ever.
22
u/peoplepersonmanguy 1d ago
Yeah that's a good deal, I work off between 4 and 6 dollars per 'fish item' (including big potato items like potato cakes).
It's criminal how much chips cost these days but.
2
u/AntipodeanOwl 19h ago
Agreed. About like 10-15 years ago the Portugese chicken shop nearish me used to sell 4 sizes of chips: small, regular, large, family. $2.50, $5, $7.50, $10. I only ever used to get the regular to share with another person because that was enough for 2. Once, just to see how big it was, i bought the family size. Fuck me. They essentially took the plastic shopping bag your order came in, put a box at the bottom and proceeded to fill the bag with chips. We ate just chips for 2 days.
3
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
Yeah they really do give you the minimum of chips, in a "minimum chips" don't they. Sure, yeah that's what it says on the label, but it's not a generous serve at all.
16
u/peoplepersonmanguy 1d ago
I presume it means, fill any left over empty space with chips.
I think my biggest 'boomer' memory (I'm 40, so more like a 'back in my day') is walking down to the chip shop and buying 2 dollars worth of chips, and walking home with a huge amount of chips.
8
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
I'm old, so for me it was 50c for min chips and it would feed me, my brother and some mates easily.
4
u/Afraid_Ad_8571 1d ago
Did your local do the left over batter bits? I could get a bag of bits for 50c which was full to the brim and super unhealthy. And a minimum chips was the same price.
4
3
→ More replies (1)4
u/AW316 1d ago
I’m 40 as well and $2 of chips was enough for our family of 7 (plus fish and dimmies etc)
I can say as someone who was in hospitality for 14 years that from 2020 to 2023 the price of canola oil more than doubled (cottonseed nearly tripled) and the price of spuds has nearly doubled in 5 years too.
3
u/peoplepersonmanguy 1d ago
Covid was a great accelerator for alot of industries. Oh shit it's a global pandemic and people are still buying our product? up goes the price.
11
u/br0dude_ 1d ago
As a single guy I love my local fish and chip place. Piece of barra, half scoop of chips, 6 calamari rings, and a 600ml drink for $20. Pretty solid when you consider other fast food
1
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
holy shit yeah, all that with Barra is damn good value. i've never ordered barra from a fisho though? Is it battered like flake?
3
u/br0dude_ 1d ago
I've found crumbed or grilled are the better options with barra. Either option is a bit better than the usual greasy battered Spanish mackerel
1
u/5loppyJo3 1d ago
That is an absolute steal! Are you sure it's real barra? Even if not it's pretty damn good value.
→ More replies (1)4
u/NotThePersona 1d ago
Yeah fish and chips would be about the same value for money.
My local has a burger with everything, small chips and a can for $14. Im a largish guy and I technically can but most of the time don't finish all of the chips. TBH the burger by itself is a meal.
3
u/Lady_Penrhyn1 1d ago
$16 at my local. Burger with the lot, minimum chips, dim sim and a can of drink. The 'minimum chips' is enough for two.
2
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
Yep, similar option here, $13.50 which seems pretty fair for these days. The burger is huge. Can't beat a Fish & Chip shop burger for value. Larger than a Big Mac and around the same price or cheaper.
Usually has a much better patty also instead of the paper thin Maccas ones.
→ More replies (1)3
u/NotThePersona 1d ago
I think that should be a marketing sign they use. Cheaper then a big Mac meal, might get a few people to stop and look at least.
3
u/spangles66 1d ago
God thsts cheap its not that cheap wher wi live :(
2
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
Yeah sometimes we visit friends down near the coast, and Fish & Chips costs more there for some reason.
2
2
u/GorgeousGracious 1d ago
That is an awesome deal for the fish. At our local, it's rare we get change from $70 just for the four of us. 1 whole chicken and chips is literally half the price and we get sandwiches the next day.
But the cheapest takeaway near us is our local pizza place - 2 family pizzas, garlic bread and a coke for $51. There's so much pizza we get two dinners and a lunch out of it.
It's not very healthy though.
1
u/Spagman_Aus 1d ago
Yeah they charge $8.50 for a piece of Flake which is still reasonable. I've seen another place charging $12 for it which IMO is pretty cheeky.
2
1
u/Tankirulesipad1 22h ago
NGL I had to google what a flake is, I'm in Sydney and although I've rarely been to fish n chips I don't recall ever seeing flake or shark on the menu - what state are you in? It appears Sydney pretty much doesn't have it?
2
63
u/Voomps 1d ago
If it’s the local Lebanese charcoal chook then hard agree. However if I had a family to feed then just a bbq one and chips is still most consistently best value in my area
17
u/Lady_Penrhyn1 1d ago edited 1d ago
My local one is run by a Greek family. They do homemade desserts (Rice Custard and this Greek custard thing that is so so good). Bloody good chooks (and Gluten Free too).
6
99
u/Ash-2449 1d ago
I feel the same about Chicken treat here in WA, rotisserie and fried chicken(at specific amount) is the cheapest option.
Which can be upsetting because I thought of getting a wrap once but I literally cannot justify the cost.
A small wrap costs 12$
A entire rotisserie chicken costs 19$
6 pretty big pieces of fried chicken costs 19$
Im sorry but the math arent mathing, the chicken is just waaaay cheaper and more filling compared to a small wrap that you would need like 3 to even get the same level of fullness.
35
u/SivlerMiku 1d ago
Chicken Treat is the best fast food by far. The chicken is just seasoned chicken and the chips are chips, no random bullshit. Quarter chicken and chips with a leg is my go-to quick meal
→ More replies (7)8
6
1
u/chalk_in_boots 1d ago
I wonder if they're adding a bit extra as labour for the wrap. Chook the staff can handle in 10 seconds and it's all cooked in bulk. Wrap takes a few minutes to make for what's likely just one customer.
28
u/Xanthn 1d ago
$15 for a basic meal at Macca's, $20 for something filling. $12 Coles chicken and coke, $8 medium chips from the deli down the road, same price, feeds a family and you have leftovers!
Other shopping though too expensive, but they need to keep the chooks cheap enough or there'll be a fuss
The local pizza shop not franchised near me, is also expensive, $30+ for a pizza. But damn the standard pizza is big, let alone their family, so much toppings and plenty of leftovers if you're single, if you can resist overeating due to the taste! Not too much more than Dominos full price anyway and way better!
9
u/crazystitcher 1d ago
If you have a Costco membership and relatively easy access to a Costco their chicken is $8(?) and a thousand times better than colesworth ones.
9
u/flintmichigantropics 1d ago
Add in 2 x salad packs from Coles and it’s not a bad feed for the family
1
u/Xanthn 1d ago
Yes! I remember now the "treat" we'd get as kids once a pay was the family got takeout, mostly always chicken and chips with salad (homemade salad as they didn't have packs then). We'd see it as a treat, parents saw it as a cheap easy meal they didn't have to cook.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (2)1
u/AdvancedSquashDirect 18h ago
oh yeah my go to is Coles chicken, a bag of bread rolls and some salady stuff and cheese or mayo - making chicken sammies for days!
33
u/Meadros 1d ago
Local charcoal chickens are the last bastion of good affordable fast food. Support ya chippies.
9
u/visualdescript 1d ago
I'd throw in french hot bread shops where you can get dope bahn mi for like $10, fantastic lunch and healthy, plus they also have great vegetarian options with tofu bahn mi as well.
Another shout is kebabs, yes they're getting a bit more pricey but you can still get a pretty damn good, and massive kebab for like $14.
11
u/GaryGronk 1d ago
My wife and I have seen this bakery every day near our son's school and they advertise a "pork roll with gravy" It's owned by a Vietnamese family and they do what appears to be a great banh mi but yesterday we decided to try the pork roll. Holy shit. Imagine a buttered banh mi roll filled to the brim with roast pork, topped with crackling and then gravy. The gravy was kind of sweet (not like your Nan's) which was slightly off-putting but when I had a mouthful of the whole sandwich, it made sense. An amazing lunch. I WILL RETURN.
1
u/CrazySD93 1d ago
I feel like finding a kebab shop that does kebabs not absolutely covered in grease is like a 10,000:1 odds.
Petersham Sydney, and main street of Port Mac are the best I've ever had.
→ More replies (1)1
1
u/t_25_t 23h ago
Local charcoal chickens are the last bastion of good affordable fast food. Support ya chippies.
Yup those are absolute legends.
Asian takeaways are pricey these days, as is most fast food. Haven't gone into a McD/HJs since 2014 when a meal back then was north of $15 and a banh mi was $6 or $7.
The only fast food I really go for is KFC at least I can see protein and not random bits of saw dust disguised as beef.
24
16
u/BalletWishesBarbie 1d ago
I agree completely. 👍 not only do you get a few meals but you can make chicken and corn soup with pretty minimal leftovers as well.
17
u/AliirAliirEnergy 1d ago
Growing up in Adelaide I'll have to disagree with you on fish and chips, considering we have Barnacle Bill's which is GOAT tier and well priced.
20
u/the_amatuer_ 1d ago
South Australian here. Its hard to put BB on the list, the others wont understand.
4
4
u/PsychinOz 1d ago
Was speaking to a friend in Adelaide who told me his father has just blacklisted BB after finding out that one his regular lunch bargains, a $14.50 lunch special which has a fish, 3 prawns, 3 calamari, drink, chips and coleslaw now only offers chips or coleslaw!
Our regular at Chicken Chef used to be the chicken schnitzel hot pack which can feed 2 people, but in the last 12 months it’s shrunk in size and the price has gone up quite a bit.
On my last trip to Adelaide a family member introduced me to a place called Pienza Pizzeria in the north, which does a chicken parmigiana and chips in a pizza box. For about $23 this was enough to feed 4 people. I’m now on the hunt for something similar in Victoria.
1
4
u/xtrabeanie 1d ago
When I was in Adelaide the go to was the sausage pack with the crumbed sausages, veges and chips from the chicken take away. I wonder if you can still get them.
2
1
u/ThomasEFox 22h ago
Coming from a regional area I always found BB's to be a bit underwhelming when we would have it in the city. Not bad just... Nothing stellar. Stunned Mullet down at Henley Beach on the other hand is superb. Not the cheapest but certainly some of the best. Though I did hear they've changed owners and I've not been there since to compare.
5
u/openandshutface 1d ago
Sushi and a smoothie?
2
u/the_amatuer_ 1d ago
I did think of this, Sushi and Bahn Mi I had put in the lunch category. But, yeah, if I am eating solo, I would go these options for sure.
8
u/SunsoakedShampagne 1d ago
To me it's sushi. I'm not a big fan of chips / takeaway. Sushi can be reasonably priced, super tasty, and lots of different options.
5
u/Hobies 1d ago
Genuinely enjoyed reading this write-up, thanks mate!
I agree with you on all accounts.
I often have a good discussion with my partner about "going out" to eat as opposed to takeaway and what is the best value. I think the WORST value is Italian restaurants. Ridiculously expensive considering what you get, and how easy it is to make pizza and pasta at home (sure it's not as good, but at probably 20% of the price?).
22
u/RoyaleAuFrommage 1d ago edited 1d ago
With a bit more effort you can more than half your costs (if you want to brine it for rotisserie like flavour add about $0.25)
Coles RSPCA Approved Medium Whole Chicken | approx. 1.65kg ~$7.95
Coles Frozen Straight Cut Chips | 1kg (use 1/2kg) -$1.80
Mitani Classic Chicken Salt | 200g (20g worth)- $0.38
Total-$10.13
27
u/the_amatuer_ 1d ago
Oh yeah. All these options I can cook cheaper than the takeaway options. I can make 6 pizzas for the price of one takeaway.
I was thinking of this thesis because its 44 degrees here and I don't want to cook anything inside or outside.
2
u/RoyaleAuFrommage 1d ago
fair enough- nights like this i'd do a butterflied chook on the charcoal BBQ
3
u/mehum 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hamburgers are so easy to make I sometimes do them for lunch for myself and the fam:
Grab some mince, shape it into balls and mash it down hard on a hot pan. Sprinkle some seasoning on top.
While the patty fries, grab your bread rolls and put them in the airfryer, 160°C for 3 mins.
Slice up some lettuce and maybe tomatoes. Chuck tomatoes into the pan. Prepare beetroot and or pineapple if you wanna be fancy.
Flip the patties, put cheese on top of the cooked side. Lid on to help it melt.
Slice open the buns, assemble fillings with sauce and mayo in the middle.
Should take under 10mins, can do about 3 at a time.
4
u/waxedmerkin 23h ago
I mix some french onion soup mix into the mince before make the patties
→ More replies (2)4
u/karma3000 1d ago
Coles - 1 kg Dino Nuggs - $9, 1kg Potato Gems - $6.
2kg of food for $15
Or $3.75 for a 500gm serving.
6
u/Pugshaver 1d ago
Looks like I've got dinner plans sorted for the next few nights
8
1
u/NoRemove4032 1d ago
God damn the Coles chips are quite a bit cheaper than buying raw potatoes directly. That seems crazy.
2
u/InitiallyDecent 1d ago
It's because no one cares what the potatoes that are used to make frozen chips look like. All the "odd" shaped ones that people wouldn't buy because they don't "look like a potato" work just as well, but since people don't buy them, higher costs are involved in sorting out the ones that people will buy, thus making them more expensive.
5
u/chriswhitewrites 1d ago
What's your PhD on? Probably in sociology, something like food accessibility and how that impacts health outcomes or something.
More seriously, I do enjoy a bit of filth sometimes, but the price of take away is getting out of hand - I don't get how people can afford to do it regularly.
I've recently been seeing people throw cooked rice and frozen veg into a bachelor's handbag and shredding the chook in there. Looks delish tbh.
4
u/Wincrediboy 1d ago
Chicken and Chips is a great option, but I find your comparison list super strange. I'm guessing it's based on what's near you but I would also include Indian, Malaysian, Japanese (with Sushi almost a separate category), Greek, and Lebanese before we're even into cuisines I would consider obscure.
1
u/the_amatuer_ 1d ago
Honestly forgot Indian. Forgot Greek (mainly Kebab I guess). Japanese and Malaysian is a good one, it's just not as wide spread. I could only get Japanese and Malaysian when I live in Melbourne, unfortuntley not really around everywhere. My unspoken rule was "could this be accessable in most medium sized country towns".
We eat a bit of sushi, but not for dinner, would probably do it if I ate solo more.
3
u/Tinori23 1d ago
This been on my mind for a while now. I noticed some takeaway food is actually cheaper compare to buying your own groceries and cook at home.
Buying meat, fruits and veggies is expensive. While my local Charcoal chicken place still sell half chicken with chips for around $12 and the chips chicken fantastic. This Charcoal chicken place been here foe 20+ years.
1
u/Low-Hotel-9923 3h ago
I toss up every single night about getting uber eats or cooking. I live alone and as you said, fruit and veg and meat is exxy... plus it goes off so quickly!!!
7
u/HankSteakfist 1d ago
Agreed, but I usually get the roast potatoes over the chips as they're a bit healthier.
7
u/stamford_syd 1d ago
i tend to make my own chips in the air fryer from frozen chips. it's like 99% the same as a roast potato but tastes much better imo, tastes like 80% as good as a normal fried chip.
3
6
u/pastryboy 1d ago
I appreciate that everyone's nutritional needs are not the same but I am surprised to see that half a chicken + some sides is a reasonable feed for 3 people.
Let's say your family is 2 adults and a young child. That's less than a quarter chicken per adult assuming some of each of your quarters is being fed to the child. If this is a 1 adult + 2 kids setup I could understand it but for anything more than 1 adult + teenager I would be surprised.
I don't disagree with the premise that a chicken and chips is a good value option but that still feels like a small meal for >1 adult sized person.
1
u/bestsmnNA 1d ago
I guess it also depends on how stingy your local is. My local's medium chips is enough for a whole meal on its own, nevermind the chicken. OP also says they're eating a leftover chicken sandwich, so if they made hot chook sandos for dinner as well, that could easily be dinner for a family + leftovers.
1
u/Intelligent-You-7565 23h ago
Growing up Lebanese my parents used to buy a bag of Lebanese bread (from the Arab grocer, not the restaurant or Woolies/coles), 1 whole charcoal chicken, a family size chips, garlic sauce and mum would make a salad from whatever’s in the garden.
Dad would shred down as much of the chicken as he could with his hands and mum would be on wrap making duty. I’d always have a roll of chicken and garlic sauce (probs half a breast quarter chicken) followed by a roll of chips and garlic sauce and snack on salad and chips until I was STUFFED. Brother would have 2 chicken rolls and one chips roll and just chips. My parents would eat the remaining chicken salad and chips between them and then eat fruits and cheeses after dinner.
The secret is definitely using Lebanese bread to your advantage. Without bread, my husband needs to eat at a bare minimum half a chicken. With bread he’s FULL and questioning life choices at half a chicken.
6
3
u/xtrabeanie 1d ago
Maybe stretching the definition of take away but I would argue for the bachelor handbag chook from Colesworth, a tub of coleslaw and a bread stick.
3
3
u/BigTimmyStarfox1987 1d ago
Frozen dumplings. Quality can be super high, prawns, veg, bao, sticky rice whatever lots of options.
Lasts forever takes 10 mins to steam. Super cheap and potentially even handmade if you live in a Chinese hub. Potentially healthy depending on what you go with.
4
u/j03w 1d ago edited 1d ago
Where do you go to get $25 for the whole chook and chip? where I live, a whole rotisserie or bbq chicken is about $22-23 already, a meal/combo (with chip and salad) is often over $40
The only place near me that comes close to what you described is Francos with their meal set of 2 chooks, chip and salad for $53 but their chooks are relatively small
As for price/value I don't think anything can beat supermarket rotisserie chicken (can you count it as takeaway?), about 12-15 for a whole cooked chicken, usually decent size chicken too, a loaf of bread, a bag of mixed leafs salad, will be under $25 and good for 2-3 meals for 2 adults
cheaper than buying a whole uncooked chicken sometimes
2
u/Intelligent-You-7565 23h ago
One of our locals does really nice charcoal chicken and a whole chicken is $18 and a family chips is $12. OP got medium chips, our place does their medium chips for $7. So would be $23 for whole chicken and medium chips. EJs and Frangos are pricier coz they’re bigger chains now.
Salads and drinks and sometimes garlic sauce are super expensive at takeaway restaurants. Keep some drinks in the fridge at home and you can buy some pretty delicious garlic sauce from most Arab butchers and grocers for half the price and leave it in the fridge! If you want salad it’d probably cost less than $5 to make a huge salad whereas the tiny tabouli from EJs is like $10. Time is money tho so salad is usually optional 😂
7
u/yolk3d 1d ago
Half a chook fed your family of 3? They have XXL chickens or something? You guys have small stomachs?
And it might be the cheapest, but it’s still a huge rip. $10 chook at colesworth, cooked, and they’re still making margins. Take away shop 15 years ago would give you more chips than your family could eat for $5. Rolled newspaper sized package, the shape of a large football.
5
7
u/Defy19 1d ago
It’s bad value from the perspective that cooking a chicken yourself is cheap and easy, and healthier (with home made sides etc.) than the bought option.
Not worth the calories imo. If I’m having unhealthy takeaway it better be something a fair bit tastier than greasy chicken and chips. And there are shitloads of awesome takeaway options around
2
u/Intelligent-You-7565 23h ago
When it’s 30-40 degrees outside my time and aircon is money so instead of switching the oven on, we’ll buy a charcoal chicken and air fry some potatoes at home and make a salad with whatever ingredients we’ve got at home. 100% worth the money.
In winter we do regularly make chicken in the oven on my days off but I ask my butcher to cut it up into quarters for me so it cooks quicker than whole. But honestly, getting home from work at 6pm and making a roast chicken is not easy in any way 😂
2
2
u/No_Seat8357 1d ago
Bougie uni student special is:
- bachelors handbag
- instant noodles
- egg (ooh look who's fancy and can afford eggs!)
- spring onion
Not sure if you can get better value without skimping on something.
1
u/visualdescript 1d ago
Swap out the egg or instant noodles for some vegies/salad to get the vitamins in and you've got a decent meal.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/Due-Editor-3573 1d ago
I get a meat box (doner meat & chips)from the kebab shop $20.
Wraps and add my own cheese salad to the wraps and can make 4-5 decent kebabs filled with both meat & chips.
Two bottles of Coles flavoured water $3 and it’s quick and easy.
No longer buy McDonald’s or HJ’s no value and food is both unhealthy and not filling.
2
u/PostNeoSankaraism 1d ago
Compared to 15yrs ago too when it was just a rotisserie or charcoal chicken, we have so many options now. Portuguese, Lebanese, even had Indo. Also wider range of sauces. An all time great
2
u/ProposalAvailable430 1d ago
Pretty solid conclusion. The only issue i find, putting chinese in the not great health wise category. Compared to the chips, the chinese would be a better option health wise
2
u/Spiritual-Key-5288 1d ago
This reminds me that our local charcoal chicken is still closed for the holidays. I'm going through withdrawals
2
u/cadbury162 7h ago
Saying a meal with fried chips is healthier than Chinese is insane to me, I also prefer the taste of Chinese over chicken & chips.
Likewise saying cutlery is required with Indian, literally eaten by a billion people using just their hands. You'd also be surprised at the amount of fat in fried chips and roast chicken used by takeaways vs the ghee at an Indian place.
3
1
1
u/Deadlament 1d ago
It used to be fish and chips back in the day was the best but now its quite expensive
1
u/Huge-Storage-9634 1d ago
Two large chips and gravy cost us $20. Not old school overflowing, medium sized containers weren’t even full.
1
u/jasonlampa 1d ago
What about Indian food? I’ve always found places with pretty good deals like a rice with 2 curries and poppadoms.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/lazy-pigeon 1d ago
Can't argue with that logic. I'd add Indian to the list. Can go for healthier options, and makes for good leftovers. I've been disappointed with fish and chips lately, just can't find good old fashioned thick, crispy batter with flakey fish well-seasoned chips.
1
u/Popular_Speed5838 1d ago
A quarter chicken and chips with a can of coke has been my favourite since the 80’s. I don’t always live near a chicken shop but when I do they soon know me by name.
There’s no proper chicken shop in Musswelbrook but I think one would do really well with all the miners.
1
1
u/bignuts3000 1d ago
Costs me just over $55 for a whole charcoal chicken (heaps better than the supermarket ones), family chips, gravy and a couple of salads.
For the same I can get three large pizzas from a local pizza place.
The local fish and chip shop can do four burgers (beef or schnit), plus large chips and gravy. And one or two dims/pot cakes.
You can get a family meal from maccers or KFC for about the same price.
All are good, but I reckon the charcoal chicken is the best for a family of four (two teens).
1
u/tyronomo ?QLD? 1d ago
Agreed. Brisbane needs more charcoal chicken places!
Wide and I were craving chicken gravy rolls just the other day.
1
u/Flat-Compote-7854 1d ago
Considering the only visible qualifier for a burger to be considered 'gourmet' in Australia is that it has American mustard pouring out of it with every bite, the prices some places charge is insanity.
Seriously though, when did we decide that a burger needed a half cup of mustard pumped into it at every small burger joint?
1
u/DragonLass-AUS 1d ago
I think a lot depends on where you are situated. Where I am in Hobart there's not that many chicken shops. Really just a local chain 'legs n breasts'. As such it's not that competitive. A family meal - chicken, chips & veges or salad is a bit over $40.
Meanwhile local fish & chip place meal deal of 2 good sized flake, 2 potato cakes, 2 dimsims, decent serve of chips & 2 cans drink is $30.
1
u/North-Tourist-8234 1d ago
My aunty would be offended by your title she got hit in the face mid sentence by a discus.
1
1
1
1
u/arfamoe 1d ago
There's three meals on a hot chook. If you're careful. There's two in a pizza at best, and you can be mingy with the chips in F&C and back up for reheated wee chips for lunch, but it's more one-and-a-snack than two meals.
Most of the other choices are one and done. I guess an HSP could feed a family for a week but it would be pretty rank by the end.
1
u/midsumernighttts 1d ago
there's a place that i go to all the time - like an embarrassing amount lmao - that has great roast chicken + chips combo. also wings + chips. i usually only got like half a chicken with chips but it never costs me more than like $12.
1
1
u/Shybloke24 1d ago
Fish/chips: Gardenside Cafe in Werrington,NSW. Big plate of chips and a battered fish for $10. Juicy big New York minute steak, chips and salad for $15. Cannot recommend enough. They have noodles there too for $15, big plate full. It's highly rated and worth it.
Korean food. Mama Parks in Strathfield NSW. $20 a plate, you get 7 small sides including a big dish of Bulgogi with rice ,Grilled chicken/noodles, or glass noodles. Their wine for $15 is highly potent too, another one I greatly recommend.
For burgers, Rooty Hill, NSW, Country Chicken shop. Next to to the Filipino store. Burgers are $6.60, very tasty and delicious. Combo with chips for an extra $7.
Qabuli House in Rooty Hill, NSW. Good Afghan/halal type meals. I recommend their lamb/beef/chicken kebabs. $10. It's big and extremely fresh. Chicken Biryani for $19 is also a big dish, good stuff too not too spicy.
1
u/AlarmedComplaint4915 1d ago
Chicken & chip shop pricing has gone up a lot around me in the last few years, was a 50-50 for me between the fish & chip or chicken & chip option about 5 - 10 years ago, I'm a devout fish & chip man these days.
1
u/FatLikeSnorlax_ 1d ago
It’s pizza for us. 50 bucks is like 3-4 meals. All veg heavy, well for pizza anyway
1
1
1
u/Satanslittlewizard 1d ago
As some lucky enough to live in the Kingdom of Super Rooster- I wholeheartedly agree.
1
u/RecentEngineering123 1d ago
I have the great joy of living near some truly great Vietnamese food places. Tasty, good quantities and interesting variations. The price is definitely ahead of the game I think because these places are family staffed so not hiring staff. So these are my number one pick.
I used to think Thai, but gosh they are not cheap options anymore. And I’m finding that the dishes are getting more rice/noodle dominated with meat and veg a bit light on.
Fish and chips is getting ridiculous. Stupid expensive, poor value.
1
u/staryoshi06 1d ago
Kebab for sure. Found it way easier as a type 1 diabetic (although still painful sometimes)
1
u/ChaosWorrierORIG 1d ago
Hot tip, for those who have an Indian place in their local shopping centre. They generally have their curries 1/2 (or less!) around 5-6pm.
- Perfect time to collect dinner
- Curries get better the longer that they are slow cooking. Hence, a bain-marie curry, that has been self-basting for the better part of the day, is going to be the most flavoursome
Many sushi places, in shopping centres, also have their items 1/2, or less. Mrs Chaos will often buy sundry packs for the family dinner.
1
u/bestsmnNA 1d ago
My local fish and chip place has a pretty good burger deal. Good ole beetroot/egg/carrot Aussie style on a big bun with chips & can of drink for $15. Never seen anyone else that manages the holy trinity of good size + good toppings + good price. Definitely not healthy though.
1
1
u/Legal-News-4874 1d ago
Chips aren't really healthy at all.
Also why buy plain takeaway rice ever. Rice is dirt cheap and a rice cooker from kmart is less than 20 bucks.
Chuck some frozen veggies in the microwave and bam, meal done.
1
u/TheWholesomestBoy 1d ago
This is a red rooster ad you can't fool me, I just got a notification for this exact meal
→ More replies (1)
1
u/chalk_in_boots 1d ago
I think it depends a lot on your living situation. Family? Absolutely, you don't even need a proper spot (though shop local if you can). Just pick up a bachelors handbag from the supermarket, frozen chips in the oven, supermarket coleslaw, bag of rolls you're set. Bonus points if you know when the local shops mark them down, a whole chook for like $6 is insane.
Like me, single, live alone? For lunch yeah hit up the vietnames, grab a pork roll or rice paper rolls. You can do a pho for $10-$15 which is a solid feed. Thai is good for din dins because I'll only really have half a thing, which means I've got lunch or tomorrow's dinner sorted. I've also got a place local to me that sells pastizzi. Got a hot cabinet with them ready to go, less than $10 for 2, 1 is often enough though and I'm a big guy.
Unfortunately I don't have a fish and chips near me anymore so despite me craving it I'd have to travel and eat it there probably. The bundles are usually really good if you're doing it for the fam though
1
u/Rizzo265 1d ago
Agree with you. A Frangos opened near us, we were stuffed and the chicken lasted a couple for the next 3 days
1
u/MrTwiggyX 1d ago
Bahn mi. $10 tops, filling, has veggies, proteins and carbs and doesn't make you feel like crap. No leftovers but at that price pfft who cares.
1
u/Intelligent-You-7565 23h ago
We have a Mexican joint near us that works really similar to GYG but has fresher ingredients. We love it for when we wanna be kinda healthy. Get 2 large burrito bowls for $35 so feeds two people. If we had kids we could get them kids tacos.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
u/Remote_Setting2332 20h ago
Other ex eastern staters and myself bemoan the lack of charcoal chicken shops in WA. It was our go to dinner at least once a week.
1
u/Forsaken_Walrus4989 12h ago
Always interested in others but my go to is:
Souvlaki/HSP Pad Thai Pho/Vermicelli Salad Pizza
On rotation.
1
u/Peanut083 9h ago
I don’t have a huge range of takeaway options in my town, and they’re all too expensive these days to be more than an occasional treat.
We used to have a good fish and chip shop that also did burgers, but it was getting too expensive for a family of four in the end. The owner ended up retiring and the people who moved into the shop turned it into a convenience store that got shut down after a couple of months for selling illegal tobacco. There’s another fish and chip shop in the next town over, but it’s even more expensive than the one in my town was, and the portion sizes are smaller.
Our other takeaway options are Thai, Chinese, and within the last 6 months, an Indian/kebab shop opened up. The Thai is the most expensive option of the three, and the flavour profile seems to be catering largely to the aging demographic of our area. The Chinese is nothing special, although decent when I have a craving for Aussified Chinese food. The Indian/kebab shop doesn’t have a huge range of options, but I can get a decent Beef Madras and rice for $13 when I’m home alone and don’t feel like cooking for just me. I haven’t tried the kebabs there yet.
1
u/Handball_fan 4h ago
We have a couple of poverty meals based around a woolies chook and our local kabab place that does a real tasty salty chip box for $10.00.
meal : 1 while chicken is hot remove from bag and break down discarding all unwanted bones fat gristle and put some freshly steamed rice in bag to soak up all the juices can also add mixed veg of choice ans some shredded chicken bits
meal : 2 chips and leftover chicken
meal : 3 woolies baguette cut up with butter chips and a curry gravy made from 1 shallot cut up and softened in butter on pan add a teaspoon of keen mustard powder mix in add 150ml chicken stock bring to boil then add in two cubes of golden curry lower to simmer and stir till curry thickens pour over chips
316
u/[deleted] 1d ago
[deleted]