KFC - 11 Herbs and Spices? Yeah right...

KFC have claimed for a long time now that they have a secret recipe which boasts 10/11 herbs and spices which makes their chicken taste so good. Nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if it was less than half of that.


The meals I used to get at KFC were the family bucket, because whenever I went there it was with the family, so the typical meal would be a few pieces of chicken, chips and a side order. These days I'm more willing to try special meals like the Wicked Zinger which includes a chicken sandwich. It's meals like that (along with the spicy wings) save KFC's popularity.

The actual chicken piece meals have become almost tasteless, the thigh in particular, where there is way too much batter and a disgusting amount of fat in it.

KFC have got to get their act together with the way they prepare their chicken, otherwise they could just become a generic fast food restaurant.

McDonald's - Still the best fast food restaurant chain on the planet

McDonalds is still going strong despite its controversies and criticisms in the past decade. For me, it's still the best fast food restaurant out there. It blows its immediate rival, Burger King, out of the water.


On the topic of Burger King, the most important thing that BK lacks compared to McDonald's is the quality of french fries. McDonald's do them just right, crispy enough on the outside but still maintains an inner fluffiness that BK just lacks. When eating BK french fries, it's like eating one of those salt and vinegar french fries crisps - it's too hollow. Also you can really taste the spices and herbs that have been added to the McDs fries but when eating BK fries it's just like you're eating hot potato.

Another point that McDs beats BK on is value for money. When you have finished a McDs meal you usually get a great satisfaction in terms of quality and quantity and the price is reasonable, but with BK you have to pay £1-2 more for one of the premier meals and still not get the satisfaction that McDs brings.

The Big Mac was the premier meal in the 90s and the early parts of the '00s but this is no longer the case as McDonald's released the McTasty (which I feel is their answer to BK's Whopper) which is an extremely tasty and meatier version of the Big Mac. I don't if it's a 1/2 pounder but it sure feels and looks that way. Sometimes I feel like a kid because of it's size. Kind of like how I used to not be able to handle the Big Mac as a kid because of my small hands.

The restaurant chain has cleaned up its image, especially since investigations and documentaries like "Super-size Me", introducing fruit packages for kids and stuff like that. They've also got a wide selection of desserts including cookies, muffins and my favourite the McFlurry. Its branches also tend to be more modern looking and cleaner with much more comfortable seating than the plastic, hard-on-your back benches of the 90's

One criticism would probably be the state of the toilets but even that has been improved

Domino's Pizza - Best place for takeaway pizza

Domino's pizza have been serving the best quality pizza (for a chain restaurant/takeaway). Pizza Hut used to seem to be the only chain restaurant that specialised in pizza.


I admit the whole experience of Pizza Hut used to be good: the garlic bread and the BBQ chicken wings made great appetisers and when your pizza was served it came hot on a pan and tasted great. But then it seemed the quality deteriorated because the cheese in the deep pan and stuffed crust pizzas seemed way too chunky and this made eating the food more of a chore than as a pleasant experience.

Now Domino's Pizza's UK branch has been here for several years now and as a result are gradually emptying Pizza Hut branches across the UK. They have now made us Britons do what the Americans have done for ages: eat takeaway pizza so you can watch TV.

You have the option of two sauce bases: tomato or barbecue. I'd recommend that you try the barbecue because it tastes great with the toppings and cheese.

For toppings, I usually go for pepperoni passion or meat feast, but there are other great pizzas like meteorite and you can choose your own topping as well. There are a wide selection of toppings to choose from and you can choose to trade toppings, like say chorizo (italian sausage -tastes great) for beef.

The other great thing about Domino's Pizza are the constant offers. And when I mean offers, I mean real offers (not this 10% off for students rubbish). The most popular ones are probably, the Buy one get one free and the 50% off. This is why Domino's is so popular with students.

My one gripe with Domino's would be their side dishes. The chicken strippers and potato wedges pale in comparison to Pizza Hut's chicken wings and garlic bread.