Al-Awafi’s Charcoal Chicken

I came across Al-Awafi’s Charcoal Chicken place because my sister could not stop ranting about their food. Apparently her friends kept ranting about it too, until eventually she had some of their chicken for lunch with them. Quite predictably, the food vine had us searching out this place so that we could order this legendary charcoal chicken and even more legendary garlic sauce. Let me tell you, I’m a happy contributor to the food vine — I really, really hope you check out this place. Just imagining the chicken smouldering in the charcoal is enough to get my tummy rumbling.
The chicken has a slight vinegary taste which I think is quite unusual compared to the charcoal chicken I’m used to, but the meat is delicious and pairs really well with the garlic sauce. It is also really tender which makes it easy to tear between the fingers and dip into the sauce. But I think the garlic sauce deserves a mention on its own. In this instance, less is definitely more. The sweetness you taste at the beginning is deceptive — the aftertaste will literally knock you out. Let’s say, it’s not a place I suggest snacking at before a date because you will literally be sending them flying, the garlic sauce is that strong (and you NEED the garlic sauce!)