Bigbe Chicken, a Taiwan-style fried chicken shop in London's Chinatown, offers a serving of sizzling chicken at less than 6 pounds. (Photo by Dai Tian/China Daily)
Cheap and readily available Chinese cuisine is proving a hit with more Britons
Coming out as a foodie can be intimidating in the UK, a country that is notorious for trivializing eating. However, thanks in part to buzzing Chinese street food stalls, more and more people are opening up about their love of good food.
Shanghai steamed dumplings, face-sized deep-fried chicken breasts, Shaanxi burgers, and jianbing guozi or Chinese savory breakfast crepes, are among the slew of new eating experiences hitting the UK's streets.
Cheap and readily available, the street food now being served up in Britain retains its word-famous high standards and adds new choices for people in a nation that is ready for more "authentic" Chinese flavors.
"Our popcorn chicken is crunchier than KFC's," claims Jesse Wong, a proud assistant at Bigbe Chicken.
Situated in London's Chinatown, the Taiwan-style fried chicken shop offers meaty and juicy bites at less than 6 pounds a serving.
"Garlic-flavored fried chicken is the most popular choice among Britons, just as it is in Taiwan," she said.
Roger Jen, the boss of Bigbe Chicken, opened his store in April.
"Fried chicken is a very popular Taiwan snack. I had been planning to open this shop for more than five years," he said.
He said non-Chinese customers already make up about 50 percent of his customer base.
For those who convulse at the idea of eating fried food, momordica grosvenori, a traditional Chinese herb, is added to the dish to soothe sore throats and relieve inner heat.