Clockjack Oven

Name: Clockjack Oven
Address: 12-14 Denman Street, London, Soho, W1D 7HH, UK
Rating: 8

European Restaurant in Soho

8 / 10 from 2 reviews

Address
12-14 Denman Street
Soho
London
W1D 7HH

Map

History

Cuisine
European

Region
Soho

Nearest Station
Piccadilly Circus
0.09 miles

Website
http://www.clockjackoven.com

Opening Summary
Mon-Thurs: 12:00 - 23:00
Fri - Sat: 12:00 - 00:00

Edit Restaurant Information

Restaurant Facilities

Children Welcome

Credit Cards Accepted

Music Played

Clockjack Oven has officially launched in Soho offering herb marinated free range chicken expertly cooked in a rotisserie oven and served with Clockjack Oven’s own special sauces. Taking its name from the Tudor cooking mechanism that has inspired it, Clockjack Oven’s chicken is roasted over a naked flame, where the intense heat preserves and intensifies the flavours in the skin whilst the rotation of the spit ensures the flesh is gently cooked, keeping it succulent and tender.

Clockjack Oven founders Jerry Goldberg and Fraser Duncan have meticulously researched cooking methods and sourced a rotisserie oven that is the first of its kind in the UK. The pair met whilst working at Unilever and went on to work for Centre Parcs and Terra Firma private equity firm respectively. A chance visit to a rotisserie chicken restaurant in Spain, whose chicken was unlike anything they had had in the UK, inspired them to recreate it in London.

Clockjack Oven’s menu allows guests to build their lunch or dinner around the rotisserie cooked chicken, which is served in varying portion sizes and can be accompanied by Clockjack Oven sauces including creamy ranch sauce, tangy barbecue sauce and hot chili sauce. Marinated crispy chicken bites, crunchy sage & onion balls, fries and a selection of salads are available as alternatives or on the side. The Clockjack Torpedo, pieces of chicken leg meat marinated in buttermilk and served in a buttermilk bun with lettuce and ranch sauce, offers a more substantial dish. Chicken with chips or a salad costs around £10.

Designed by Design LSM, the interior is has a casual feel and is based on natural materials such as oak, brick and metals. A counter for dining runs alongside the rotisserie oven allowing diners to watch their food as it cooks.

Clockjack Oven is open all day Monday to Sunday.

Clockjack Oven Picture Gallery

Roasting Chicken!

All In London Review

Rotisserie-cooked dinner that’s cheap as (chicken and) chips

There are enough people eating burgers, BBQ ribs and hotdogs on a daily basis to continually replenish the queues spilling onto the pavements outside Meat Liquor, Patty & Bun, Pitt Cue Co and a whole lot more. If say, a scandalous news piece were to cause the public to do a dramatic U-turn in a panic over their cardiac health (heaven forbid), Clockjack Oven would probably be ok. They may be capitalising on the chicken trend, but they’re one step ahead: the restaurant takes its name from a vertical rotisserie grill, on display in the restaurant, where the heat of naked flames cooks several rotating chickens at once. And while this isn’t the ultimate in healthy eating, it will make you feel marginally less guilty than a double hot dog drowning in melted cheese for example.

The chicken is free range and sourced from a small farm in Brittany, and this matters because poultry is prone to drying out, but here it’s juicy and full of flavour. £8.95 gets you four sizeable pieces, in this instance a drumstick and three bits of thigh (you can also order three pieces for £6.95 or a whole bird, which is 10 pieces, for £18.95). There are several sauces: chilli, Caesar, the pleasantly garlicky ranch, and BBQ, which we find a bit too sweet.

The “must try” crispy chicken bits are essentially gourmet nuggets, they’re a little dry and benefit from being dipped in ranch dressing. We like the CLT Torpedo, as tender shredded chicken and mayo in a fluffy buttermilk bun is a good combo, and crisp lettuce and tomato add freshness.

Aside from chicken we nibble on marinated olives and vegetable crisps – the latter are brought to the table as soon as we’re seated along with glasses of tap water, a small, yet much appreciated gesture. The house salad pairs lettuce smothered in Caesar dressing with slices of apple and sage and onion stuffing balls; it’s a bit of a mishmash, although each element is perfectly enjoyable on its own. The double cooked chips are ok, but nothing to write home about.

The two founders of Clockjack met while working at Unilever, then one went off to work for Centre Parcs and the other for Terra Firma, a private equity firm. The restaurant’s namesake is American, which is why you won’t find any other grills of the sort in the UK, that is, until they roll out their new branches, surprise surprise. But if they stick to high calibre suppliers then props to them, and with chicken and chips costing just over a tenner you could do much worse for a cheap dinner.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Apr 5, 2013

In The News

Beat the Clock(jack)

An early bird reward for Clockjack Oven customers 12-12.15am

User Reviews

D Crowther
from London

Feb 14, 2013

Great roast chicken but it was the sides that made it special.. crisp stuffing balls in the salad.. more please as a separate side! Chicken bites.. my son gave up on dessert & just asked for another portion instead.. guess that says it all. Loved the big "sharing" table with a candelabra in the middle. Staff were friendly & really helpful. We'll be back!

Name: D Crowther
Location: London

Respond to review

Have your say

Add a review or useful tip for this restaurant

Add a review

Add a useful tip