Dirty Burger and Chicken Shop, Kentish Town

So my other half and I headed up to Kentish Town in North London for these much-hyped new restaurants in Kentish Town. Well, in fact, there are two restaurants and one burger shack. Pizza East and Chicken Shop are in the same building, and Dirty Burger is housed in a little shack around the back. Apparently Giles Coren loves them all. And if they're good enough for Giles Coren, I think they're worth a visit.

We got there at just before noon on a Sunday, and went straight to the burger shack. 

It's a small but friendly establishment. You have one big communual table in the middle and some bar seats on the side. My other half ordered a cheeseburger. I didn't order anything, because I don't eat beef (I know, I know, you're saying I'm missing out). Apart from burgers, this morning they also offered breakfast items such as bacon and egg bun. But I didn't get anything anyway. I was saving myself for Chicken Shop.

So the burger's verdict came from Adam. And he loved it. 

The bun was nice and soft. The meat juicy and cooked to medium (I heard it was supposed to be medium rare, but this would be the more medium side of medium rare). Apparently, the pattie was less compact than burgers from, say, Joe Allen or Red Dog Saloon. This added to the feeling of freshly made pattie, grilled right in front of you, all the meaty juice soaking into the bun.

He polished that off in less than 5 mins. So I guess it was very good!

Then we moved to Chicken Shop, on the basement of Pizza East, through a non-descript door. This is how 'cool' London restaurants have become - there are no longer obvious signs, you have to know what to look and where to look, you might even have to say a password (like some bars in Shoreditch).

We were seated at the counter table - basically a shared space between the diners and the chefs at work. The counter also served as a barrier between us and these plump, juicy chicken being roasted right in front of us.

We were salivating! The aroma and the sight of these chicken were so enticing. The place had a very relaxing feeling but also a sense of meticulous operation about it. It's a cross between Thailand's roadside chicken shack and a French rottiserie.

And finally our chicken was ready, and was tackled by the chef.

Because Adam already had his 'starter' at Dirty Burger, we decided to go for half a chicken, crinkly fries and coleslaw. The chicken was chopped into smaller pieces as soon as it was taken out of the rottiserie, then he added some seasoned salt and a squeeze of lemon. Yum!

The skin was crispy and tasty. The meat was juicy and flavoursome. You know how quite often supermarket-bought chicken just tastes like nothing? This was not like that at all. This tasted properly like chicken. Very good, juicy chicken at that.

The portion of the fries was very generous. We almost couldn't finish it if it weren't because of how good they were. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and not overly salty. The coleslaw was more forgettable, and can do with some more seasoning. But at that point we didn't really care. We were loving the chicken. 

They had 2 house sauces - hot sauce and smokey sauce. The hot sauce sure packed a punch. So I stuck with the smokey sauce, with just a touch of the hot sauce to add a bit of heat to the meal.

By the time the chicken was gone, we were so full and happy. So really full and so really happy. But when the friendly waiter came around and said they had an excellent selection of desserts - lime cheese cake, brownies, and apple pie, we couldn't resist. We ordered a piece of apple pie to share, and this is how it turned up. All one-and-a-half foot diametre of it.

He said, 'So, how much pie do you want?'
'Er...I don't know. A normal piece?'
Then he went on and got us a giant piece of crumbly apple pie. The apple was still slightly tart, which I liked. It wasn't overcooked into a mush either. It was guuud. I also like their mentality of not taking things too seriously and allowing for a bit less, or a bit more, pie.

After 2 drinks, half a chicken, two sides, and a piece of pie, the bill came to only £26 inclusive of service charge. That's almost as cheap as the breakfast I had the other day at this place on Camden High Street, which I might not write about because it's not quite worth mentioning. Chicken Shop is amazingly good value. I loved the vibe, I loved the food. I will return.