By Mitch McAullay
Just ten minutes from our studio in Leederville lies Drasko’s Hot Chicken, a restaurant boasting the hottest fried chicken in Perth. The crew from The Carpool decided to check it out.
It all started on a Sunday night when I was scrolling online, asking, "Where can I find the spiciest food in Perth?" After diving into tier lists, tourism sites, and Reddit forums, all signs pointed to Drasko’s in Mount Hawthorne. I knew what had to be done.
I pitched a new segment for our show called The Hotseat. The concept was simple: the Carpool team would eat progressively hotter hot sauce each week on air to prepare for the Blame Drasko burger, described as "warning, soul on fire." My mind was set on the challenge, and my cohost Connor reluctantly agreed, our journey began.
We started humbly with a spoonful of Frank’s Xtra Hot, a household staple for hot sauce enthusiasts. Not too difficult, but it was early days...
The next week, our new cohost George brought in Uncle Tuck’s Fermented Hot Sauce from Emily Taylor in Fremantle. We also upgraded our equipment, using corn chips instead of spoons. This sauce ramped up both the spice and flavour, and we found ourselves grabbing seconds and thirds.
The final week of our training arc featured Bullseye Carolina Reaper and Black Garlic sauce. And good god, was it hot. It had us gasping for air and scrambling for water bottles. But this is what the training was all about (plus, our suffering made for good entertainment).
It was then time to put our training to the test and head to Drasko’s to face off against this dangerous burger.
We walked into the restaurant and were immediately greeted by friendly staff and Drasko himself, who gave us necessary warnings. We were told to "cancel any plans you have tonight" and that he was going to "ruin our day." Very encouraging.
When ordering, Drasko told us about an off-menu spice level even above the Blame: the "bastard." Wanting the full experience, we said yes to a couple of bastard-level chicken bites alongside our Blame Drasko burgers. And we dug in.
Pain.
Our mouths were on fire. Our souls were on fire. The pain was excruciating, but the chicken was flavorful and crispy. Despite my body wanting to shut down, I couldn’t stop eating. And when I thought it couldn’t get any better (or worse), the bastard bite almost killed me. Most spicy food places have outrageously spicy food as a gimmick, often forgoing taste, but Drasko makes no compromises, bringing flavour as intense as the heat.
Afterwards, when our souls stopped burning, Drasko generously gave us an interview and a tour of the restaurant. His passion for making the best and spiciest chicken possible shone through. There was no way our training could have prepared us for Drasko’s, but I don’t regret it for a second because now I can confidently say I’ve eaten the hottest fried chicken in WA.
A huge thank you to the team at Drasko's for their generosity and great food, we will be back!
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