Jollibee opens in Reading - food review

And I wasn't sure what to expect out of a fast-food joint that serves fried chicken, burgers and...spaghetti all rolled into one.

To put it in simple terms, Jollibee is Asia's answer to KFC but with a spicy and sticky twist to its crispy chicken.

I can't fault the variety of options they have on the menu with their version of a six-piece bucket meal (£10.29), chicken tenders (£5.89) and chicken rice bowls (£5.14).

Then you have the burgers, all bursting with flavours from sweet and spicy to a more classic option of garlic Mayo - it's like they all have their own personalities and I was totally here for it.

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I tried the Tropical one (£5.99 on its own or £7.99 a meal) whilst my colleague Leon opted for the plain chicken burger (£3.99) as he doesn't like cheese (crazy right?)

As you bite into the soft bun you get a nice contrasting crunch from the crispy coated chicken, the cheese mellows out the punchy Asian ginger chilli sauce but it felt a little sloppy.

The flavours were definitely there but I think to me, it didn't feel right having pineapple in a chicken burger.

The loaded fries were 10/10

Between munching on the burger, I picked away at the Sriracha Chicken loaded fries (£4.30)

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Let me tell you that this was by far my favourite item on the menu. It takes loaded chips to a whole new level and if I could buy the sriracha sauce as a bottle to take home believe me I would.

The sauce has a creamy texture which coated the small crispy chicken pieces well. It tasted a bit like cheesy chips and it went down a treat.

Speaking of sauces, they offer seven different kinds from honey mustard to gravy.

I left the Jolly Spaghetti until last after Leon and I toyed between who will try it first.

Our lovely host explained that spaghetti was one of Jollibee's favourite family recipes so it would be rude not to try it.

I really didn't rate the Jolly Spaghetti...

For the novelty side of things, I get why they're offering it on the menu, but for me personally it wasn't worth the money. This costs £4.52. 

If you're in town and suddenly crave some pasta for lunch then it's great, but otherwise it wouldn't be my first choice. It seemed a bit strange to have hotdog pieces in a sauce dolloped on top of some pasta.

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The sticky rice, however, was delicious and cooked perfectly, exactly what I'd expect from a Filipino takeaway.

Finally, I got round to trying the mango coconut sundae (£1.99) which was staring at me during the entirety of the meal.

Definitely order it. If we get a heatwave again then I'll be popping in to grab a cup of their fruity, fresh ice cream.

It was fresh, sweet and creamy with a lovely crunchy coconut shaving giving it that chef's kiss.

Overall, the food was unique, flavoursome and tasted fresh.

I can't say I'll be running to go back there anytime soon but it's worth a try if you like an edge to your fried chicken.