After Seinfeld, the term “soup nazi” has become part of the urban vernacular and when researching a place for the best Portuguese Charcoal Chicken in Sydney, this place along with that very term popped up again and again. My blogging buddy Christie from Fig & Cherry is a regular here and if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me. Researching it on eatability I read this amusing warning from member, mooooo__. “As long as you know their system and don’t faff when ordering/deciding though, all should be good. Don’t look certain senior staff in the eyes, some say she can steal your soul if you do. Even better don’t say anything to her except “thanks”. She appreciates not having to converse with you.” With an intro like that, I was trepidatious at best. Luckily I was unwittingly armed with a secret weapon. Eight month old baby Annabel.
The Secret Weapon
The queue is long and there’s another woman in the line behind us. “I thought now was going to be a better time to come here but it’s just as busy” she says to us. I have to agree as the nights where we’ve driven past this place, we’ve witnessed lines and crowds spilling out of the doorway onto the street of hungry people eager to get their lateish night fix of charcoal chicken (and apparently fat reduced as the neon sign says).
The takeaway items are very reasonably priced but as we’re not local we want to sit down so we are shown a table by the lady that eatability readers fear. Did I mention my secret weapon? Teena’s daughter Annabel proceeds to melt everyone’s hearts with her smile and the staff couldn’t be nicer. The woman in question stops by to coo at her and tells us with nothing but a beaming smile on her face that she has a 7 month old granddaughter. I was initially a bit fearful of asking for something from the takeaway menu to eat in but given her friendliness I do and it’s absolutely fine. *Phew!*
1/2 chicken $7 and cod croquette $2 (front) and chips $6.50 (behind)
We watch as flattened Portuguese chickens are grilled in lots of three and are then fed to the eager, hungry hordes. Within minutes, our plates arrive, the 1/2 chicken cut into 5 pieces. As promised it’s not greasy and when paired with the Peri Peri sauce, it makes for a juicy, delicious dish indeed. There’s a nice char grill taste on the chicken but thankfully not a lot of blackened char bits. The chips are thin and crispy-ish although slightly cold and the mound is so large, we barely make a dent into this (and this is the small size!).
The codfish croquette is an egg sized croquette filled with salted cod (baccalau) and it’s delicious although a bit of this goes a long way. It all comes with a basket of three bread rolls but we’re not particularly hungry so we don’t eat these.
Portuguese Chicken Burger $5
The classic chicken burger is lightly breaded and fried and along with the S&W mayonnaise and peri peri sauce it’s a good, generously proportioned burger, particularly given the price.
At 2.20pm the crowds have thinned and as we finish up, Annabel charms a waiter who brings her some chupa chups. He takes her behind the counter to greet everyone and tells us of a regular customer that comes in with a bird on her shoulder who also receives chupa chups (the bird can apparently hold a chupa chup upright!).
Annabel versus the Chupa Chup
We bump into David Tsikeras of Perama as he’s taking a break and having a coffee at a nearby cafe. We tell him where we’ve been and he and his friend warn us of the lady. I point at Annabel and tell him of our secret weapon. It seems all it takes is the right accessory.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever met a “Soup Nazi” in real life and how did you handle them?
And tell me, were you as shocked as I was at Chris’s ousting from Masterchef last night? The final two and three were nothing like I would have guessed. Are you going for Julie or Poh and whose cookbook would you buy?
Petersham Charcoal Chicken
98 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9560 2369
Open 7 days 9am until 9pm
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56 Comments | Add your own
That is a mighty secret weapon!
I had to do a bit of Googling for this post. Didn’t know what a Chupa Chup was, nor Portuguese chicken. I think I’ve been missing out!
Oww.. I’ve seen this shop from Food Safari SBS. The owner giving you a simple recipe for making this delicious peri peri chicken.
Too lazy to make myself. Will have to visit this soon. Yum!
Yay I didnt like Chris so am glad he is out. I would buy Julie’s book- I love family recipes!!! Go Julie
Hahaha – lovely story – Annabel is so cute! she could melt anyone
shes adorable haha so cute, your ‘secret weapon’
i’ve only ever tried charcoal chicken at habibs in bankstown (back in my meat eating days) and all my friends seem to like it (except one couple, they both got the runs from eating there for my bday) (yes, i had my birthday there haha)
must spread the word about this nazi chicken place!
I am as shocked as you about Chris. The final three that I predicted halfway through the series were Chris, Justine and Lucas. How wrong was I!!!
I am going for Julie. I thought her cookbook idea would be a smash and her lamb looked delicious last night.
Oh my goodness that is the cutest secret weapon ever! And I have heard weird and not so wonderful reviews of this place but I’m glad to know you had a good experience!
Aww Annabel is absolutely gorgeous! Hehe. Good work bringing her as the secret weapon! Food looks yum, I love portugese style chicken. Yum!
Annabel is so cute, she is a precious baby!!!
I’d like to taste a Portuguese chicken burger..but the star here is Annabel, not doubt about it
All the best,
Gera
I was freaking out the entire episode that Julie was gonna leave, but had a nagging feeling that they would’nt make it that obvious, and it was pick and choose choppy editing.
Out of Julie and Poh’s cookbooks, I really don’t mind. I would love to try some Chinese-Malay recipes, (but draw the line at century eggs) but would also equally enjoy julies recipe book idea based on families, and leaving the last chapter empty for me!
I really think regardless of who wins, they will both be able to get cook books out there. Chris too probably.
Ohhhh what a coincidence, I myself dropped in to get their chickens after late night @ work! I live not too far from the shop. They are always pretty busy and people are waiting outside!
Their chicken & burgers are great, but I guess chips are always hit or miss.
Mmm, cod croquettes. Totally would eat a plate of those alone.
I can’t believe Julie is still in. She’s a lovely lady but come on – what she dished up last night was mediocre in design and appalling in execution. I wouldn’t buy either of their cookbooks – would probably buy Chris’s as a gift for a guy. Judges stuffed up by bringing back contestants they liked and stuffed up again last night. I’m disillusioned with the whole final thing now – don’t care who wins. It’s a set up.
That burger looks so yum!
I’m devastated that Chris was eliminated. I think I’m still in shock
The final 2 should have been Chris & Justine. I would definitely buy Chris’s cookbook, but not Julie’s (I don’t really want to read about families) or Poh’s (I don’t really like the sound of her food, although she presents wonderfully).
Ahhh… my favourite portuguese chicken place in Sydney!! been coming here for quite sometime now, and there isn’t a time where there are less customers. I’m drooling now just thinking of the burger with their special mayo and chilli sauce..mmmm… in fact… going there tomorrow!!! after a morning stopover at campos…
To say I was shocked at Chris’ demise is an understatement , especially after citing him as the winner yesterday. Life is like that, you should always expect the unexpected. As for the top two..hmmmmm, tricky but Julie may just pull it off as her book concept won Donna Hay over. Poh’s ideas are a bit out there and may scare people off. As for “Soup Nazis”, my mum is a firm believer in smiling, it can open many doors!
I am definately going for Julie! I have right from the start. Her book sounds fantastic.
I guess Justine was at the food & wine show to throw us off the scent lol.
Lovely photography, as always. Amazing shots of the little Annabel. I know baby pictures are not that easy. It’s very different from food photography. Nice!
I have to say that Julie’s cookbook does sound charming and the kind of thing you’d buy as a gift – a chapter for different families and then fill in your own chapter at the end and give it to somebody you’re close to. I could see myself definitely doing that. However it was amazing that when she hadn’t finished her dishes, she went through. It’s a little suss.
I’m no fan of Chris (he’s very smug and irritating) but I do think he deserved to be there. I think it should have been him and Justine in the top two, although it’s possible that she’s better off not winning as she’d have to spend a lot of time doing publicity etc whereas under Matt Moran’s wing she’ll be able to really develop her skills.
I think Poh will win …
This entry made me chuckle, as I remember a group of us from work trekked all the way here for lunch one day. Unfortunately, we didn’t know what their system was and was indecisive on what we wanted…so our initial experience wasn’t too pleasant. But…I must say, the waiter ended up joking with us when the lunch rush died down. It was great!
I am just as surprised with who the two finalist are for Master Chef. Definitely not who I had expected…
i used to live in Petersham back in my uni days and these chicken burgers were a regular treat. i’m pretty sure the price has not gone up much since then (2005!).
i am now craving one of their burgers. it’s just such a shame that their chips are thin… i am SO team thick chips!
they are always really rude when i go there, but the chicken burgers are AMAZING yummmooo..
OH and i hope Poh wins! shes so lovely and creative! her boook would look hot!
I was annoyed that Poh was allowed to stay after having such an advantage of knowing what she was cooking and being given the recipe, and still not getting it right . . . it should be Julie versus Chris or even better Julie versus Justine, but even then I would be cheering Julie on to victory. As for the soup nazi – no food is worth deliberately bad customer service.
Great review! I get take away chicken from here every month or so. I’m in love with the peri peri sauce! And as the eatability reviewer said you just have to line up queitly and don’t faff around when ordering! ha!
Nawwwwwwww that secret weapon is sure to melt the cold heart of any Soup Nazi! Yep totally shocked about Chris going, thought he would be in the final for sure. Julie’s cookbook idea sounded lovely but I have to cheer for my fellow Malaysian girl Poh!
OMG! She is SO cute! She would melt anyones heart =)
Cant believe Chris has left. I dont know who to barrack for now!
oh i’ve been to this place, for dessert, there is a place across the road that sells very yummy Portuguese tarts!! fresh from the oven if you’re lucky!
i am annoyed! i wasn’t at home last night to watch masterchef and was planning to watch it online today….. but thanks to 2dayfm, i found out who the 2 finalists are!
Removing Chris was a surprise for our household. He had the clearest vision and most focused of them all. Most of all, he was consistent which I cannot say for the other two ladies.
I didn’t really like Chris’s attitude even though his cooking was good (I was gawking at his amazing chocolate mousse cake!). His arrogance and attitude didn’t really garner my support.
I love Poh’s creativity so I’m hoping she will win!
I want Julie to win she is the real deal and has inspired me to cook from the heart not just from a book. Her description of her cookbook made me get all teary! I hope she publishes it!
Annabel’s got such pretty eyes! All hail the secret weapon =P I’d be happy whoever wins masterchef now, happy that Chris didn’t make the final cut! LOL But I really want a copy of Julie’s cookbook!
I would not buy either of their books really – would have bought Justine’s but good luck to them both – girl power
Sounds like your secret weapon worked well! I’d love to see the bird with the chuppa chups too – it sounds cute!
I was here last week. The chicken is indeed great, just like I had in portugal as a kid. Service was a little slow but I left with my soul intact!
Go Poh i say!
Annabel is just gorgeous!! I have to say from the book that I would use perspective, I would be more likely to use Julie’s concept; however, as a work of art/interesting read, I’d go for Poh’s.
I want an Annabelle too! She is so cute!!! But does this mean I need to take her along with me?
Chicken and chips Portuguese-style sound like a winning combination.
(Oh, and babies do soften the hearts of the meanest soup Nazis!
)
Julies book sounded interesting, I think Poh’s maybe a little too strange for most people.
I think Poh is my favourite though Julie is quite good as well in a different way.
Love the look of those cod croquettes as I’ve never heard of them before! As for masterchef, total surprise! I was sure Justine was going to win then when she left, the undeserving Chris. Now he’s gone Poh and Julie are so different they could actually tie (if that were possible!) as long as Julie finished her dish! To be honest, I would probably prefer to eat Julie’s food but I love watching Poh cook. I’ve never wished a weekend away before but roll on Sunday!
Hehe very nicely done Lorraine, mistress of strategy.
They didn’t stand a chance with a cute baby. Somehow I doubt it’d work with a puppy…what do you think
Annabel is so cute! I love Nandos peri peri so I’m sure these must be fabulous!
A huge surprise that Poh and Julie are in the final. I wanted Justine to win.
Hi Blond Duck-She is a darling!
Hi Barbara-Ahh really! I take these things for granted I suppose!
Hi Jessica-Yes I wonder how simple it would be to make?
Although yes it’s easier to buy it 
Hi sandra-I’d actually love to see all 3 books although I am a big cookbook buyer so I’d probably buy at least 1 or 2
Hi Anita-Thankyou! She is isn’t she!
Hi betty-She’s such a nice baby too! Hehe you’re so funny!
Hi Olivia-Yes I was out and when I came home I thought I misread things!
I thought it would be Chris, Justine and Julia. How wrong was I! 
I wish we could try the dishes 
Hi Trisha-She is!
I was so relieved! I wonder how she would have reacted to the camera otherwise? 
Hi Betty-She is a darling
Yes I should have known as she charms everyone! 
Hi Gera-She definitely is
Yep no doubt about it! 
Hi Tara-I missed out on the last 10 minutes!
Hehe the squid ink cubes looked so out of this world! I think her speech about the cookbook was inspired and definitely tugged at the heartstrings of everyone! 
Hi Yas-Haha wouldn’t it be funny if I bumped into you there!
Yes I’ve heard that about their chips 
Hi The Duo Dishes-Hehe I thought I could but they were very salty (of course!) so I think I could stop at one but very much enjoy it
Hi Kelly-I read somewhere people thought that Julie would sell more cookbooks (and she probably would) and that was in her favour. I suppose they want to
make money out of it! Still, the result was shocking and I can’t say that I agreed with it!
Hi Zam-Yes I really couldn’t believe it. I’m never going to win any awards for guessing who would win!
I don’t know if I would make anything with century egg either. It’s a bit obscure for me although I do think Poh has a real talent for plating things up and making things look perfect.
Hi Onomatopia-That’s great! Yes when we left there was a queue reaching to the door
Have fun! 
Hi Matilda-Yes it was as shocking as Justine leaving! Yes Julie’s strength is her potential book sales IMHO. Haha yes that does help sometimes!
Hi meg-Yes that totally threw us off the scent didn’t it! I think all of us thought that she won
Hi Jackie-Thankyou so much! When they’re that cute, it’s a relatively easy thing (although I know what you mean!
)
Hi SydneyGal-Yes it has the greatest sales potential I think. It was an odd decision! I didn’t mind Chris at first but when he started to wish bad upon others I didn’t like that at all and it got worse the further the competition went. However he was very consistent and consistency is so important!
Hi Karen-Oh no! You poor things! There should be instructions
Ahh that’s good, pehaps he’s there to smooth over the edges 
I know, it was a total shock!
Hi lindsey clare-Hehe yes I was amazed at the prices!
They were McDonalds chip thin! Which I don’t mind but only if they’re fresh 
Hi Melissa-Yes I suppose it’s the price one pays *sigh* I wonder how they’d do if they were friendly! Hehe cool! Well not long now!
Hi Jillian-I don’t think the contestants were handicapped though? Although I don’t know for sure. Hehe I have to admit I have put up with bad service for good food!
Hi Maria-Lucky you! I don’t have anything like this near me
Hehe yes there’s a process it seems! 
I’d love to do an Elaine from Seinfeld and see how they’d react!
Hi Steph-Yep I wonder how she would do in New York with the original soup nazi! Hehe lots of Poh lovers!
Hi Brianna-She is such a little gem! Hehe yes it was so unpredictable!
Hi isLa -Yes! Sadly both tarts places were closed
Oh no! I accidentally saw it on twitter too 
Hi Mike-Yes I agree, although perhaps he will get a keen investor out of it! I’d be tempted as I think he’s got a great vision!
Hi jess-Yes same here. For a guy that cooks mainly meat that cake was amazing! hehe cool!
Hi Cherie -It’s a great concept! And I’m amazed that the same has not been done before! :O
Hi K-Hehe she does! I’m sure that even if she doesn’t win, someone will bring that book out!
Hi sally-I wonder if Justine will get a book deal? I think a lot of people would buy it!
Hi Arwen-Hehe she so did!
I think I’ve seen them dining at Shanghai Night! 
Hi Mark-Ahh good to know that it’s very authentic (I haven’t been to Portugal). Hehe wonderful-one should never lose their soul!
Hi Cakelaw -She is adorable
Yes I think they’d be two entirely different concepts 
Hi Aubrey-She is like a doll! Hehe you may need a baby to get the same kind of service
Hi Midge-It’s funny, I wonder if she’s bewildered by her soup nazi reputation?
Hi Bill -I’d love to flip through both. I hope they make both! Yes it’s hard to know who to barrack for!
Hi Gummi Baby-They’re nice and salty and worth ordering if you ever see them
Yup I was sure she was the winner. Yes one night without MC and then the answer! 
Hi Karen-Hehe thanks! It was unwitting and rather serendipitous! Sure, why not? Who knew that a baby would make them react like that (if she had been a crying bad tempered one you never know!)
Hi foodie-central-She is a darling
The final two are such a surprise I agree!
what an adorable child. she effectively stole my attention from the food, which isn’t easy to do.
and what’s this about a secret nanna recipe book? send me an email, i’d love to contribute!
I’m dying for grilled chicken now!
Annabel is an absolute darling!
annabel is adorable! and it’s so true, bring a baby along and you’ll have people coo-ing and ah-ing. definitely the best way to deal with a ‘soup nazi’. otherwise, i think a smile usually goes a long way – smiling seems to confuse people!
Hi grace-She is!
Haha she certainly has that talent! I’ve sent you an email 
Hi Faith-hehe cool! I wish it was closer to me
Hi Panda-She certainly is
I might bring her to other places where I’ve been prewarned about Soup Nazis 
hehe I suppose it would, especially if they were angry or upset!
Nice weapon! Could I borrow her?
Hi Syrie-Hehe don’t we all wish we could!
Visited from Melbourne.Have a taste for more great food and atmosphere when i get back..
Do you still want bulk Chupa Chups?
I just went back to the place tonight (its called Frango now I think). Having ordered chips and the mouth watering chicken burger-with-chilli-to-die-for, I was refused extra chilli sauce because “there wouldn’t be enough for others” and that I should “stop asking”, despite that there was a whole stack of it in front of the woman.
So I said “Thank You Comrade” and walked home with my burger
Hello! Here the food is more rustic, less processed. But even then the fast food reaches everywhere! Glad you enjoyed the brownies Carob! Kissies
Ruiva’
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[...] Chicken. Portugese Chicken is Sydney’s greatest contribution to the world of fast food. Petersham Charcoal Chicken is the undisputed king but it’s a bit out of the way. The battle between the other three is [...]
[...] Chicken. Portugese Chicken is Sydney’s greatest contribution to the world of fast food. Petersham Charcoal Chicken is the undisputed king but it’s a bit out of the way. The battle between the other three is [...]
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