Wutang Fried Chicken review: April Ooi visits Belmont fast food restaurant for Taiwanese-style fried chicken

Let’s be honest: fast food gets boring. You’ve had one chicken burger, you’ve had them all. The chips blur together, the sauces taste like they came from the same industrial pump, and the thrill of greasy convenience fades somewhere between your third drive-through meal of the month and the inevitable regret that follows. But then there’s Wutang Fried Chicken, a Taiwanese-style fried chicken spot where suddenly, fast food feels exciting again. I visited the branch outside Belmont Reading Cinemas and this newish hotspot was already buzzing with hungry diners and the constant ding of Uber Eats orders. There’s some space to dine in but the concept prepares you to pick up your handheld bucket and snack on the go. The bucket of chicken bites ($23) was my favourite: just simple crunchy boneless chicken with a bubbly fried coating courtesy of the tapioca starch. The bags of chicken are smaller one-person servings, and we got some wings ($11) and the chicken skin crisps ($7). Every wing was perfect and came flavoured with our choice of mala powder. The skin crisps were a little hit and miss, with some bites being extra crunchy, and other parts on the chewier side. We also tried the signature chicken burger ($16), which had a heavier batter style to its coating. It came with the standard mayo and lettuce, and reminded me of a Popeyes burger in the US. Outside of chicken, Wutang has every shape of chip you could dream of. We got a bucket of curly fries ($15), which was enough to share between three, as well as a bucket of shoestring fries ($11). What I love about Wutang is the customisation — you can choose from a range of seasoning flavours ranging from tamer options like New Orleans (a sweet barbecue flavour) and curry to quirkier options like plum and seaweed. You can also customise the spice level to your liking. They have a range of bubble teas to wash down all that sodium. Their leafy green tea ($7) was a strong iced green tea, and we added lychee jelly ($1.20) and grass jelly ($1.20) for some extra texture. The Thai milk tea ($7.50) was super-sweet; we went with 50 per cent sugar, but we could have tweaked it down to 25 per cent. There’s no wonder Wutang Fried Chicken is rapidly becoming a fast-food legend here in Perth, with new locations popping up all the time. It’s not just about being better; it’s about offering something different and customisable. Once you try their chicken, it’s hard to go back to legacy fast-food chains. Wutang Fried Chicken Shop 4/237 Knutsford Avenue, Cloverdale OPEN Sunday-Thursday 11am-9.30pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-10.30pm CONTACT 0421 327 115 BOOKINGS No THE VERDICT Taiwanese-style fried chicken with a twist. 17/20