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Morgan McGlone was cheffing at fine dining restaurant Husk, when he fell hard for Nashville hot chicken. He found himself at Prince’s, having late-night fried chicken and a bottle of natural wine and just thought “this is it”. He fell so hard, that he bailed on his top tier gig and came back to Australia to bring us the good stuff.
Now, we have Belles Hot Chicken.
From their wildly successful 2015 pop up in Bondi serving “really fucking hot” chicken, to partnering with Belle’s Diner owner Rino Pontonino to create the first Belles Hot Chicken restaurant on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Belle’s has become known as the go-to place for a fried, tingly, spice sensation.
But why Nashville-style hot chicken? Why is it so damn good?
“It’s all in the spices!” Beverage Director Christian Robertson says. Christian looks after the Melbourne branches of Belles, and he’s well and truly witnessed the addictive magic that keeps people coming back.
“Nashville style hot chicken is a dry rubbing, which is actually quite different to a lot of sauce based wings. This allows for different spice levels to be easily available, and our customers can be in control of their own experience.”
Belles has its own secret spice fittingly titled ‘Sex Panther’, and it’s at the top end of spice. It uses Caroline Reaper that, until recently, wasn’t allowed to be grown in Australia. And it packs a punch, so it’s not for the faint-hearted.
Fried chicken and American-style food isn’t a new cuisine in Australia, and definitely not in Melbourne, but there is something about the simplicity of Belles offering that is more accessible and a total go-to joint. It’s also just consistently yum. There is never a time where you’ll go to Belles and not feel as though your spicy chicken itch hasn’t been scratched.
“I still remember my first time,” muses Robertson, as though he’s reminiscing a past lover.
“I think we’re a funny, weird restaurant in a lot of ways. But mostly, I think people resonate with the dichotomy of what we offer. It’s fried chicken and natural wine, it’s inevitable. We have a lot of regulars and our restaurants serve such a diverse crowd across all of our sites in NSW and Victoria. Everyone from young teens to retirees, and anyone in between. We want to be accessible and fun for everyone, including those that are spice challenged.”
Spice challenged, we all have those friends. But Belle’ doesn’t make you feel bad about it. No matter what your age or your spice tolerance, there’s a piece of chicken for you.
And let’s just take a minute to talk about their incredible natural wine selection. Belles Hot Chicken have put themselves on the map of restaurants that constantly churn through killer wines, from the minute they opened up in Fitzroy to today.
Natural wines reflect honesty and integrity and that same simplicity that Nashville-style hot chicken presents. It’s uncomplicated and naturally juicy. The undeniable combination of natural wines and spicy fried chicken is something that you deserve to experience without a snobby rant. Just do it.
“We have always to our roots of what we are and how we do things. Not everything has worked, but that’s hospitality. We have opened restaurants and closed some, but our ethos and soul has always been at the forefront of what we do,” says Robertson.
“We serve something basic but approach it in a fine dining way, and pair our chicken with some of the world’s most amazing natural wines, that are carefully selected and on constant rotation.”
“We’ve learnt along the way that simple things in life are always the best, and so we approach our restaurants the same way.”
Belles don’t want to be “just another chicken shop” and they’re not. Their chicken has soul, and wings.
How to book: Find your closest shop and book here
How to order: Order online via their website or via The Fork