The best chicken in all of East DulwichShire...

[DovertheRoad]

....is not in East Dulwich at all. It's in Forest Hill. Hard to forget it replaced the much loved Hob but The Signal is worth going to for its chicken alone. If you happen to love rotisserie chicken that is. Don't compare it with the Hob or rate it on ambience or its middle class Harvestor decor. Just eat the chicken.

Franklins tried their wood fired chicken on Deliveroo recently and it was ok but not a patch on this. Where else does great chicken dishes*?

*I am excluding fried chicken joints from this as that is an art of its own.

Ps this is a Jeremy / Seabag thread for sure.

/message ends

[TheCat]

I second this. The Signal roast chicken is streets ahead of Franklins. We've had both a number of times through Deliveroo and the decision is clear.

[holloway]

Franklins' wood fired chicks certainly look good although at ?15 a bird I'd rather eat roadkill.

[titch juicy]

I'm so glad of this thread as good chicken is very much my favourite thing and I've found hard to find in the UK.

I shall be using The Signal this weekend.

Thanks

[TheCat]

holloway Wrote:

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> Franklins' wood fired chicks certainly look good

> although at ?15 a bird I'd rather eat roadkill.

I agree that both Signal and Franklins are pricey if you just compare it to buying a chicken from the shop and roasting it. But when compared to what we would normally spend on another form of takeaway, when you cant be bothered to make anything, its not too bad...and makes a nice change from Curry/fish&chips/pizza etc....

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the tipoff DTR. We sometimes get Franklins chicken through Deliveroo... yeah it's OK I guess, but can be a little dry, and it's not cheap.

Have never seen this place on Deliveroo, but we're over in SE15, so a little way away. Maybe we'll head over there for lunch one day if it's kid friendly.

[red devil]

Off topic I know, but has anyone tried one of these...

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/aug/08/francesinha-sandwich-porto-portugal

[johnie]

red devil Wrote:

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> Off topic I know, but has anyone tried one of

> these...

>

> https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/aug/08/fra

> ncesinha-sandwich-porto-portugal

Yes, earlier this year in Porto, here:

Absolutely delicious

[PhilPhilPhil]

The Portuguese restaurant in Crystal Palace (A Torre) do a fine Francesinha. Actually I haven't been there for about a year but they certainly used to.

[Jeremy]

PhilPhilPhil Wrote:

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> The Portuguese restaurant in Crystal Palace (A Torre) do a fine Francesinha.

It is still on their online menu. Think I need to get myself down there!

[red devil]

So at least two people have eaten one, and neither have mentioned a subsequent cardiac arrest...looks promising

[PhilPhilPhil]

I had it once in Porto and a couple of times at A Torre. I'm not a huge eater and I managed to eat them without collapsing but I did feel like I needed a lie down afterwards. It's quite hard on the arteries.

There is also a relatively new place at Angel that specialises in the Francesinha but I haven't been there and it looks like they might be overthinking it a bit...

http://www.frhappy.com/menu

[Jeremy]

PhilPhilPhil Wrote:

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> it looks like they might be overthinking it a bit...

The ?54 "tasting menu" must surely be some sort of joke...

[Seabag]

red devil Wrote:

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> Off topic I know, but has anyone tried one of

> these...

>

> https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/aug/08/fra

> ncesinha-sandwich-porto-portugal

Isn't that what killed Elvis ?

[Seabag]

The Signal bird is good, as they brine the Suffolk barn reared birds for 24 hrs first, then marinate and then steamed, hence the moisture. Then final rotisserie is over charcoal, and that self-bastes the birds. Straight oven (wood or not) cooking doesn't do that.

They are good, specially as they're also consistant with it too.

[LouiseC]

Whole roast chicken for two at the Crooked Well on Sunday's beats Signal and Franklins in my humble opinion (and I've tried all three)..

[DovertheRoad]

LouiseC, nice one and thanks for the chicken tip. Not been to Crooked Well for a while.

[DulwichFox]

That's the problem with Chicken..

It is virtually Tasteless..

unless you..

Soak it in Brine.. Marinate it in Tandoori paste.. or the like..

Cover it in Spiced Flour and cook it under pressure..

Curry it..

So you only ever get to taste added ingredients..

DulwichFox..

[Rosetta]

Squeezing a lemon over the bird, and inside and leaving a cut lemon in the cavity is also good for adding flavour. When roasting , cook in a pan with some water in the bottom to keep moist, and use the lemon and rub skin with butter first. Those roasting bags you can buy also keep in flavour. That's how I cooked chicken all the time when I ate more meat than I do now.

Waitrose do rather nice free range chicken rotisserie chicken.

[Loz]

Rosetta Wrote:

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> When roasting , cook in a pan with some water in the bottom to keep moist, and use

> the lemon and rub skin with butter first. Those roasting bags you can buy also keep in flavour.

> That's how I cooked chicken all the time when I ate more meat than I do now.

I bought an digital in-oven thermometer for about ?15. Stick the probe in the chunkiest part of the chicken, roast on a high heat until the inside is 65c. Take the chicken out, probe it a few more times to check the whole bird is at least 65c. Lovely and juicy.

I use it for beef and lamb, too. Roast to 46/47c. Lovely.

[Rosetta]

I have cooked chicken at a really high heat before, but prefer it the other way. Meat thermometers are very useful.

[Seabag]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> That's the problem with Chicken..

>

> It is virtually Tasteless..

>

> unless you..

>

> Soak it in Brine.. Marinate it in Tandoori

> paste.. or the like..

>

> Cover it in Spiced Flour and cook it under

> pressure..

>

> Curry it..

>

> So you only ever get to taste added ingredients..

>

>

> DulwichFox..

I agree with all of that Foxy

But a couple of years ago I discovered these http://www.fossemeadows.co.uk

And that was a game changer for me. The birds are different to anything else, firm meat, and it actually tastes of chicken. So I set myself a challenge where I'd do 2 things only to cook the bird. First I pour a kettle of freshly boiled water all over the bird, which makes the skin crisp up well in the oven. Second I use a small amount of sea salt to season.

Then in the oven it goes and roasts naked until done. There's nothing to hide or add flavor wise and it is quite perfectly simple and plain as can be. But the flavor and texture are all there, it's naturally buttery almost, sweet firm meat and just about the best bird I've eaten. I encourage you to try one one day

At Christmas I get a cockerel and that's good too

As for the rest, yes generally bland I'd say

[P.O.U.S.theWonderCat]

Agreed on Fosse - and you can get them at The Butchery in Forest Hill

[DulwichFox]

Hi Seabag.. Hope you had a great holiday.. Back to reality now.. :)

Foxy

[Seabag]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Hi Seabag.. Hope you had a great holiday.. Back to

> reality now.. :)

>

> Foxy

Ha ha, loved Barcelona Foxter

But I did a festival for 6 days since

And I'm off on holiday again tomorrow

Escaping reality it seems

😂😂😃