Real crowd pleaser

The full car park out the front is the first hint that this north-western branch of Petersham's legendary charcoal chicken shop is just as popular as the original.

The rowdy crowd inside (and out) ranges from couples to families to groups of schoolkids, and all gravitate towards the restaurant's namesake - frango. It's Portuguese for chicken and is the undisputed specialty here, whether as a whole chook butterflied and roasted over hot coals, or as a breast fillet cooked on a hotplate to become the centrepiece of a burger.

I've come for lunch with my sister and her five-year-old daughter, Sarah, whose verdict on the last place I took her to was: ''Can we go home and have some real food now?''

We're off to a much better start at Frango. We've settled in to a raised area with banquette seating and table service, when Sarah declares the toasty-warm bread that arrives before our meal the best she's tasted. We laugh at the hyperbole, but then find ourselves eating slice after slice, reluctant to stop.

A plate loaded with charcoal chicken and skinny, well-salted chips goes down well, too. We ditch our cutlery and nod with contentment while we eat the chicken's sticky, salty skin and succulent meat.

We split an Original Portuguese Burger and I add a good squeeze of house-made piri piri sauce to my half of the soft, white bun with thin chicken fillet, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato and cheese. The burger is good on its own, but the sauce's lemon tang and chilli heat seal the deal.

Barbecue pork belly lacks the ''crunch'' the menu promises but has a good smoky flavour, while pan-seared octopus with lemon and oregano arrives bubbling hot in a clay pot, a little overcooked by the time we get to it (that's our fault - we're still too busy gnawing at the chicken).

The menu also includes espetada skewered meats, salads and seafood - cod, made in various ways, is a Portuguese staple. A handful of desserts include a smooth, syrupy creme caramel and Portuguese tarts but, to be honest, the chicken here is so good that all you're likely to want after it is more chicken.

Frango is an all-round crowd-pleaser, from the chooks through to the swift, helpful service (although takeaway service can be brusque). Our littlest critic is as satisfied as us adults, confirming that Frango, thankfully, is in the business of serving ''real food''.

Frango Bella Vista

Address Shop 5, 29-31 Lexington Drive, Bella Vista, 9672 6474

Open Mon-Sat, 11am-9pm

Do … check out the Frangos in Petersham and Rose Bay, too.

Don't … forget to add piri piri sauce.

Dish … charcoal chicken - whole, half or quarter.

Vibe … a busy, bustling, cut-above chicken shop.

Bottom line … starters $3-$19; chicken $6-$19; burgers $8-$15; mains $22-$29; dessert $3.50-$7.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Under $30 is on sale now at selected newsagencies, bookshops and at The Sydney Morning Herald's online shop (thesmhshop.com.au).