Lunch at Chicken Shop/Dirty Burger in Whitechapel

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Late last year, I visited Chicken Shop/Dirty Burger on Whitechapel Road. I had been wanting to try these restaurants as I have read good reviews, and I happened to see that they had a branch down the road from where I worked. I promptly hopped on the bus and took a ride down Whitechapel Road so that I could finally try this restaurant. Of course, I walked across to Rinkoff Bakeries for a dessert, which I already covered in an earlier post!

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Chicken Shop

I knew that although Dirty Burger are meant to do great burgers, they do not have an option that I will eat (I don't eat beef), so Chicken Shop is the menu that I went with. Both restaurants are located in the same building. In fact, from the outside, most people would not even know that there's a restaurant there. A simple doorway on a grafitti-covered green door is the entrance, and the logos for the restaurants are easy to miss.

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Chicken Shop / Dirty Burger, Whitechapel

Once inside the restaurant, there's a cafeteria feel with high ceilings and industrial-style fittings. The brick wall has had a quick whitewash, and the menus are painted directly onto the brickwork. Dirty Burger is on one side, and Chicken Burger is on the other.

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Restaurant interior

All of the tables were taken. Even during mid-week at lunch time, this place was popular. I was seated at the bar where I could see the rotisserie chickens turning and watch the staff prepare the orders. Several large ceramic chickens were dotted around the restaurant.

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Chicken Shop

I ordered a 1/4th of a chicken and asked for breast meat and a side of chips. I did try the two sauces at the table, but these tasted a little too "manufactured" for my taste, so I disregarded them and was glad that I did not smother my chicken with them as I do at Nandos. The chips tasted lovely, and the chicken was alright but I felt that I was missing something. I was not exactly overwhelmed, even though it was a decent meal.

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Would I go back? Well, I would not hurry back. I did not feel overwhelmed by it, but it was worth a try. That's not to say it was awful as it really wasn't. It just didn't meet my expectations. I do wonder if it's special because of the brand, and it's very "in" with the "hip" east London crowd, so it may be the type of place where people like to be seen at.  

For those wishing to try either restaurant, visit the company's websites for a full list of locations and opening times. Note that all of the different locations have a different interior 'theme':

Chicken Shop: http://www.chickenshop.com 
Dirty Burger: http://www.eatdirtyburger.com

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