HOT STAR is not a new brand specializing in fried chicken, but for some Indonesians, perhaps it is. Originally comes from Shihlin Market in Taiwan, the country already has lines of fried/crispy chicken brands, but I heard that this particular brand is still going strong since it was started in 1992 until now. Their first outlet in Indonesia was opened since December 2013 in Baywalk Mall, Pluit; but I just tried it for the first time probably 2 months ago when I stumbled upon its outlet in Bintaro Jaya Xchange Mall. Felt glad when I saw it because it was also my first time visiting that mall, and didn’t expect to find it in South Jakarta or Bintaro area.
Then what’s different about HOT STAR when there are so many other fried/crispy chicken brands already? Well, they don’t only serve normal or regular fried chicken, but we are talking about LARGE fried chicken, the ones that are too big to settle, as suggested by the tagline. Is it true? Well, let’s see!
HOT STAR Large Fried Chicken IDR 38K
Now you’re probably drooling after seeing the picture above, but well, let’s talk a bit more about the chicken. 🙂 What’s different about HOT STAR chicken is, not only its size is bigger than other brands’ ones, it is also served just like that, not cut into pieces. That’s why we can see how big it usually is, and the way to eat it is just to hold with your hand and bite. Sounds fun, right?
After the chicken is deep-fried, it will be seasoned according to our order, and the flavors are Original, BBQ, Black Pepper, and Sour Plum. We can also pick the level of spiciness, from Original (Not Spicy), Less Spicy, Spicy, and Extra Spicy. This time, I tried the Original flavor with Extra Spicy level.
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| Compared to IDR 500 coin, LOL! XD |
I had never tried any HOT STAR fried chicken before (anywhere), so I didn’t know what the real taste is like in Taiwan or wherever else. My first impression: it was HUGE and looked darn crispy! The chicken was quite thick but not exactly hard, in fact when I tried to take pictures, I could feel that the consistency was a bit lumpy, couldn’t really stand if I just held it below the center line. When I took my first bite, though, it was OMG-SO-CRISPY kind of chicken, me likey! It was still very hot, the meat was soft inside, and it was like, the tastiest crispy chicken ever (with only seasoning powder), so I was quite impressed. And actually, every piece of chicken has a bone, and we were told by the staff how to enjoy it properly, by eating the chicken from the farthest part from the bone first!
Beside fried chicken, HOT STAR also has other menu such as other fried snacks and drinks.
Plum Sweet Potato IDR 22K
I simply love this! The sweet potatoes were cut in big pieces, layered by thick batter, yet they were still very crispy and crunchy until inside! I really loved the plum seasoning too, very fragrant and tasted so good. Hmm, I could use some of these right now. XD
After that, I also tried the drinks: Passion Fruit Green Tea and Sour Plum Green Tea (IDR 17K each), which were lovely but probably not really my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, the tastes were good, but honestly I just don’t see the point why I drink sweet stuffs like this without the pearl or boba, hahaha. Well, maybe I am just used to drink pearl tea more because basically I am not into sweet stuffs. XD The passion fruit was okay, not so special, but I will recommend the sour plum one, because it tasted unique. If you happen to know the Chinese “manisan”, it tasted exactly like that, so it was basically sour with hints of sweetness, which I found very refreshing!
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| Passion Fruit Green Tea |
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| Sour Plum Green Tea |
The conclusion is, I am so happy that HOT STAR finally arrives in Indonesia and there is one more Taiwanese fried chicken stalls to stalk! Good luck and hope it opens more outlet especially in South area, please! XD
*All prices are inclusive to 10% government tax
** The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.
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Great article with excellent idea! I appreciate your post. Thanks so much and let keep on sharing your stuffs keep it up.
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