JJ Chicken – Motor City

I first tried JJ Chicken’s charcoal grilled chicken at their Kite Beach branch, and I loved it. It reminded me of the back-to-basics Jūjeh kababs my sister and I would have at Hatam’s when we lived in Tehran as children. And before anybody says anything, Hatam in Tehran has no connection whatsoever with the Hatam here in Dubai. Our childhood Hatam, located on the beautiful, tree-lined Pahlavi Street in Tehran, was a legend and famous for serving some of the best Jūjeh kabab in town. With that in mind, I had been looking forward to going back to JJ’s, much to the surprise of the younger members of my family, all of whom warned me that their chicken was always dry.

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Their newly opened branch in Motor City gave me the opportunity I was looking for. Decked out in JJ’s standard corporate uniform this newest outlet is conveniently located on the Motor City Highstreet. Free parking is available in the Foxhill building from where the short walk to the restaurant shouldn’t bother you too much, even in the summer. I ordered half a chicken and didn’t have to wait long for it to be served to me. Sadly, it was charred on the outside and dry as a bone on the inside, nothing like the juicy one which made me all teary-eyed at Kite Beach. Needless to say, I was gutted. I had it packed and brought it home for Jack, our chicken-loving beagle.

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Adding insult to injury, my kids were quick to remind me that ‘they told me so’. Yeah, that very well may be, but I am not writing these guys off just yet. And the reason is that I know they can produce something far, far better than what they served me. So, in the words of the great Arnold Schwarzenegger — I’ll be back: https://media.giphy.com/media/Meg4PTH32tPpe/giphy.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.