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Jidori’s second location, in a four-storey terrace in Covent Garden, is a lot like the Dalston original: funky, functional and really great with skewered chicken (yakitori, to be precise).
Tsukune (off the dedicated yakitori menu) was killer: a deliciously salty minced chicken meatball speared on a stick, with a dip of dark soy that also had a bright yellow egg yolk plopped on top (stir them together before dunking). Negima yakitori was also excellent: soft, smoky pieces of charcoal grilled chicken and aromatic bits of spring onion between each bite. A katsu curry scotch egg made for the perfect starter (crispy but soft and jammy), and dessert was unexpectedly great. Heard of purin gyunyu? It’s a delicate Japanese milk pudding that’s like a panna cotta lite. Here, it was topped with an impossibly delicate serve of elderflower granita and sneaky, tart gooseberries hiding between the layers. A truly delicious combination of flavour and texture.
There were two let-downs: a slimy aubergine rice bowl (available at lunch) and a skewer of mushrooms. So Jidori probably isn’t ideal if you don’t eat meat, but for chicken, and drinking, it’s perfect. There’s a stellar drinks list and a karaoke room decked out with pink streamers in the basement. Pair your skewers with a Cher banger and head on down for a night to remember.