A few weeks ago, I had the chance to eat at Hot Star Large Fried Chicken Eastwood branch. Hot Star claims to be the number 1 chicken shop in Taiwan and has been in operation in the Philippines since 2014. That made me wonder why I haven’t heard about the restaurant. I love chicken, and as they proudly declare of having “large fried chicken” on their menu, I was willing to give it a try.

The Eastwood branch is located at the 2nd floor of Eastwood City Walk 2. The area at the first level can only accommodate a handful of diners.

Good thing there’s another dining area at the 2nd level. I like that the place doesn’t look like a fastfood chain, and has a really cool ambiance.

Ordering food is at the ground floor, and waiting could take sometime. That’s not a bad thing because Hot Star fries prepares food upon order. Unlike other quick-store restaurant where they simply reach out to a stack of food already available at the food counter.

The Food

It didn’t take long for our orders to arrive, freshly cooked just the way I want it. We had the Large Fried Chicken in Barbecue Sauce, Crispy Junior Chicken, Fried Chicken Dumpling, Chicken Skin in Barbeque and Chili Pepper flavor and Chicken Longganisa Breakfast Rice Mix.

I have to be honest that I was skeptical when I first learned about Hot Star’s signature dish and check it out on their Facebook Page. There’s no doubt that it’s large, but it’s also flat. I’m used to eating fried chicken in its traditional serving, not filleted.

Coming face to face with the dish settled my doubts. Yes, it’s large because of the way the chicken was prepared. But if you think about it, it wouldn’t be this big if the chicken is really not big. I usually buy chicken breast fillet in the grocery and it’s not this big. So yes, Hot Star Large Fried Chicken offers LARGE FRIED CHICKEN!

For those on a diet or who prefer regular-sized meal, the restaurant offers the Crispy Junior Chicken. This is where you get the normal sized chicken similar to other restaurants in the Philippines.

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken also offers all-day breakfast. We had the Chicken Longganisa Breakfast Mix.

In between spoonful, we took a bite at our side dishes - Fried Chicken Dumpling and Chicken Skin in Barbecue and Chili Flavor.

The Verdict

I enjoyed the food at Hot Star Large Fried Chicken Eastwood. Of course, it’s not perfect.

Let’s start with the Chicken Skin. We all love this crispy treat, but the delightful goodness was lost in Hot Star’s breading and flavoring. It’s also tough to eat. The Chili variant also looks like the bottle cap went off when they were sprinkling on it.

The signature fried chicken is good. It’s tender and juicy. I also enjoyed the Fried Chicken Dumpling. The longganisa breakfast mix was filling.

Unfortunately, the combinations of dishes that we tried almost have the same flavor. Maybe if we a mix of different flavors such as Sweet & Sour, Salt & Pepper, etc then the dining experience would have been better.

So if you want to elevate your dining experience at Hot Star Large Fried Chicken, make sure to order foods of different flavor. That way the taste won’t be one dimensional. Taiwan’s number 1 chicken shop has a lot of promise and I’d like to try their other offerings soon.