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Thirsty Bird

Thirsty Bird's take on the southern fried chicken burger.
Thirsty Bird's take on the southern fried chicken burger.Cole Bennetts

American (US)$$

All I ever seem to talk about in this column is fried chicken. Is it a weakness of mine? Sure. But it's also partly Sydney's fault for enjoying deep-fried poultry so much that it lines up for hours to get its hands on a taste. So here's Thirsty Bird, the latest instalment from the folks behind Mr Crackles – Oxford Street's lords of late-night sandwiching and kings of the midnight pork roast.

And now the team brings you a world of fried chicken. As with the effort they put in perfecting their pork, there's been some deep research into getting their fried chook right. And it's paid off. There's no point comparing it to Belles – it's totally different in terms of pitch – nor does it take its cues from Hot Star or Arisun. If you were going to play the "same same but different" game, you might say it's closest in style to Mary's.

Check their mash and gravy – it's not quite on par with the gear Jake, Kenny and the rest of the Mary's crew have been serving at their Newtown digs (nor, in fact, the Unicorn), but it's not far off. The combination of creamy potato and rich, chicken-juice-rich gravy is the hole-in-one reason May is now officially the Month Of The Elasticated Waistband. Oof.

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Customers queue for their chicken fix at Thirsty Bird in Potts Point.
Customers queue for their chicken fix at Thirsty Bird in Potts Point.Cole Bennetts

In other potato-related news, Thirsty Bird is also nesting place of the waffle fry. And look, maybe I'm a chip purist, but these thatched fries make a very compelling argument for chips staying chip-shaped. See also: curly fries, hurricane fries and wedges. Don't mess with perfection. 

The main event, though, comes two ways. There's the straight-up fried chicken – juicy, salty and fried till golden and crunchy – and then there's the menu of chicken sandwiches. Their take on a club, served on a soft white roll, is too messy by half – even eating it over a bin proves tricky – and I certainly don't see this going well after a session at the Kings Cross Hotel. Forget about attempting this unless you're willing to wear most of it. We do, however, fare better with the southern fried chicken burger. Think of that wholly excellent fried chicken joined by a serve of coleslaw wearing a natty bread blazer.

This is, at its heart, a takeaway shop just like Mr Crackles. But it's a takeaway shop with a party in mind. Is opening in Kings Cross post-lockout the wisest move? Hard to say. But I'll certainly be back. Come at me, Friday night, I am totally ready for you and your sandwiches.

Thirsty Bird's fried chicken with waffle fries.
Thirsty Bird's fried chicken with waffle fries.Cole Bennetts

Pro tip Dip a serve of the southern fried chicken into the mash and gravy for finger-licking good times 
Try this
 
It's all about the fried chicken sandwich
Like this?
 Juicy Lucy, by the Sugarcane crew, offers a sort of south-east Asian take on a classic Aussie charcoal chicken. 232A Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, 02 8540 8726

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