29 Mar Love Pollo, Victoria Gardens
Chris and Sally Caldwell started up Love Pollo from a love of chicken. There are plenty of charcoal chicken shops around, but not many places that make a mean and juicy roasted chicken cooked on a rotisserie.
Local, free range chicken is expertly cooked by staff after extensive training and is all gluten free, hormone free and chemical free, and interestingly their gravy is gluten free too. The cooking is timed so that they’re as fresh as possible when served. As well as their Traditional flavour, which has been marinated for 24 hours, a few ‘hero’ infusion flavours are available. These chickens are cooked with the marinade already in place, rather than being slopped on post-cooking. The result of all their effort is tender, juicy and succulent chicken; even the breast pieces were done well. Customers can purchase their chicken in quarters, halves or whole and pair it with salads and chips as a quick meal option for lunch or dinner. We try the traditional and lemongrass and ginger and I particularly love the subtle but tasty flavour of the infused chicken.
It’s hard to be a chicken shop and not serve chips. Theirs are cooked to order and seasoned with chicken salt. Fresh, crunchy and addictive. Burgers and wraps are also available for people wanting something to caress their protein.
Love Pollo has a healthy focus, so for those willing to forego the chips, there is a large selection of multigrain salads and more traditional ones like coleslaw (or the pimped up kaleslaw, seasoned with an Asian lime dressing) as well as pasta salad. Sally herself has a lot of input into these salads and I loved all the varieties we tried, especially the Persian Rice – a stalwart salad since the beginning. Other multigrain salads on offer are the Feelgood Freekeh, Black Rice & Coconut Cranberry, Cypress Grains, and Edamame, Freekeh & Grains, all with their own unique textures and flavour differences, and all delicious.
The Caldwell’s passion, combined corporate and retail experience and willingness to adapt to the market have allowed Love Pollo to continue growing. Their newest store opening up in Byron Bay last month, where surprisingly, there are no previously existing chicken shops. Their success reflects their ability to deliver what people want. That is, simply, a great rotisserie roasted chicken.
Love Pollo
Shop 2, Rear 656 Burke Road
Camberwell, VIC, 3124
(03) 9882 9090
Shop 20, Victoria Gardens
620 Victoria Street
Richmond, VIC, 3121
(03) 9421 2303
Shop 6, 90-96 Jonson Street
Byron Bay, NSW, 2481
(02) 6685 5182
Chloe
Posted at 07:09h, 01 AprilI always walk past here and am never really tempted to go in.. I wish they had better salads – Fresher ones like a Greek or a garden salad.
A Chronicle of Gastronomy
Posted at 23:23h, 03 AprilFresh salads are a good point, especially as a light option. There’s lots of space in the display cabinet for different salads – I’m sure they’d love suggestions on what customers would like to see!