Eat & Drink
Originally published on Wednesday, 30th January 2013
CLOCKJACK OVEN
Finger lickin’ good
14 Denman Street, W1D 7HJ, 020 7287 5111, @ClockjackOven
In a Sentence
Finger lickin’ good
Location
Denman Street, on the edge of Soho by Piccadilly. There are no other hip chicken shacks in the vicinity, but there is a Nando’s around the corner.
Vibe
Casual and noisy, but comparatively calm after their launch weekend. It’s all about democratic eating here – there were big groups, small groups, loners, hoodies, suits and Soho types. Hands are encouraged, paper menus are used as an add-on to plates and food comes out as and when you want it. Names of dishes are an ironic nod to Colonel Sanders, but a world apart – the birds are sourced from Janzé in Brittany.
Flavours
Despite having only one main ingredient, the flavours aren’t monotonous. We started with Crispy Chicken Bites, golden nuggets of buttermilk drenched popcorn chicken which came with house sauces (ranch, tangy BBQ, chilli and Caesar). You can also get them in a bun. Then came the CLT Torpedo, shredded rotisserie chicken, lettuce and tomato in a buttermilk bun which was juicy, flavoursome and our fave. Then for the main show, pieces of rotisserie roasted chicken available in three, four or ten piece servings. The method of cooking – in an open-fire clockjack oven from the Tudor times – made for tender meat with crunchy, salty, moreish skin. Sides are predictable but spot on: slaw, double cooked chips and a deliciously Mediterranean tomato and red onion salad are all musts.
Decor
Design is simple (wood, hints of red, exposed brick). Benches, high tables and bar seating encourages in-and-out style eating, which we like.
Upshot
It’s hard not to draw comparisons with other fast food-style chicken restaurants of late; after all, this is nothing new. But Clockjack Oven bridges the gap between The Chicken Shop (only rotisserie) and Wishbone (only fried) well. A one-ingredient show, but a good one.
