Flames Charcoal Chicken

It was a weekend that a lot of small scale diners /​cafes were closed. Lucky that we spotted this place opened. Australian charcoal chicken, sounds specialised and promising. We have ordered half marinated chicken and half herb chicken, which were both good. I think the marinated chicken is even better with a bit of spice. The chicken was very juicy and tender. The chicken was served with greens which made a great lunch.

Easy, fast and healthy lunch spot.
Another popular Quarry Bay lunch spot, Flames does one thing only, chicken.
The menu is no frills — half or quarter chicken in two different marinades, then a side of either fries, rice or salad. And a drink. Simple as that.
The skin is crisp, the meat is tender and juicy and the sides are all reliably good. The half chicken and salad is perfect for lean, but delicious protein on gym days. Beware though, don’t get too big — this place is cramped. Tables are tightly spaced and shared, you will be rubbing elbows with your neighbor and saying ’ excuse me’ a lot.
Indoor seating is 8 ppl, and the rest are seated outdoor under a big tent, a bit stuffy on summer days. While the roasted chicken is healthy and yum, I wish they did a more café/​deli style, so people could actually have a conversation over lunch, instead of just wolfing down their food and getting out. But in all fairness, HK rent is high and their prices are reasonable, a quarter chicken set from Hk 55 and nothing will add up to more than HKD 100 here.
In a perfect world perhaps, Flames the Deli.

unlike La Rotisserie in Wanchai, i think Flames got juicier chicken! the salad that comes in the side was fresh and yummy! loved the rocket, pear & parmesan salad in particular. i got a ¼ chicken with salad takeaway… and with no carbs i felt i was still hungry after: p my colleague suggested getting the potato salad next time so it will be more fulfilling. the gravy for the chicken was nice too. i recommend this place!

Flames is an absolute mecca for chicken in the Quarry Bay area — or perhaps for the island at large, if tales of its wondrous chicken were (deservedly) broadcast far and wide. This place necessarily caters for a large audience, despite its limited menu. I wish there were more restaurants like Flames, in the respect that they focus on doing one thing well, and that thing be chicken.
In the European-​trending Hoi Wan Street, there are a number of restaurants with outdoor café seating. You’ll be able to spot Flames quite easily because of the chicken logo, and the hoity toity wooden panelling. The staff is really friendly, and understands the lucrative lunchtime rush, constantly swaying people in and serving food quick and hot. The chickens are on rotisserie for all to see, and were the real draw for me to go in and have a taste.
There are a few options on the menu, but really there’s only one thing to get: CHICKEN! They serve them two ways, and having tried both the Portuguese marinated style and herb stuffed chicken, I would say you can’t really go wrong.
Where you do have a bit more choice is in the accompaniments to your meal. Go for the quarter or half chicken with sides and pick between crispy, chunky chips or if you’re looking to balance your diet you can opt for a salad (there are 5 choices, so they take this whole healthy eating business seriously too!).
If you’re not too stuffed and you don’t come to QB often (like myself), explore the surrounding area after, because Quarry Bay and Tai Koo has a lot to offer in terms of local, unique bistros serving bubble tea, frozen yoghurt and various other desserts to cool you down after that delicious chicken that Kentucky or Nando’s would be more than proud to call its own.

Hong Kong doesn’t have Nando’s unfortunately, but we do have Flames — and that comes pretty close.
Flames is near Taikoo Place, where the Island East Markets take over on Sundays. I’d heard about Flames online and how they served great chicken and was reminiscent of Nando’s, so when I got there I was really surprised. It’s mostly an alfresco dining restaurant with a metal chairs and tables outside, sort of like a ‘dai pai dong’, with umbrellas placed overhead. There is an inside, but there are only a couple of tables and chairs. When my friends and I arrived at around 1pm, it was really crowded — there wasn’t a free table in sight, and there were a couple of people waiting to be seated. We decided to head to Sift for our cupcake fixes and then come back. There were one or two tables available when we returned and we sat down to order our food. They had some very good lunch set deals, and we all ended up picking the same — a quarter chicken with two types of salad, and we got to choose our own sauces for the chicken. I went with the herbs (non-​spicy) one.
Overall, I was really pleased with the meal. The quarter chicken was very juicy and tender, and the sauce that came it was delicious! The salads were great as well and the portion was quite generous. This isn’t really a place to sit down for ages and catch up with a friend because it’s crowded and a bit noisy, but I’d definitely recommended coming here for a simple, affordable meal out!