Now a love of fried chicken has always been my dirty little secret. While previously my chicken shop of choice was the greasy late night takeaway joint near Old Street roundabout, after discovering Chick ‘n’ Sours I’ve been converted to a more classy version of the fried bird. I’m lucky enough to call Chick ‘n’ Sours my local, and since it opened in Haggerston less than 2 years ago I’ve visited it more times than I’d care to admit – both for sit-in and takeaway.  I’m also a big fan of free range chicken and so Chick ‘n’ Sours ticks the box with its chickens coming from family farms in Yorkshire and Somerset. 

You can tell that the co-owner Carl Clarke is an ex-DJ by the funky music mix that gives an air of excitement to the place when you walk through the front door – it’s hard not to instantly be put in a good mood with the buzzing music, especially once you have one of the signature sour cocktails in your hot little hands. Those long term resident Londoners out there may remember Carl’s past incarnations in the form of pop ups such as Disco Bistro and Rock Lobsta (which at one time had a residence in Mahiki) he then came together with business partner David Wolanski to create Chick ‘n’ Sours.　

Our usual order consists of a Bun and the Guest Fry (details below), however, being Sunday lunchtime on this occasion we opted for the Whole Fry Sunday which is a whole fried chicken coming naked or dressed – we of course went for the “dressed” bird, which comes covered in chilli vinegar & gochujang mayo. The Whole Fry Sunday comes with a choice of 2 sides – you can choose between dripping fries, smacked cucumbers, pickled watermelon or green slaw. Everything comes on mismatched crockery giving the restaurant an eclectic yet homely vibe which I love.

Now mains are probably enough to feed even the hungriest customer, but we couldn’t go past the szechaun aubergine which comes as a starter. Think deep fried aubergine coated in sesame seeds and a tangy sauce – so delicious you’ll be licking the bowl.  

A trip to Chick ‘n’ Sours wouldn’t be complete without sampling the selection of cocktails which are split into House Sours and Guest Sours (you guessed it they all have sours in them!).  I’m a bit of a gin fan so I couldn’t go past the Chick’n’Club – which consists of gin, sugar, lemon, raspberry and chilli vinegar, vermouth and sour but there are a range of other drinks to sample and with the disco beats in the background a trip to Chick ‘n’ Sours sets you up for a night out! At £6 each for the sours it would be rude not to sample a few….

Go here for: a healthier fried chicken experience (Chick ‘n’ Sours uses rapeseed oil which is low in trans-fat = almost guilt free fried chicken experience);  Whole Fry Sunday for an alternative to traditional Sunday pub lunch; lively dinner before a night out (in this scenario the sours are a must); also for those locals Chick ‘n’ Sours is available takeaway so will just be a short jaunt from the couch and back!

Menu highlights: Whole Fry Sunday; szechaun aubergine; Bun; any of the fried chicken (Guest Fry (which is a drumstick and a thigh served with Malay curry laksa, cashews, crispy shallots, Thai basil and coriander) hits the spot for me); pickled watermelon with peanut and coriander; the Chick’n’Club house sour

Top tips: for a Sunday feast, order the Whole Fry Sunday which will easily feed 2, for any other day (or if there are more than 2 of you) the Bun is a must – I’m not going to lie it’s pretty hard to get your mouth around the brioche bun, mountain of fried chicken and crunchy slaw, dripping with gochujang mayo and chilli vinegar but it’s definitely worth the challenge; if you’re still dreaming of the Old Street chicken shop then order the House Fry or the Guest Fry – this is fried chicken at its best; Chick ‘n’ Sours has now opened on Earlham Street in Seven Dials for those South/West Londoners out there- I understand it has a slightly extended menu, but don’t worry all the classics that make the Haggerston outfit so good still seem to feature (I might need to make a mission west to get my hands on the hot & sour pineapple though); both branches are predominantly for walk-ins, but there are limited bookings available if you’re lucky enough to nab one (if you turn up and there’s a wait, if you’re in Haggerston you can head over to The Fox or The Haggerston for a drink until your table is ready- or if you’re in Seven Dials the world is your oyster when it comes to options for a pre-dinner drink!)

Price: Whole Fry Sunday including an additional side, the szechaun aubergine and 2 House Sours for under £60 all in

#november2016