Billy and the Chicks

Just what we need: another fried chicken joint. But stay with us – this one’s from a chef who’s had previous stints at both St John and Salt Yard. His name is Billy Stock and, well, these are his chicks.

It claims to sell ‘London’ fried chicken’, a bit of a misnomer, since everything was as Yankee Doodle as a deep-fried trucker’s cap covered in French’s. Still, it was mostly pretty good. A two-piece chicken meal (£9) involved big hunks of bird that delivered both in taste and texture, with crisp flaky skin, the herbs and spices mild but nicely balanced. The fries and gravy were excellent, too.

Hot wings were actually on the meek side, but we enjoyed our tangy pickles and some remarkably good pork ‘riblettes’, with their sweet, sticky, peppery marinade.

But service was wobbly. We had to ask twice for our food (though they did comp us the ribs) and gremlins got into the card machine when we tried to pay. We’ll chalk these up to early days teething problems. Plus, the takeaway – a piece of chicken, fries and a drink for a fiver – is a clucking steal.