Tuesday 31 May 2016

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Chick 'n Sours

Chick 'n Sour and June Bug

Szechuan aubergine

Hot wings


Pickled watermelon

House fry

Bun - Korean fried thigh, gochujang mayo, chilli vinegar, crunchy slaw

Chick 'n Sours has been on my must visit list ever since it opened last year. But I'm not in Haggerston that often so I only managed to visit last month when Steve and I were looking for a place to celebrate his end of exams.

I loved the beef burgers at Carl Clarke’s Disco Bistro so I had a fairly good idea that this fried chicken joint was going to serve just as tasty grub. For starters, the chicken is free-range, herb fed, and from local farms which gets a big thumbs up from me for being ethically sourced. I try to avoid battery chickens as much as possible but sometimes this is a little difficult when you go out to dinner, especially if the restaurant isn't super fancy.

I only took a picture of our first 2 cocktails but we ended up ordering 4 because they tasted so damn good. The Chick 'n Club and June Bug were the best of the bunch, they tasted sweet and sour as if you were actually drinking sweets. I love a gin sour normally so the Chick 'n Club really did put a smile on my face. But it was the midori sour that really stole the show with it's liquid sherbet taste.

In recent years I've had a bit of a hate relationship with fried chicken. I always think I love it but end up feeling underwhelmed every time I eat it. I don't think this is the fault of the restaurants I've been frequenting but actually because I'm just not that fussed. Chick 'n Sours completely changed my mind. The food is incredible and what I would 100% call next level fried chicken.

We started with the hot wings. They are spicy without being blow-your-face-off hot. They're sticky with a little sweetness and absolutely messy. The chicken melts away from the bones whilst the skin retains a wonderful crunch. The Szechuan aubergine is cooked in a light, crispy batter and drenched in a spicy, sour sauce. It's a great East meets West blend of flavours. The kitchen kindly sent us a portion of pickled watermelon which was a lovely, cooling accompaniment to the hot food.

Next up with the fried chicken burger i.e. the best chicken burger I have ever had. First of all, the burger is absolutely enormous. Thigh meat it's used so it's super succulent and flavoursome. The gochujang mayo and chilli vinegar give it a wonderful hot, Asian taste and the slaw adds a nice crunchy contrast against the squidgy bun. I adore Korean fried chicken and this burger is one of the best dishes I've had in this style.

We ended up being too full to even touch the house fry (drumstick and thigh) and the majority of the chips so we packed them up to have for dinner the following night. 24 hours later the chicken still tasted amazing. The batter retained it's crunch and didn't feel overly greasy. I was pretty annoyed that we didn't have more chicken for our dinner to be perfectly honest.

Chick 'n Sours make a bunch of dips as well. The St. Agur and Buttermilk blue cheese dip is quite strong in flavour but works wonderfully well against the hot wings. I loved the punchy citrus taste from the yuzu kosho mayo but the stand out dip was the rich bone marrow BBQ sauce that tasted so well with the house fry.


Despite not finishing are chicken we still ordered dessert. A perfect little pot of chocolate mousse and white chocolate crumble.

Without a doubt Chick 'n Sours should be on your must visit list of London restaurants. The place is beyond cool with great, chatty staff and a laid back vibe. The food is incredible, excellent value and the cocktails are some of the tastiest I've ever tried. Chicken and sour flavours really is what this place is all about so if you enjoy a bit of American Asian fusion food then this is a place you simply must visit.

I can not wait to return this weekend for their collaborative menu with Hoppers.

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4 comments:

  1. Those cocktails look so good! x

    ReplyDelete
  2. A cosy restaurant with a good atmosphere and very welcoming staff. The fried chicken was great, very meaty and not greasy at all. The flavours were mixed up by using with a black bean glaze and serving with alternative sides. Overall great for somewhere different to your usual American food.

    Mariz
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    ReplyDelete
  3. Good restaurant is the thing that you can choose and be pleased with the food and atmosphere that there are. Come here custome writing be pleased.

    ReplyDelete

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