Last Saturday’s lunch destination was a bit of a surprise discovery, which I spotted in an article I had been reading about the regeneration of Tottenham. Chicken Town, the article said, is not just your average chicken shop, but a not-for-profit, community-spirited venture, producing healthier fried chicken for customers, and a nurturing environment for staff. I was intrigued – although if I’m honest, they had me at “chicken shop.”
Chicken Town is based in an old fire station, just set back from the high street, halfway between Seven Sisters and Bruce Grove train stations. The front of the restaurant has a couple of high tables with bar stools, and the main dining room is at the back, past the open kitchen, which runs along one side of the room. The decoration is bright and family friendly – white walls, exposed pipes painted red, yellow chairs and a dark green banquette along one wall, with potted plants and white fairy lights on the windowsill behind.
Mr M went for the special – the Seven Swissters burger, which came with emmental, sage butter, mushrooms and onions in a brioche bun and he ordered some thick-cut skin-on fries and coleslaw for an extra £1 per side.
I have a standard chicken shop order (two pieces – one breast, one leg), which I opted for – the only thing to decide was whether to go for the Classic southern style coating or the Fancy Pants (rosemary salt and lemon crumb). Luckily, I could choose one of each, so I ordered a Fancy leg and a Classic breast, with sweet potato wedges and onion rings.
To drink, Chicken Town offer beers from nearby Beavertown Brewery, cider, wine, prosecco and soft drinks. I went for the Beavertown Gamma Ray and Mr M ordered a cider (I later tried a Beavertown Lupuloid and both beers were very good).
The food arrived, accompanied by tomato ketchup and sriracha hot sauce and it all looked amazing. The sweet potato wedges came in a generous portion and were soft and fluffy inside. The onion rings were also very good, nice and crispy and the onion didn’t slither out at the first bite as can sometimes be the case. Even the coleslaw was quite nice (although I’m not a fan of coleslaw).
Mr M’s verdict on the Seven Swissters was that it was one of the best chicken burgers he had ever eaten, and I really enjoyed my two-piece. The coating on both pieces of chicken was thick and crispy, and the meat underneath was lovely and moist. While I enjoyed the southern style coating, the real star of the show was the Fancy Pants coating, the rosemary and lemon working really nicely together.
For dessert Mr M chose the homemade brownie (served warm) with salted caramel ice cream and I had two scoops of peanut butter ice cream, both of which were delicious.
All in all, it was a very good lunch at a reasonable price – £60 (for food and drinks) including 12.5% service charge. The service charge is used to bring all staff wages up to the living wage, and anything else goes towards subsidising affordable meals for the after-school crowd.
Service was very good and our waitress was helpful, friendly and attentive. She gave advice – and accurate descriptions – on my beer choices and told us all about Beavertown, which we have now made a mental note to visit in the near future.
But what I think I loved most about Chicken Town is the social responsibility ethos that seems to drive this venture. Their cooking technique involves steaming the chicken first so that less frying time is required, and the result is really tasty chicken that is healthier than standard chicken shop fare. Chicken Town also partner with other restaurants to provide their staff with opportunities to progress their career in the catering industry and they also provide training and mentoring.
As we were getting ready to leave at around 5.30pm Chicken Town was starting to fill up. It’s great to see a local restaurant producing good quality, affordable food, and re-investing in the area and its people, so long may their success continue. Mr M and I certainly plan to support Chicken Town with another visit very soon.
Albatine x
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