I’ll admit that I’m predujdiced against chicken shops. To me chicken is the most boring of all meats and should therefore always be the cheapest, KFC’s prices confirm this theory. So I personally would never suggest going to a “hipster” chicken shop unless it had some sort of very special desert on offer. Not everyone shares my chicken scepticism however, and social decorum dictates that one person can not always choose the restaurant when dining with friends. So it was that a few weeks ago I found myself at a fashionable chicken shop called Clutch in Hoxton. From the outside I was immediately impressed, a previously shoddy location just off Columbia Road has been painted in happy, eye catching, bright yellow and orange (coincidentally have you noticed that chicken shops are always branded in red, yellow or orange?) Inside it was much as you might expect from a Hoxton dining experience, gorgeous hipster waiter, open kitchen, minimal menu, cute touches and tounge’n’cheek restroom signs. However, there was no sign of any American chicken jargon, no states were mentioned (the usual suspects being: Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, New Orleans or the all purpose “Southern”). Buttermilk made appearances, but outside of that the chicken was predominantly seasoned with a variety of Asian and sauces, chilli or Parmesan. When dining with friends you could share a few flavours of either wings, tenders or chicken peices, but if you were going it alone a bucket of just one flavour would be a bit repetitive. Would I book again for myself? No. Would I recommend to chicken lovers? Yes, if you’re that way inclined.