StyleNest headed to Le Coq, a charming neighbourhood rotisserie restaurant in the heart of Islington, to try out their infamous rotisserie chicken. Opened by two sisters, Ana and Sanja Morris, their simple and seasonal menu offers the comforting and honest good food that we all so often crave, at a fair price, with roast chicken at its heart.
The cosy restaurant has an eclectic feel, with rustic wooden tables and low lighting to give a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and exposed brickwork, copper piping and steelwork to give more of an edge, whilst the open kitchen provides the focus point of the restaurant.
The place was buzzing for Sunday lunch, with small children playing with their toys whilst their parents chatted over wine, friends singing happy birthday and a buzz and clatter from the open kitchen.
The weekly changing set menu of two or three courses is made up of a concise selection of three unfussy, bold starters, followed by rotisserie free-range chicken accompanied by a delicious changing side dish and regular extras including rotisserie potatoes, green salad and Harissa yogurt, with either a slice of homemade tart, artisanal Gelupo ice cream or cheese from La Fromagerie to finish.
There were only a handful of dishes and courses to choose from, all advertised on the menu on the wall, and the waitress happily talked through each one and recommended the cured ham or mussels to start, and the Coq au Vin for main course, with rotisserie potatoes on the side.
We sipped on our refreshing Bloody Mary’s to wash away the cobwebs, and absorbed the friendly and relaxed atmosphere, as we waited for our mussels and ham.
The mussels came in a light and creamy white wine sauce and were wonderfully soft and fragrant, whilst my partner’s thick cut Parma ham was rich and flavoursome and came with toasted bread and olive oil.
Next our Coq au Vin arrived – moist and tender chicken with crispy chicken skin served on a bed of mashed potato and mushrooms, almost swimming in delicious roasting juices.
Renowned for their quality rotisserie chicken, Le Coq source all their chicken from Sutton Hoo in Suffolk where they happily run around and are fed a completely drug and additive-free diet, which you can taste in the meat as it has a depth of flavour and texture impossible to find in commercially bred poultry.
Top marks definitely go to the roast potatoes, which were crisp and bronzed and soft within, thanks to them being drizzled with the roasting juices and fats in the rotisserie.
To finish, we ordered the recommended tart to share – a light and fluffy 70% chocolate tart on a base of salted caramel, biscuit and roasted peanuts, tasting a bit like a snickers bar – but better.
It was the perfect Sunday lunch with simple and honest country style comfort food – a welcome relief in the hustle and bustle of London.
Le Coq also has a lovely private room or “den” which is perfect for celebrations in the run up to Christmas, with 14 seats and a bespoke menu with a wide choice of dishes such as whole suckling pig, duck, fish, or the classic LeCoq Sutton Hoo chicken (and no room hire fee, sshhh..)