Assenheims 56 — Restaurant in London

This place comes with a fearsome reputation for tasty food and uncompromising staff. It was discussed in my office in almost mythical terms. "Have you tried the green chicken?" people would ask me. I almost thought they were talking about some sort of genetically modified creature or something. Either way it peaked my interest. I was then informed that the green in green chicken refers to the coriander based sauce that graces blackened chicken thighs and the veg/salad/rice that you choose to accompany it. Apparently this stuff was utterly incredible and had to be tried. So I did.

I was then warned about two things:

1. SIZE: Apparently the portion would be enormous and I should wait until I was maybe hungover. So I did.

2. HARDCORE STAFF: The staff in Assenheims 56 are uncompromising individuals and do not take kindly to any dilly dallying when choosing what combination and sauces to have. There were actual stories of people being refused service when stumbling with their order!

So when I ventured down with a colleague last week I was well prepared. We had a list of orders ready to deliver. We were ready to take on the green chicken.

Arriving at the place there was a reassuring queue for the chicken that stretched well out the door. Don't be put off by this if you see it too. Its a fast mover. We got to the front of it and saw a large sign above the counter. This sign gives explicit instructions of how to order so if your unsure give this a read as you queue! Thankfully we nailed our first visit to Assenheims 56. Our orders were delivered smoothly and we were outta there quick!

So down to the food. ITS GOOD. The chicken was really well cooked with an extremely good marinade, well charred and not too dry. The accompanying rice was slightly spiced and also nice. In hindsight I would of opted for salad as oppose to veg as some of the vege's were a little undercooked for my taste. And lastly the sauce. I don't know what the hell they put in it but it brings it all together. Its so good. But then i love coriander. If you aren't partial to it avoid this place! And lastly make sure you go for the optional lashings of tabasco. YEAH!

So that was that. I had tried the mythical green chicken. And I'll definitely be heading...

It pains me to say this, the chicken is not a patch on what it used to be. I lived in London for 5yrs, used to come here as often as possible (maybe once a month). The main chicken meal was to die for. Large pieces of crispy chicken thigh, cooked whole and then served chopped. My last day in London for a weekend, I bring a friend along for the meal I spoke about so much. Today I was served a few little pieces of chicken thigh. 1st off, it didn't look a lot of meat. 2nd there was no crispy skin, but worst of all the chicken was rock hard and dry as a bone. Such a disappointment. I pointed this out to the staff, who did give me more chicken, but it was more of the same. I can see by other reviews it seems they have changed the way they serve the chicken. No longer whole thighs. Absolute deal breaker for me. The accompaniments to the chicken are just a side show. The chicken was the star. If its not broke, don't fix. Brought a friend for the 1st time today, bang average he thought. After I had waxed lyrical about the place. Sad times. Moved heaven and earth guys, get back to the old ways. People won't mind paying more for the quality you used to serve. The review comes from a place...

Having tried a few chicken shops, a friend recommended this place and was raving about it. A short trip on the train to Tower Hill and all i could think about was chicken. The queue was so long but there were a lot of hungry bellys. Was going to order the large chicken box at 9.50 but was advised not too and i then could see why. I've not in a long time seen chicken just taken off the grill and placed into a box without carefully measured portions being done so beforehand. Clamps of chicken were just being pulled in to rows of boxes (after their chosen selection of sides, i went for rice and potatoes). Topped with some chillie sauce ad their homemade green sauce (it tasted good, but no idea what was in it) i can honestly say im stuffed! Of course, the chicken was grilled to perfection, and had the right amount of chicken skin to meat ratio. Crispy and juicy all at the same time. Great place for that once a month go over the top spend but at only £8 might be put in...