As we have begun the New Year, there are some growing food trends that can be seen. One of these is the increased popularity of chicken. This doesn’t mean cooking more chicken at home, but visiting restaurants that are offering more than just the typical ‘must have’ chicken dish on the menu.
The horse meat scandal and the findings of pork in halal meat are not the main reasons for the growing offering of chicken in restaurants, but they may have an impact on the customer demand.
But where to go if you’re craving a chicken meal?
The Chicken Shop is located on Highgate Road in Kentish Town. The concept of the restaurant is simple – serving only chicken with sides. Firstly the customer can choose whether he/she wants to have a whole, half or a quarter of a chicken. Then there is a choice of having some hotness or smokiness added to the flavour, and finally the customer can choose the side and drink preferred, and of course a pudding to end the lovely meal. A simple concept made tasty and customer-friendly.
Another place to go when wanting to have a nice chicken dinner is Mark Hix’s Tramshed located in Shoreditch. The centrepiece of the restaurant, shown below, is a creation by Damien Hirst. Again, the menu is simple, but in this case there is a choice between chicken and steak. The concept is all about sharing. There are three starters, all meant for sharing, and a small choice of main courses which can be ordered individually or to share. Of course, you can finish your meal with a range of puddings – some of which were recently featured on BBC 2’s Food and Drink programme.
To complete the experience, why not visit the Cock ‘n’ Bull art Gallery located in the basement of Tramshed?
For a simple dinner/lunch, why not drop into Nando’s, which is again, all about chicken. Nando’s offers a wider range of choices, but the basic concept is similar to the Chicken Shop – choose the food and the spiciness, order a side and a drink, enjoy.