Toronto has no shortage of chicken restaurants, yet finding a consistently well-seasoned, juicy…read morebird remains surprisingly difficult. When Mozy's opened to considerable hype, much of it surrounding chef-owner Barbode Soudi's background at Alo, I was curious to see what a fine-dining approach could bring to something as seemingly simple as grilled chicken.
What intrigued me most was Soudi's philosophy. In an interview, he described abandoning elaborate spice blends and glazes in favour of a simpler preparation: brining, drying, and cooking the chicken over charcoal, allowing the sauces to provide much of the additional flavour. It's an interesting approach, though one I found myself disagreeing with after trying the food.
To me, the beauty of charcoal cooking is how it builds upon an already flavourful piece of meat. Proper seasoning, rendered fat, roasted aromas, and smokiness should complement one another. At Mozy's, however, the chicken tasted almost entirely of char, with little perceptible salt or savoury depth beneath it. Rather than introducing another dimension of flavour, the charcoal became the dominant impression, occasionally veering closer to burnt than beautifully grilled.
What's frustrating is that the chicken itself was cooked remarkably well. Even the breast was wonderfully juicy and tender, and the consistency throughout the bird was impressive. It's clear that the kitchen understands how to cook chicken; I just wish it tasted as good as its texture suggested.
The sauces were easily the highlights. The charred pepper was deeply savoury, smoky, and pleasantly spicy, reminiscent of harissa, while the coriander-lime offered a vibrant, herbaceous contrast, albeit slightly too acidic for my liking. Both were excellent, but pairing them with the chicken revealed my biggest issue. Rather than eating chicken with sauce, I felt as though I was eating sauce with some chicken attached. The meat contributed texture and juiciness, but the sauces did nearly all the flavour work.
The chicken-salt fries were enjoyable, with fluffy interiors and an appealing broad, flat shape, though slightly oversalted. At $56.50 for a whole chicken, two sauces, and fries, the value was reasonable.
I understand the appeal of simplicity, and there's nothing inherently wrong with designing chicken to be eaten alongside sauces. But I believe each component should contribute something meaningful to the whole. A good sauce should elevate an already delicious bird, not become a prerequisite for enjoying it.
Mozy's clearly has the technical ability to cook excellent chicken, and its sauces demonstrate a wonderful command of flavour. Yet for a restaurant specializing in chicken, I found it curious that the chicken itself was the least memorable part of the meal.