Review of 'Chick 'N' Sours'
On Thursday (August 24th) it was National Burger Day and despite knowing we were going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child we thought it would be good to try “Chick 'N' Sours”, only a short distance away from the theatre. So, I dutifully requested a 20% off voucher then we walked up to the door a short time before the play…only to be told it would be an hour and a half wait for a seat! Well, having waited a year for our tickets to the play we were not about to be late for that…
We returned on the Saturday determined to finally sample the fried chicken that I have read about in a number of reviews. I am very grateful we did! Absolutely delicious.
The Seven Dials branch could be easily missed beside the Foop just off of Shaftesbury with only a small frontage. The kitchen occupies much of the ground floor with someone at the door showing diners to their seats in the basement. The basement is also quite tiny with only a dozen or so tables and a small bar serving up the “sours” suggested in the name. We were offered seats either at the bar or at a “high” table off to the side with bar-style seats (though thankfully with backs). We opted for the table so at least we could see each other while were eating!
The interior was quite funky with an industrial feel yet interesting as well with pieces devoted to rock groups such as the Clash and the B-52s. Large glass globe chandeliers lit the interior so it felt a bit un-cave like. It was a bit noisy with all of hard surfaces and I can't think you would want to spend a lot of time here as it is not the most comfortable for seating as well.
The menu is on a single sheet of A4 with food on one side and drinks (cocktails) on the other. The food section is divided into “To Start”, “Sandwiches”, “Fried Chicken Drumstick and Thigh”, “Tenders Boneless White Meat”, “Sides”, “Dips” (oddly having it's own section but certainly worthy!) and “To Finish” (with only a single option - “Mango Pudding Pot”).
We opted to begin with a starter of “Clusters Straight Up + Choice of Dip” (£4.50) which was to die for. Seriously. The highlight of the evening. We went for the Siracha Sour Cream in which to dip these little pieces of heaven - A small container of about 6-7 nugget-sized pieces of juicy fried chicken covered with a spice mixture including copious amounts of black pepper. This with the gorgeous dip were incredible.
Keeping with the now past Burger Day theme we both opted for options from the “Sandwiches” section of the menu. My companion had “The General” - “Fried Thigh, Buttermilk & Herb Mayo, Cheese, Lettuce & Pickles” (£10) with a side of the “Summer Salad” - “Baby Gem, Peas, Shoots, Curds, Lemon Oil, Seeds” (£5) and I had the “K-POP” - “Korean Fried Thigh, Gochujang Mayo, Chilli Vinegar, Asian ‘Slaw” (£12) with a side of the irrestible sounding “Maggies' Slaw” - “Red & White Cabbage, Green Chilli, Thai Ranch, Crispy Shallots” (£4).
The sandwiches were absolutely enormous and thankfully came with a knife to cut into smaller, more manageable, and perhaps, tidier pieces to eat. The chicken was cooked perfectly - Juicy, tender and tasty with a really crunchy coating though, as might be expected, it did get a bit soggy the longer it sat. The herb mayonnaise of “The General” accompanied the chicken very well as did the tomato and lettuce, a more traditional fried chicken sandwich while my “K-Pop” toppings dripped everywhere but tasted great with a good amount of crunch from the slaw. The “Maggies' Slaw” was incredibly tasty and spicy as well without gobs of mayo like you often see in slaw. My companion's “Summer Salad” was quite unusual with the raw, fresh, summer vegetables and the light cheese curds - But she very much appreciated it.
The service was fairly friendly if not overly so and we were served by several different people quite effectively. Great fried chicken served up with a minimum of fuss and at reasonable prices - £45.56 for the two of us including free tap water brought without our prompting, two soft drinks and a 12.5% service charge added to the bill.
Not somewhere to linger but get your chicken fix then head out…
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2017-08-26
Cuisine: American/British
Address: 1a Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LL ENGLAND
Public Transport: 
Leicester Square Covent Garden Tottenham Court Road
Location: London (England) - Covent Garden
Map:
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Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3198 4814
URL: http://www.chicknsours.co.uk/