Fowl by Fallow: Pop up chicken restaurant divides diners

In particular, it’s a chicken head pie that contains cockscomb (the rooster’s mohawk), and a chicken leg corndog which comes with an actual chicken leg attached, which are turning heads and stomachs.

The pop up in question is Fowl, the new upmarket venture from the team behind Fallow, an award-winning, Bib Gourmand, Michelin Guide recommended restaurant in St James’s Market that plates up creative dishes conceived out of sustainable practices.

@fallow_restaurant Introducing FOWL’s November special, Le Grand Coq Pie. Brought to you in collaboration with the legendary Pierre Koffman. FOWL is open 12-11pm Mon-Sat, just round the corner from Fallow! ???? #LondonRestaurants #LondonDiningScene #LondonFoodies ♬ original sound – fadrapp

And while Fallow’s dishes garner widespread praise, it seems that some people think Fowl is, well, a little bit foul.

Housed in a former pub also in St James’s Market, Fowl promised to be a “chicken chop like no other” and on this, it has delivered.

In line with their sustainable ethos, Fallow chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft have created a menu that uses all of the bird – apart from the cloaca it seems – including the crème caramel for dessert which uses chicken fat.

@fallow_restaurant We’ve taken the classic corndog to the next level – here’s how we make our Chicken Leg Corndog! Try it for yourself at FOWL – opening 03.10 #corndogs #londonrestaurantguide #londonfoodspots ♬

Although chicken fat pud may not appeal to everyone, it is far less contentious than the la grande coque pie (£22) and the chicken leg corndog (£16) both of which are collaborations with chef Pier Koffmann.

The la grande coque pie is stew of confit chicken hearts, livers and cockscombs encased in golden, flaky pastry and big enough for two. It also has a cooked and scalped chicken’s head protruding from its centre, which may or may not be to your liking.

The chicken leg corndog is what is says on the tin. It is a corndog, made out of deboned chicken flesh attached to the bird’s leg which in turn is still attached to its foot. After the meat is marinated and treated and rolled up into a log, the flesh is battered and deep fried, with the leg and foot still the attached, looking like some sort of stick or handle.

While cooking with the whole animal is inarguably a good thing, it’s easy to see how these two dishes have stirred the pot.

On social media, images of both dishes amassed many green-faced emojis, with one Instagram user commenting “…This dish speaks for itself. Disgusting”, while another person wrote: “*Appetite has left the chat*”.

A third person said: “NO. Just absolutely, NO!”

Others are less inclined to think of Fowl as a cock up, however.

One social media user said: “Love this, forcing people to deal with the reality of where their food comes from. It’s real food for proper adults. Visiting in November and cannot wait!”

Another person commented: “Tough, unapologetic, surely delicious, a detector of glassy weak people, keep up the hard wok guys, I’m a fan of your work!”

If you want to try for yourself, find Fowl at Norris Street, St. James’s Market, Sw1Y 4RJ. It’s open for walk ins Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 11pm.