What with Chick 'n' Sours being one of our top fried chicken places in London, the idea of Carl Clarke and the crew opening a fast food version this summer had the backs of our knees sweating with excitement. And the place didn't disappoint, so we'll just wax lyrical about them real quick.
The Straight Up Chik'n sandwich is arguably pound-for-pound the best chicken sandwich in London. A plump, wickedly moist thigh is covered in a really solid, not greasy, craggy, well seasoned coating. There are lashings of a lovely buttermilk and herb mayonnaise, which is creamy and ever-so-slightly tangy. Thick pickles add a great fresh, moist piquant note and the potato bun is perfectly squidgy yet solid with a bit of sweetness, not that dissimilar from a Martin's roll or Chick-fil-A bun, a spot on accompaniment to the fried chicken. Oh, and it is £4.95. That is cheap. That is only sixteen pence more expensive than a fillet burger from KFC. It is an affordable, quality sandwich.
The wings are just as chunky and moist, with a less substantial but just as tasty and crunchy coating on them. The sticky hot sauce that smothers tastes the same as the one they use on the disco wings at Sours and packs a nice heat with a moreish sweet and sour tangy note at the end. They are also great.
Sadly we think they've stopped serving the breakfast muffins they started with in Summer, so in memoriam we'll say:
Alas, poor Chik'n breakfast muffin! You were pretty good, especially the brilliantly seasoned chicken sausage patty that reminded us of breakfasts in the States.
With the second branch opening in Islington soon, which is much more easily accessible for us, we'll be going a lot more. And it means Holloway Road onto Upper Street is looking like a potentially very solid wing crawl.