FOODSTUFF: Is a take-away chicken worth R68?

dsc_0004.jpg I’ve driven past a few times and heard good things from foodie friends. The pricing always scared me off. But yesterday a daytime swim and a sneaked coffee at Jardine Bakery – the deal was we’d only stay if they had the sublime dark chocolate brownie dotted with white chocolate – meant there was no time remaining for a supper shop.

Rotisserie 360 has a hatch across the road from Jardine on Bree. And the rotating chickens look and smell so good… But at R68 per 1.5kg chicken, I expect a lot from a bird. Don’t you? A half chicken sells at R38. Other items available include salads. I hated the coleslaw dished up at every family braai in the 80s, but I noticed some coleslaw here - it’s rather appealing now in a retro kind of way. At home we knocked together couscous and roasted vegetable segments and had a delicious supper.

But was the chicken worth it? Here is what the menu brochure claims: farm-fresh free-range chickens are marinated overnight in a choice of lemon and thyme or chilli, lemon or thyme. We weren’t given a choice but I think we ate the chilli and thyme version.

The rotisserie white meat was moist with flavoursome crispy skin tasting mildly chilli-ish. Fresh thyme formed a pleasant dominant flavour. The chicken was bigger than those sold by Woolworths, but then Woolies butter-basted versions sell for around R45. Admittedly, the Woolies white meat often tastes dried out. Rotisserie 360 chicken tastes homemade and beats Woolworths in flavour. It makes a convenient option if your budget is unlimited. But it isn’t so good that I’d give up ever roasting my own.

FlavourTip: Rotisserie 360 offers a picnic service for around R70 per head, consisting of chicken, homemade mayo, salad, baguettes and brownies. Booking 24 hours in advance recommended.

ROTISSERIE 360, Bree Street, Cape Town. Open Mon to Fri from 8am to 6pm. Tel 084 314 1357, Rotisserie 360