Bird

‘Succulent’, ‘delicious’ and ‘battery-farmed’ are all ways that you could not describe the chicken served at Bird Camden, the third branch of the mini-chain that started with a Shoreditch restaurant back in 2014. Bird talks a premium menu: the usual fried things and chips but enhanced with waffles, Korean sauces and other trendy-ish additions. Sadly, though, you can’t polish a rotten egg and I’ve eaten better fried chicken on a Brixton night bus.

The first thing to ruffle my feathers was when I struggled to cut my classic chicken burger in half. Hoping I’d hit an especially crunchy pickle I tucked in, but it turned out the meagre fillet that was hiding within a sizeable but structureless bun was so overcooked that I couldn’t even bite through it. The pickle, incidentally, was very good. Fried chicken pieces with gochujang glaze were better, though their only flavour came from the sauce. And while the thigh meat was juicy, the breast was the sort of dry, bland protein that gives chicken a bad name.

I didn’t leave with an empty belly – the chips were good, the slaw even better. The drinks list boasts some excellent beers and a spread of fizzies that could quench any thirst. But ultimately, when it comes to a chicken feed, Bird is most certainly not the word.