Review: Clockjack Oven
Undoubtedly, whenever you think of chicken restaurants the first thing that comes to mind is...Nando's.
Don't deny it. Even I'm guilty of being wooed by the varying degrees of spicy chicken they offer.
Clockjack Oven, tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus, is a delighful alternative. If you're in the mood for chicken, you've come to the right place.
The menu is pretty sparse with chicken in some form or other being the only thing on offer, in additon to the salads and whatever is on special - the ribs were the special when we went, but it's a chicken restaurant so why not try the speciality?
To start we ordered the wood-fired, oven-baked bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and the buttermilk chicken bites which came with barbeque or ranch sauce (or both as we were feeling greedy!).
The bread was a bit disappointing as it was stone cold but a nice selection nonetheless. Happily the chicken bites were great. The juicy chicken pieces had a great coating and the sauces were a great addition. Very moreish- luckily we ordered two dishes.
For the main we went for, umm, chicken, with doubled cooked fries, new potatoes and grilled vegetables. The free range Breton bird was, yep, I'm going to be bold and put it out there, probably the best chicken I've eaten. Moist, with an ever so slightly crispy outing, and full of flavour, I quickly regretted trying to not look like a pig and only going for a quarter chicken. Big mistake.
To finish I went for the usual of anything chocolate on the menu, in this case chocolate ganache tart, and my guest went for the ice cream. Both were great but as far as chocolate tarts and ice cream goes, it takes a very astounding tart to distinguish it from others on offer. But who cares? At Clockjack it's all about the chicken, which is far from forgettable.
The only thing I found fault with was the seating arrangement. I love long sharing tables but I don't really see the point in individual tables if they are so close together you may as well sit with the diners next to you. A small point but every time someone squeezed past us and the diners next door I had to endure the fear of a drink or something being knocked to the floor. But as I said, this is a very small niggle!
Overall, Clockjack Oven certainly comes very high in the pecking order.
Don't deny it. Even I'm guilty of being wooed by the varying degrees of spicy chicken they offer.
Clockjack Oven, tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus, is a delighful alternative. If you're in the mood for chicken, you've come to the right place.
The menu is pretty sparse with chicken in some form or other being the only thing on offer, in additon to the salads and whatever is on special - the ribs were the special when we went, but it's a chicken restaurant so why not try the speciality?
To start we ordered the wood-fired, oven-baked bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and the buttermilk chicken bites which came with barbeque or ranch sauce (or both as we were feeling greedy!).
The bread was a bit disappointing as it was stone cold but a nice selection nonetheless. Happily the chicken bites were great. The juicy chicken pieces had a great coating and the sauces were a great addition. Very moreish- luckily we ordered two dishes.
For the main we went for, umm, chicken, with doubled cooked fries, new potatoes and grilled vegetables. The free range Breton bird was, yep, I'm going to be bold and put it out there, probably the best chicken I've eaten. Moist, with an ever so slightly crispy outing, and full of flavour, I quickly regretted trying to not look like a pig and only going for a quarter chicken. Big mistake.
To finish I went for the usual of anything chocolate on the menu, in this case chocolate ganache tart, and my guest went for the ice cream. Both were great but as far as chocolate tarts and ice cream goes, it takes a very astounding tart to distinguish it from others on offer. But who cares? At Clockjack it's all about the chicken, which is far from forgettable.
The only thing I found fault with was the seating arrangement. I love long sharing tables but I don't really see the point in individual tables if they are so close together you may as well sit with the diners next to you. A small point but every time someone squeezed past us and the diners next door I had to endure the fear of a drink or something being knocked to the floor. But as I said, this is a very small niggle!
Overall, Clockjack Oven certainly comes very high in the pecking order.