[New Eats] Ayoye! Benny from Quebec, Canada Is Open in Shanghai!

We're super pleased and excited to be reporting the most random-ass restaurant opening in recent memory: Quebecois fast-casual rotisserie chicken chain Benny now boasts three locations in Shanghai! If you're from Quebec, you know – there's like 80 of them there – if you're from Ontario, you might – we think there's a few in Ottawa – if you're from anywhere else in Canada or anywhere else on the planet, you don't, because it is very much a Quebec thing.

But if you're in Shanghai, now you do because we're super pleased and excited to tell you about Benny's!

Attache ta tuque!

(That means "tie your winter hat!" Aka "get ready for a ride!")

[New Eats] Ayoye! Benny from Quebec, Canada Is Open in Shanghai!

Benny is what they call "fast casual" or "boutique fast food," but when they started in 1960, those terms didn't exist, and it was food you called "better than KFC." They're known for rotisserie chicken sets and poutine, wonderful poutine (I'm Canadian), and being a great complement to a night of drinking 50 Labatt 50s and roosting donuts on a snowmobile in a parking lot in rural Northern Quebec. "Benny" is the surname of a family of chicken farmers from outside Montreal from the late '40s. That family had eight sons, one of whom invented a custom rotisserie oven and, thereby, their signature three-hour signature cooking method. This is him.

All eight brothers got into the better-than-KFC business and never looked back. The Quebecois dream.

Sixty-odd years later a couple of guys from Montreal got a franchise option and opened three in Shanghai. Which actually makes sense considering the vaunted position roasted birds have in Chinese cuisine. Maybe a bit of crossover there.

We'll get into the food, but first the decor. Benny achieved aesthetic perfection in 1975 and stopped the clock right there. Classic chicken logo – one of the best in the game in our humble opinion – with an almost DIY roadside Mom and Pop fast food ambiance. The main Benny in SMP Sinar Mas Plaza has three framed hockey jerseys on the wall. Two of which are obviously Rocket Richard and Guy "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens –Quebecois hockey royalty, to be sure. The third jersey is Steven Finn of the Quebec Nordiques, which haven't even been a team since the early '90s. Steve's claim to hockey fame? Second most penalty minutes in the history of the franchise. The man was not afraid to drop the gloves, eh! You don't get knuckles like that from playin' the piano, eh!

It's just such a deep cut we had to mention.

The food.

The menu is super simple. Roasted chicken platters with the signature McCain-style crinkle fries and coleslaw. The chicken is super light and tender, with lovely skin and a mild roast finish. It's seasoned with salt only and might be even a little underwhelming if you don't know the trick. Here's the thing: the chicken is a delivery system for the gravy. The correct way to do this is to douse every piece in as much gravy as you can and shove it in your mouth and let it run down your face. The gravy is rad. Rich and glossy brown. S-tier gravy. Same as you'd get at any Michelin-starred truck stop back in Canada.

In addition, you've got a slew of chicken burger options, chicken salads, and a selection of diner-style desserts. (And Moosehead beer, buddy!)

Now, the poutine. It's not on the menu yet. Poutine is hard to do in China because cheese curds are hard to deal with. They're super hard to make, and that sweet, squeaky window – the ideal time to eat them – doesn't last very long at all. Like a day or two. A lot of places in Shanghai over the years have used mozzarella cheese as a substitute, but then a lot of places are serving "cheese fries with gravy"; let's be real. Come on, now.

Benny in Shanghai was sourcing their cheese curds imported from Wisconsin. Then modern life happened, and they could no longer import them from the USA. They are currently sourcing a new cheese curd supply from an artisanal cheese maker in Beijing. Pictured here is some sample poutine we blagged off the manager. It's not on the menu yet, but we'll be back for more when they get it sorted. Looking forward to it. Poutine can save the world.

Head down now for the chicken and gravy, and keep your head on a swivel for the poutine in the future.

Benny in Shanghai! Tire-toi une bûche!

(That means "pull up a log to sit on," AKA "make yourself at home." Quebec is a scene, man!)