In times of hunger and lack of motivation to cook, your local chicken shop can often come in clutch. There’s no denying that they’re a massive part of London’s (and other cities across the country) culture, which sparks great debates disputing which one is the best.

After stumbling across an old video from The Chicken Connoisseur where he went to ‘Eden’s Cottage’ in Finsbury Park, I noticed that there were a lot of comments requesting for him to head round the corner to PFC.

Previously this video meant little to me, only a form of entertainment, as I lived over 100 miles away. But now living in Finsbury Park, I can identify and relate to it so much more with it being right on my doorstep. One afternoon after finishing uni I decided to take the small walk from my accommodation and see what they had to offer.

I ordered a chicken fillet burger with two wings and fries to take out, amounting to an incredible £2.50. They passed all the immediate checks for a chicken shop – the staff were very friendly, the prices were cheap and the food was served quickly. The bag I was given to transport the food home was a non biodegradable plastic carrier bag, which could easily be switched out for a paper bag like KFC. This would reduce their carbon footprint which is something they should be interesting in achieving, however I understand why they’re not as it would most likely increase their costs for very little potential gain.

The food didn’t just match the price tag (which wasn’t hard to do), it exceeded it. The wings had flavour, the burger tasted fresh throughout and the chips had crunch – I would say it satisfied my hunger. The only thing missing was a Strawberry Mirinda to wash it all down.

To conclude, I believe that PFC is most definitely a top tier chicken shop in the North London area when you take into consideration price, portion sizes, and actual quality. If you’re ever in the area and feeling hungry with £2.50 in your pocket (sorry, PFC is cash only), then I would recommend you to try it out.

Rating: 4/5

Relating the review to the course, I would like to talk about a key concept which helped form this review. In week 7 we had a lecture discussing the circulation of media, and more specifically the public sphere and it’s place within new media. I mentioned at the beginning of the review that I discovered PFC through the comments section of a Chicken Connoisseur video. Comments were being upvoted suggesting the restaurant and because people were supported the comments, it gave me the urge to try it myself. It shows how the public sphere is so effective within new open media, and it lets me further into the culture of my new local area. It also shows the huge contrast compared to more traditional media like TV where it was a one-sided transaction – the consumer had no way to get involved.