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Belle's Hot Chicken to pop up in Sydney

Georgina Mitchell

Latin vibes: Hotel Harry in Surry Hills.
Latin vibes: Hotel Harry in Surry Hills.Dominic Lorrimer

Melbourne's favourite hot chicken is set to pop up in Sydney again, this time at Surry Hills pub-turned-latino-hangout Harpoon Harry's over the Queen's Birthday weekend.

Belle's Hot Chicken, known for its American-style fried chicken, has attracted a cult following in Fitzroy - and it whetted Sydney's appetite for the fried fare when it popped up at Bondi's Icebergs Bar in late 2014 and early 2015.

The Bondi collaboration was so popular the restaurant ran out of chicken, meaning the two services this June long weekend (June 6-7) will be in hot demand.

Nashville-style chicken from Belle's Hot Chicken.
Nashville-style chicken from Belle's Hot Chicken.Paul Jeffers
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Chef Morgan McGlone and three of his team will join the staff from Harpoon Harry's from 5pm to 10pm both nights, taking over the former pub's level one diner, lounge and outdoor terrace.

McGlone, who spent time as a young chef in France and the American south, deep fries the chicken - which ranges in spiciness from "Southern-style" to "hot" - in a mixture of whisked cottonseed oil, butter, cayenne pepper and paprika.

On the menu in Surry Hills over the long weekend will be a selection of the Fitzroy restaurant's fare: the "belle's basket" ($18) offers two southern wings, three hot tenders, one side and one sauce, while the robust "baller basket" ($32) features four southern wings, six hot tenders, two sides and two sauces.

Wings and coleslaw from Belle's Hot Chicken in Fitzroy.
Wings and coleslaw from Belle's Hot Chicken in Fitzroy.Craig Sillitoe

Diners can pick from the pop-up's three side dishes - the purple cabbage coleslaw, "almost Arnold's beans" and American-style mac & cheese - and dip their chicken in one of two sauces: Belle's ranch or the Mississippi comeback sauce.

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The hot chicken will be accompanied by a selection of cool tunes by vinyl DJs playing hip hop, soul, blues and funk.

And, to wash it down, there will be a selection of low-intervention natural wine from Giovanni Paradiso and Patrick Fox.

Get in quick - there are no bookings, and this line will no doubt go around the block.

Harpoon Harry's at Hotel Harry, 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills. Open Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, 5-10pm.

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