The ever growing popularity of Orange County Food Halls has ensured that I have content for this blog and my social media for years. One of the latest food courts that has opened up is the Mess Hall near The District in Tustin. It’s a beautiful building with ample parking. There are a couple of spots I want to try here, but my maiden voyage to the Mess Hall started at Fowl Play.
Fowl Play’s menu extends passed chicken sandwiches, with things like grilled chicken, salads, and smothered fries. A little variety never hurt anyone right?
The Fowl Play “Team Player”
Bread
The buns at fowl play are one of most dense I have had at a chicken restaurant. It’s thick and billowy texture really stands up to the spices of the chicken, so much so that you could order the chicken a little spicier and still be safe. The sandwich is still spicy though, so proceed with caution.
Filling
Of all the chicken sandwiches that I have had in Orange County, Fowl Play’s batter is the softest. It almost feels like a beer batter you would have on fish & chips. The middle of the sandwich lost it crispiness pretty quickly under the slaw and sauce. The spices are more dry (as opposed to the buttery glaze that most hot chicken places have) and a bit saltier. I found that the sandwich got spicier the more that I ate. The slaw is good, slightly sweet and the pickles work well with it.
Sauce
The house aioli at Fowl Play is very mild, almost like a mayo-ketchup style dipping sauce. I like it, but I think it would work better as a dipping sauce for chicken strips as opposed to a sandwich.
Price
The Sandwich with fries is $9 and about $13 with a drink. Price wise it’s pretty competitive with other places in Orange County. I personally wouldn’t go for the sandwich again, but I do want to try the other menu options. If you’re not feeling hot chicken, check out Mess Hall for some of it’s other spots, The Sandwich Society is great for it’s variety of sandwiches as well.
-Vy
Fowl Play [Mess Hall]
1705 Flight Way, Tustin, California
