That is about as cryptic a headline as I have ever written, but I really want to give a big shout out to Cocotte, a small chain trying desperately to reclaim the humble chicken from the great Peri-Peri provider.

200 meters and several light years separate the two establishments in Richmond. My kids, several of whom may actually be reading this, love the Fino Pitta, the bottomless drinks and the Reward Chillies of the other place (and I am a big fan of the Chicken Livers, which will make me easy to identify as I am the only person in Britain who orders them). But if you want to understand what actual poulet tastes like, wander up the road.

This is not my first visit to Cocotte. I left a mildly eviscerating review after my first couple of visits, not because the food was bad (it wasn’t), but the service was shocking, to the extent that it seriously spoiled the meal. Drinks took forever to arrive, orders piled in on each other, and waiting staff scuttled away like cockroaches the second you tried to interact with them.

Regular readers are by now aware that I love an offer. This time it was 20% off if I used my Amex card to pay for dinner. Given that this included drinks, I couldn’t say no…

The concept is simple. Order a chicken (or part thereof), some sauce, and some sides. Job done.

Drinks came speedily (the waiting staff seem to be instructed to go and get them as soon as they are ordered, a very welcome change). Apologies for the photo of the sparkling wine: I think Mrs N was in need of a drink, as it was going before I got the camera out.

All very tasty, though, and as I continue my Negroni tour of Britain, I can say that Cocotte is definitely not on the naughty step.

We ordered a whole chicken, which somewhat surprisingly came on two plates and in four pieces, with two jugs of herb jus. This was annoying as we had ordered the Nduja jus as well: Had we known two were on offer as part of the “whole” chicken plate, we would have had two different ones. But then I thought “20% off” and relaxed… Both the jus were really tasty (and not too spicy). Tender, tasty chicken. You can tell they have worked hard to get it right every time.

With it, we had the top 4 salads from the menu. I didn’t even bother making notes, because they were all good, with a quite outstanding Caesar Salad.

I am extremely partial to the Beet salad, and I think if we had room, we could have managed another Kale salad. The only question is what on earth is that lonely piece of mozzarella doing on the Chickpea salad? It looks like it has been dropped from outer space, so out of place is it. Quite superfluous.

This is enough food for 3/4 people. If you go with 2, have a half chicken and 3 salads. That is plenty.

Service has to have a mention. It was just great. Prompt, attentive and friendly. All of the perfect elements. It did not hurt that the person waiting on us thought I was a food influencer (I am now videoing my food, as I am told it goes down far better with the algorithm on Insta!), and asked for my Instagram handle. Made my week, possibly month.

The Amex offer is only on until Monday, so you need to hurry, but if not, it’s still worth a trip. There are a few more around the place (5 more at last count: https://mycocotte.uk/), so look out for them. It is unlikely Cocotte will ever fully take on Big Cock, but in the meantime, I recommend trying it out for a jolly good nosh.

Conclusion

Overall Rating: 5/5

• Food: 4.5/5
• Service: 5/5
• Drinks: 4/5
• Ambiance: 4/5
• Value: 5/5
• Will we go back: 5/5

Cocotte, Richmond: https://mycocotte.uk/richmond/