CHICK N SOURS, COVENT GDN

I'm the first to admit I'm not a natural photographer, but I can normally get an ok shot of dishes I want to tell you about. With some exceptions. Including these. Normally I wouldn't bother writing up a review when my photos are so terrible, but I can't not tell you about Chick n Sours new site in Covent Garden. So bear with me and my dark and dingy photos! I reckon you should go to the restaurant and see (and taste) the food for yourself!

I've been a fan of Carl Clarke's food for a good few years now, and have reviewed pop ups he's done before, and interviewed the man himself, so I'm not quite sure how I've never made it to his first Chick n Sours site in Stoke Newington (maybe it's the fact it's about 90 minutes away from where I live). Anyway, he's now opened a second site in Covent Garden, and I headed there with Lucy to right the wrongs of not having tried this ridiculously good food yet.

Cocktails are a very good place to start in the basement room that is Chick n Sours new site. The "Sours" part of the name refers not only to the vinegar laced marinades and pickles in the dishes, but also to the sour cocktails, which we tried most of. The winner for me was the Earlham Zombie, made with white, dark and overproof rums, absinthe, orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and citrus. I'd say you probably don't want more than one of these if you want to walk home in a straight line, but that's no fun, so you might as well get stuck in! And you'll eat so much food that it should absorb some of the booze anyway.

So, food. Lucy and I like to sample as much as humanly possible so ate waaaay more than we should! But it's all so good I can't really say there's any dishes worth missing. Just go hungry and wear your stretchy trousers. And start with the sticky disco wings, which are coated in a tangy, spicy sauce that clings to the wings and is lip lickingly good. 

Also from the starter menu we had szechuan aubergine, that a certain aubergine fiend I know would love, as did we. And hot and sour pineapple which was drenched in a fiery vinegary sauce and peanuts. Heaven on a plate basically, my mouth is watering thinking about it now.

The main event is chicken in various guises. There are mammoth burgers of spice and pickle and deep fried thigh, boneless white meat tenders with toppings like seaweed crack, and plates of drumsticks and thighs, which we went for, smothered in the guest fry of general tso glaze, chilli, spring onion, sesame and soy pickled greens. Juicy chicken in crunchy coating with the perfect spicy kick of toppings. It's up there with the best I've ever tried. 

We ordered all the sides, cos we're us, and that's what we do. Dripping fries were totally unnecessary but still got eaten. Pickled watermelon with peanut, coriander and mint cut through all the deep fried things. Hunan style cucumbers with chilli, garlic and sesame were so good I could eat them every day. And baby gem, pickled apple, bacon and chicken skin with St Agur dressing was insane. I'm honestly baffled with myself at never having been to Chick n Sours before. But there are many return trips already planned.

Dishes range from £3.50 for snacks and starters to £12 for a massive plate of chicken, so with (way too many) drinks I think our bill was around £60 each which is amazing value for the amount we consumed. If you like #nextlevel fried chicken and cocktails, go to Chick n Sours as soon as you possibly can. They even take bookings.