And don't remind me of home
Or I might notice where I am
It's true that
some things have to change
I know some things have to change
Another Tuesday... another Taste! This week, bird is indeed the word. Birdies, that is.
The Gerrard East/Coxwell area is a sneakily under-the-radar-interesting portion in the east side of this massive metropolis we call Toronto. Aside from Gerrard Street changing into Eastwood Avenue for no reason (while Gerrard starts again eastward a block north... hilarious!) this area is loaded with tantalizing food options and little bars, not to mention being on the outskirts of Little India which in itself is a totally different and dynamic thing.
You've got Mattachioni's east location here, Harry's Charbroiled, Godspeed Brewery (with Wvrst running the kitchen), the Two Headed Dog pub (solid wings), Leela Indian Food Bar, Good Behaviour just a few blocks west... and these are just the ones I've tried. There are so many other restaurants or takeout spots to explore within a ten minute walk in this part of town, and that's without mentioning the New Town Family Restaurant which I believe has closed permanently now (I went with my cousin about ten years ago for brunch... pretty decent and very cheap). Almost all of these places (aside from New Town) have only sprouted in the past five-to-seven years. Harry's, for instance, took over the space of an old Coffee Time location (which I think we can all safely call a win).
We can also put Birdies (no apostrophe) Fried Chicken on the list of destinations here in this compelling corner of T.O.
The origin of Birdies goes back to the Fully Loaded food truck started by partners Kevin Green and Amanda Louie in 2015. I never tried the food truck which is a shame, as Fully Loaded offered some unique items... their stuffed chicken wings perhaps their most famous innovation.
In 2020 they decided to open a stationary location in the very area I just spent a couple paragraphs rambling abou-I-mean-describing. Problem was... 2020 was not a great time for a new food venture (or anything) trying to find it's footing. Despite having the space secured for a significant period they waited until 2021 to fully open, and even then only as a pure takeout joint.
It's a small space regardless (they'd taken over from a tiny pizza spot) and even now in early 2025 there are no tables... just a counter along the front window with four stools. I'm not one to dawdle in a place I'm intending to review (especially on a Sunday where I'm the only one in there) so I grabbed my order from the extremely pleasant cashier and headed to a nearby park on Coxwell to sample this chicken creation.
Doubling down on the lead photo! Credit to that excellent, handsome and (hey ladies) very available photographer...
Whereas the Fully Loaded food truck had quite an extensive menu of creations from Banh Mi chicken sandwiches to tofu options to kimchi fries to chicken and waffles... Birdies menu is by design stripped down to the basics. Two sandwiches ("OG" or Nashville spicy), various quantities of their chicken tenders, fries, side slaw, and milkshakes. Maybe I'm missing a thing or two but not much more than that.
I wanted to sample their spice but not on the chicken sandwich itself... fortunately Birdies has a option of putting their Nashville hot stuff into their french fries for minimal charge (if any). Quite clever indeed. What you see in this repetitive photo is their regular "OG" (Anunoby?) fried chicken sandwich and those very Nashville spiced fries.
Starting with the fries. Objectively as french fries... pretty good! You taste the potato, they're lightly crispy in spots but never over-cooked at all (a couple limper under-cooked ones maybe, but just a couple) and the general texture is exactly what you want it to be in a fry. When they've gone cold fast because you're eating outside and it's -3 in early January... and they're still good? On the spectrum of french fries this is definitely comfortably on the "quality" side.
As for the spice... you can probably tell by the photo that Birdies doesn't mess around. This isn't your typical fast-food chain "light sprinkle of flavourless dust" onto these fries... I mean look! They're freaking red! These babies were tossed fresh from the fryer in big bowl full of these spices and it is practically infused into the fries.
I like it. But hoo boy... you get a lot of this Nashville spice and if you're not a heat kinda person, this could be too much for ya. It's initially a salty sweet kind of spice, but it sneaks up on you to really attack the front of your mouth and plant a flag. At it's full might you get some earthy peppers on the tongue and as somebody who quite likes spicy food, the heat is never overwhelming but is definitely a presence. Quality french fries with some punch? Thumbs up.
Knowing what I know now (say that ten times fast) getting the spice onto the fries instead of the sandwich was a good call. It's a really nice heat, but it is strong enough flavour-wise to obscure the other elements within this sandwich... at least for a first-timer like myself trying to experience the full scope.
It's a simply constructed fried chicken sandwich. Lots of lettuce, there are pickles in there somewhere I swear, a house sauce, and a big old slab of breaded bird. Like Birdies simplified menu... if you're making something of an exceptional quality you can keep it straight forward and succeed... rather than the opposite of getting lost down a rabbit hole of left field quirkiness for the sake of quirkiness.
Simplicity is a virtue indeed, but it doesn't excuse something bland, uninteresting and uninspired (like Tim Horton's pizza). That's it right there: if you keep things simple, you have to make those simple elements really jump, pop, and be vivid and memorable. This is true in food or art, or really anything.
My musings upon the concept of simplicity now complete, cards on the table now. This Birdies chicken sandwich...
...was totally f*king incredible.
Like... one of the best chicken sandwiches I've ever had in my entire life. Probably the best I've ever reviewed as well... PG Clucks was a delicious treat and deserves praise, but this? Clucks didn't blow me away the same way this did.
Lets break it down. Why is it so good? Lots and lots of reasons. Reason one! You get a ton of freaking chicken here. This photo is no lie. This ain't your crummy-ass McChicken where the bun takes up three quarters of the sammy. Here, above you dear reader, is a real goddamn chicken sandwich... the way it was meant to be. This is art.
Reason two! Speaking of McDonald's, there's a serious Big Mac influence within the construction of this sandwich. The buns are lightly toasted and have that same buttery taste and initial feel, you've got tons of lettuce in here, and the "Truck Sauce" really strikes me as similar to McD's infamous Secret Sauce... that vaguely sweet and relishy mayo concoction. Birdies does it better (gee what a shock) as their Truck Sauce has so much more vibrant presence, subtle sweetness and lasting taste to it. I despise McDonald's food because I find it so boring... it'll always taste precisely like McDonald's and personally I just don't like that particular flavour that oozes out of everything they offer. It fades so quickly, even their Secret Sauce... whereas Birdies' flavours linger in your mouth like meeting a new friend you never knew you had and you're getting to know each other over a couple beers.
Reason three! The chicken itself is sublime. I suspected near the end that these where actually two fried chicken breasts atop one another... which I'm still not completely sure of but there was some definite physical separation of two chickens in those final few bites. Regardless, the chicken itself is so dang tender and consistent throughout I wondered if they use a mallet beforehand, like one does with a veal cutlet for schnitzel. Each bite is so precisely delicious... that perfect line of juicy without being greasy or watery or too heavy on the stomach whatsoever. Perfect.
Reason four! The breading. Birdies uses a buttermilk brine that the chicken rests in for half a day or so... I could taste a bit of that sourness within the breading (like a creamy sourness) and it is a nice additional layer to everything else happening here. I'm no buttermilk expert (except for pancakes) so perhaps there is more to this that I'm missing. Anyhow, I enjoyed it as a nice touch in the aftertaste.
Reason five (the last one I swear): just how well this all works together. That faint mayo/relish sweetness of the Truck Sauce lingering on each bite, lots of (fresh) lettuce, the chicken has good crunch yet never in any bite tastes or feels stale or dry... the light buttery toasted bun... none of this is crazy or fancy ingredient-wise but it's just executed so well that it's obvious this is a place that both knows exactly what they're doing and takes the little flavour details seriously.
Overall! This is legitimately one of the very best things I've had on the Tuesday review, and I strongly recommend taking a trip to check them out if you can. The entire experience was nearly flawless... only some asshole on an e-bike going full speed on a crowded Coxwell sidewalk disrupted any full enjoyment I encountered here.
(Seriously though... what the F* is up with these e-bike fuckers going full speed on sidewalks? You're in a hurry I get it, good luck to you there... but you are operating a motorized vehicle that at top speed can be ticketed for speeding in residential zones... get the fuck off the sidewalk you pricks! Nobody is impressed by your ability to swerve around pedestrians at 30km/h when we're scared of being run over! I see these assholes doing this when there are bike lanes just a foot away for F*s sake... Get on the fucking road!)
Anyway! (had to get that off my chest). Birdies is truly exceptional if you're seeking a fried chicken sandwich fix. There isn't really anything they do that hasn't been done before... like I said they've stripped down their menu to focus on the basics... and they totally nail it. I will definitely go back again quite soon (glad they're in the east end heh heh heh) to see how their spicier sandwich compares to this one. If you haven't been, definitely check them out. Again, every bite of that sandwich was like a pocket of happiness.
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Tuesday Tune
One of my favourite outros to any rock/indie song... when those drums really kick in it's like hypnotic to me. Like if later Beatles tripped out more but it was a mellow trip out. The rest of the tune is also pretty good too, and this artist is so interesting in how he (Kevin Parker) just records every instrument himself for the studio recordings (he'll tour with a band, obviously). His drum sound/tone is just so so good... plus since Birdies is this freaking good they've earned one of my favourite musical things...
Right. Here's the song.
That's all for this week! Geez... one of the best reviews ever on this page? Hard act to follow. Nevertheless there are plenty of other places waiting to be experienced, plenty of pleasant surprises to be encountered. Wow... I sound so positively optimistic... this isn't on brand for me at all... you can tell how much I loved this sandwich! Therein lies the power of food, my friends.
Anyhow... you know the drill... until next week stay safe, stay warm and most of all don't spill that mustard.
