Complete confidence. In the product, in the delivery, and in the aesthetic. I had a feeling there was nothing wrong with going to Belle’s Hot Chicken‘s Richmond branch from the moment it opened. The teething issues you see in other openings were all dealt with in Fitzroy at the widely acclaimed original venue.

I would be surprised if I haven’t walked past one hundred times since the announcement that Belle’s was opening in Richmond. In the beginning, besides the attack of local graffiti artists, there was not a lot going on next to the Richmond branch of Meatballs. But once noticeable change started, progress was swift, and all of a sudden it was down to the finishing touches.

It is hard to say this, but my particular experience dining around 6.30pm on the first Friday night, was absolutely perfect. This type of perfection is not unattainable. After all, we are talking about quite a defined product and a relatively small restaurant with a good complement of staff. But it was perfect.

Catherine ordered the Southern (no chilli) and I ordered the medium as the last time I tried hot it defeated me! We both did the tenders and chose sides of coleslaw and Old Bay fries. The chicken was cooked to the second; just done and not any more for maximum flavour. The sides were great as usual with no noticeable difference to the Fitzroy original.

To wash it down we tried the Belle’s Aperol Spritz and “The Arnaldo” which was my favourite – a Long Island ice tea tasting drink but with an iced tea and lemonade over a tequila only base. Service was superb with an obvious concentration to begin with friendliness and professionalism without an ounce of arrogance that could happen at a successful outpost.

It is needless to say that I’ll be back regularly and that I am going to have to exercise more as a result. As the bloke in his seventies next to us polished off his second basket of chicken I realised it was still possible to live a long happy life, especially when fried chicken is involved.