The V.V. Vegan Fried Chicken Showdown 🍿, Battle 7:
Honeybee’s vs. Superiority Burger

My vegan fried chicken battle is raging on in the East Village! This battle determines who would be up against tofu masters Chickpea & Olive… and I like the direction of the semi-finals thus far. Perhaps the championship round will be a seitan vs. tofu battle! ….But I am getting ahead of myself. For now it is one vegan fried chicken sandwich at a time. So let’s get to it.

Honeybee’s, East Village
Chicken & Biscuits

I have been wanting to try Honeybee’s for quite some time now. I love me a dark, woody space with textured damask wallpaper. Plus their rendition of barbecue is my favorite type of vegan cuisine to dine out for as it utilizes techniques not available in my own kitchen.

On the menu, Chicken & Waffles, cornbread-beer waffle, Nashville-spice chicken, and a smoked maple syrup.  Sounds delicious, right? Unfortunately, however, this dish is being “phased out.” So I was offered a platter of their Nashville-spiced chicken along with two of their buttermilk biscuits with a side of red bell pepper jam and a smoked maple syrup.

It sounded very good, so I was a bit disappointed when my plate was set in front of me. The presentation seemed a bit careless, a bit sparse–especially for the price which, across the menu, was a bit high for the portions. And the tofu, it just didn’t have the wow factor I thought it’d have–both presentation and taste wise.

No matter what angle I took a picture from, it never looked fantastic. So I stopped trying to capture it in pictures and got to eating.

It was spicy with great texture inside, but the breading was not at all magical… and I started to think that the tofu might not be tofu. With Impossible and Beyond Meat analogs on the menu, I start to suspect it to be a packaged vegan chicken product. A big heck-no in my vegan fried chicken battle. But I really can’t say for sure…

I suppose I could have asked, but I knew that the presentation, form and lack of substantial breading and cragginess had already sealed Honeybee’s fate. Unless Superiority Burger dropped the ball in a massive way. Let’s find out!

Superiority Burger, East Village
Tofu Fried Tofu (TFT)

I was kinda happy the cold and misty weather would have Superiority Burger less busy than usual. I was able to secure a seat inside and ordered my T.F.T. at the strike of 6 o’ clock. It was brought out rather promptly and I unwrapped it with reckless abandoned, having worked up quite the appetite jumping in East Village puddles waiting till 6. Since my last visit the price had gone up $2… and it seemed to have shrunken. It was so tiny, like a slider!

But my goodness it was amazing. The tofu was fantastic–no soggy skin, cragginess a-plenty, improved ratio of breading to tofu than in its last battle. It could have used a bit more crunch. The slaw was fresh and vibrant and the oozy mayo zesty AF. I mean really–I have no idea how that mayo is so emulsion-y. I would swear it was animal-based.

Gosh, so beautiful. Superiority Burger might have won by appearances alone. Nah, it tasted just as delicious as it looked. This sandwich. It is “a thing” for a reason.

Just look! 👀

Did you get that Superiority Burger won this battle hands down? Be fearful, Chickpea & Olive. Be very fearful! Superiority Burger is coming for ya!

Winner: Superiority Burger 🎉

I am so excited to see both Superiority Burger and Chickpea & Olive in the semi-finals. They both were great contenders in my burger battle and their commitment to making things in-house, their high standards, are truly appreciated by this discerning vegan. Now if Orchard Grocer would offer their vegan fried chicken special at a convenient time! This showdown is almost done–and competition is fierce.