After cca 20 years of dining in London, I have not had a better Sunday roast than in this place. Healthy cooking style combined with utter deliciousness. Balanced flavours complimented with perfect textures -an experience I won’t forget. Excellent value for money.
The food is amazing and the staff are so friendly. I would recommend the chicken wings with honey and sesame seeds any day.
Chicken Chicken, the new craze is chicken. Once again, The Life of Shayan team took their time coming to this party. Yet, thankfully, Clutch Chicken in Hoxton has kept the party going and welcomed me with open arms. This along with Chick 'n' Sours and Chicken Shop were the originators of the London Chicken Scene and now we have Mother Clucker, Ma'Plucker and many, many more. Why not, the Chicken mark up is so good and so many wonderful things can be done to this meat. especially when fried.
Yep I know, the London fried chicken boom is so 2014-and-late, but new openings still seem to be cropping up all over town. Not many of them seem to open in the mornings however (and I mean brunchtime in the morning, not the wee early hours) so I thought I’d share the tale of a recent tasty brunch at Clutch Chicken.
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The past few years have been very good for fried chicken lovers as it seems a new place opens up every few months to satisfy the endless appetite London has for it. Reaching the point of saturation, I thought I'd take the opportunity to revisit one of the early trendsetters to see how they've kept up. With that in mind, I found myself accepting an invitation to Clutch Chicken on this night.
Opening in 2014 to great fan fare, Clutch represents a beacon of fried chicken heaven as it sits unassumingly in the middle of suburban Haggerston.
We started with a selection of 'Love Me Tenders' - boneless breast fillets which are marinated and fried before being lathered in a variety of sauces of which the sweet soy garlic was my favourite.
This was closely followed but a batch of "Put a Wing On It" chicken wings and a bucket of "Happy Hens" (fried legs and thighs) which both went down well with the honey sesame wings and peppery buttermilk legs and thighs proving to be highlights.
Having finished the meal and sitting back with my double chocolate brownie dessert (which was awesome), I reflected on a meal which can at best be described as OK. There was nothing especially wrong with the meal but at the same time, there was nothing that was overly inspiring. This however probably speaks more for how far the fried chicken game has come in London rather than a reflection of Clutch themselves. With a cocktail list which is longer than the food menu, a good night can still be had here; gather a big group of friends and party the night away. But if you're coming solely for a fried chicken fix, you leave satisfied but tamper your expectations.
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A chicken restaurant where there’s more bird-related puns on the menu than you can shake your tail feathers at. Family-run Clutch, opened it’s doors to the (empty) street of Ravenscroft Road back in November last year. Close to East London’s Hoxton, but hidden away from the passer-by, I suspect most Clutch diners have heard about it before walking through the doors of their coop.
Gingle Lists Everything
+4.5
The staff were just lovely - we were even shown the huge back room which houses the bar and which they will soon make the main entrance so people can just hang out there before getting a table.
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Is it often one reads a review on fried chicken? Well ‘Clutch’ is no KFC, RFC, Nandos or any other regurgitated chicken binge found scuttling the streets of the city. While sitting on my bed in South East London indulging on three Weetabix, my food mind takes me back two Sundays ago to a new born chicken joint attached to a hipster entangled council estate, a stones throw from the floral scented Colombia Road. The prominent yellow washed and Gaucho resembling zebra print building appears alien in this environment, though feels like a safe-haven.
It’s Irish owners are genuine, welcoming and offer more banter than you generally find in London. A skinny camp man treats you like a best buddy, and his co-owner, a beaming beautiful brunette create the personality that represents a fat proportion of their success. The extravagant “clutchtail” menu scribbled down on a chalkboard was brought over to our table, featuring Rap star named drinks full of diverse ingredients. Their tastes weren’t overwhelming, slightly floral and too much ginger, a little try hard. Either way, at the price of two for £9, it’s a bargain for cocktails. Quick fact: Since beginning this write up, I have booked a table with three friends to eat there again this evening. Coincidental.
Most importantly: breasts, thighs and wings. A clear menu slapped in front of you and explained through and through. Brunch, Sunday lunches and a boisterous selection of fried chicken cuts are available. The rare breed free-range chicken is fried in Ground Nut Oil and organically sourced from a farm in Wiltshire.
We opted for the full works: a loaded bucket of thighs, wings and breasts and a mound of succulent goujons. I indulge crispy food like there’s no tomorrow, though the exceptionally crunchy batter could potentially ruin bridge work. A choice of different batter styles are included; sweet chili, lemon and Parmesan, and curry leaf and sesame seed – adding a unique creation of exciting flavors to your usual fried chicken. The exceedingly thin pencil fries were underwhelming; the lightly ‘mayonaised’ slaw was worth a go. There’s no Heinz or Hellman’s available, instead house made salsas, feta sauces and sour cream dips which compliment the tantalizing chicken undoubtedly more. For me, I couldn’t stop eating until there were only bones on the table. It was moist, crunchy and extremely moreish. I’d be more than happy to return here, any day of the week for an afternoon or late night dinner. I look forward to paying another visit and would be proud in returning with friends, family or a lucky lady.
Taste: 7.5
Atmosphere: 6.5
Drinks: 6.5
Staff: 8.5
Value for Money: 8.5
Hannah Caramelized Banana
+3.5
From the outside, Clutch instantly reminds me of the burger and fried chicken joints you see lining the stretches of suburban United States. It's bright yellow brick exterior pops right out against its otherwise typical English surroundings and made me think of giant egg yolk-- pretty befitting for a chicken-themed restaurant!
Inside, the decor is very trendy-- beautiful spherical lights wash the whole room in gold. Golden spheres of burning oil light the tables, enhancing that warm and cosy ambiance.
We started with a few cocktails. I opted for the Rooster Rumble, one of the beautiful 'specialty cocktails' that comes served in a stunning coupe champagne glass. The flavour was quite bitter, with a mild hint of sweetness mingled in there somewhere. It was quite lovely with the chicken, actually.
There were four of us, and we opted for a few of the sharing plates, a couple "Clutches" of the buttermilk chicken, a few orders of the spicy chicken wings, the beet salad, and some of their double fried chips (done American style, nice thin... I'm not a huge fan of the chunky English chips, myself).
As others have noted, the buttermilk chicken was a tad dry, particularly the breast piece. Apparently they cook it several times, so that might account for the problem. The gravy we ordered on the side, however, moistened the meal beautifully. It was a lovely, flavourful gravy. Just as nice as their homemade ketchup! The spicy chicken wings were indeed VERY spicy! But boy were they nice, served with a hot sauce that mounted in heat with every bite! It was served with loads of chopped chillies on top, too! The beet salad was compelling-- an assortment of beets, cheese, and herbs. It made a lovely side to the chicken.
Definitely a fun place to visit with a group open to sharing! I would like to try more of their cocktails next time, too! I do have to say though, I wasn't expecting a bill of £100 for fried chicken! Maybe it was the cocktails that did us in. . .
If you are here in the neighbourhood, then you should definitely give this place a shot. With a service staff which is extremely friendly, this place also has a good ambience. Guided to a huge room, we learned that this was where the bar was. The place is a real crowd puller and therefore, mostly seems very lively and full of life!
If you want to have good fried chicken, then don't look beyond this place. The quality of chicken offered here is very good and menu is also quite an extensive if you are chicken lover. The setting is quite lovely and the food that I tried was absolutely delicious. The service was top notch and I strongly recommend you to try this place some time.
By far, one of the crazily over priced and over rated place in London. Shelling out nearly 30 pounds for fried chicken is crazy. The food is definitely over priced. The taste is fine. The service is abominable. I am surely visiting this place if someone else is paying for me. Noway on earth I'm visiting this place on my expense.
I kinda don't want to review this place, so it can stay a secret. Chicken was fried perfectly and the soy and garlic glaze was perfection. All the sides were nice. I wish the jerk chicken croquettes were meatier, but that's literally my only complaint. The wings are great and the dipping sauces were all spot on. The cocktails were sweet and well themed for the season and the dessert... The Apple pie and custard. I want more!
The venue's bar/event area is intimate and exciting. The live music event going in there on the day of my meal was really fun and enjoyable.
Definitely going back asap!
The French toast and fried boneless chicken was without a doubt the best I've ever had! Just right amount of sweetness and crunch to the fried chicken. Turkey bacon is an awesome touch too!
The chicken burger with an egg on top was very tasty too, nice sauce and coleslaw. Not too wet.
The chicken wings were the only let down. I didn't find it spicy and it tasted too "Tomatoey"... Also, I prefer my wings bread to add to give more of a crunch. But ignoring the wings, the rest was very very good.
Perfectly fried chicken wings glazed in sumptuous flavours. 🍗🍗🍗The honey butter wings are a must try - highly recommend this🍗🍗🍗. We also ordered the garlic soy chicken legs. Ordered a tower of fries which were delicious. Corn salad was good too 🌽. For dessert we had the banoffee pie🥧.
The chicken tenders with soy glaze was so good! The mouth salivates from the first crunch till the last bite. Everything was served on beautiful tableware of brown glass and the interior decorated impeccably. They recently changed the menu and the soy glaze was switched out for a milder flavour - too floral and nuance for my liking. I hope they bring back the old style. I enjoyed my meal and my dining experience. A word of caution, the staff does tend to get overwhelmed during rush hours.
Really good fried chicken and vegetarian hash browns. Crispy wings are also great with some really good flavours (soy garlic, and butter honey)
Excellent chicken in a soy and chilli glaze. Delicious chips and the waiter recommended the garlic sauce which was a tasty accompaniment. Very friendly and attentive service. Very good value early evening deal with chicken, chips and beer included for less than £10 (inc service).
Once you’ve eaten here, you’ll never want KFC again - best fried chicken spot in London, hands down. Delicious mains and sides (pick a selection - tenders, wings, bucket of different flavours to make the most of it). Sauces are awesome (feta and truffle are my favourites), as are the cocktails (highly recommend the Slim Shady and Missy Elliott). The music will delight hip hop fans. Service is good and they have a £25 brunch!
Amazing service from Anthony and his team. The food was delicious, particularly the 'Poached Eggs & Avo'. We had the bottomless drinks on Saturday brunch and they were amazing. Will be returning!
Best chicken joint, EVER! This place has everything. Amazing staff. Amazing music. Amazing chicken. Amazing vibe. Go and experience it yourself. You might meet me there, since I'll be going to the place many more times!
We came across this on Google Maps no less! It’s tucked away just off Hackney Road/Colombia Road Market but has a very distinctive outside so won’t be missed! As for the food, it was delicious! I’ve never had fried chicken like it before and I will definitely be back. I had the half portion of wings with a chilli sauce whilst me sister had the half portion of chicken and we both had chips. My only criticisms would be my drink-it was billed as fresh, homemade
lemonade but tasted (to me anyway) like water flavoured with a bit of lemon. Also, it is a little bit on the pricey side-the full portion of chicken (8pcs) would’ve set us back £24 without extras! However, if you were sharing this with another person that would be fine.
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