French Farm to Table Dining at Cocotte Hoxton

Shoreditch is one of my favourite areas of London to explore as it’s constantly evolving, with more restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues to experience than there is time in the day. However I’m making a valiant effort to eat, drink, and (only very occasionally) party my way around the neighbourhood, one small plate and cocktail combo at a time.

I recently got the opportunity to try Cocotte, a French farm to table restaurant that does one thing, and does it well: chicken. The menu is simple, starring various chicken options including wings and a half or full chicken (think Nandos, but fancy, and less piri piri), accompanied with a selection of classic sides and salads.

I’d recommend grabbing yourself a snack or something before commencing with this post, because trust me, you’re going to end up drooling by the end of it.

We started with the drinks menu, the star of which was an enticing list of Summery Spritz’s. I went for the eponymous Cocotte, comprising of Belsazar rose, grapefruit and sparkling wine. It was perfectly fresh, and light enough that I didn’t immediately feel woozy.

Soon after arrived the Veggie Basket (though not so much a basket as a board). I’ll admit, I’m someone who struggles to get excited about veggies, but this platter appealed to my love of colour with rainbow-hued crudités that looked almost too good to eat. But of course I managed, liberally slathering everything in the mouthwatering dips – a green pesto style herb dip, and a tumeric yoghurt dip.

As enjoyable as the veggies were, I was eagerly expecting the star of the show. We’d ordered a half chicken with truffle mac and cheese, ratatouille, and the ‘Geppetto’ salad.

The mains were just as aesthetically pleasing as our appetisers, which matters when you like to take 15268 pictures of your food before you eat! After a mini photo shoot, we dug in.

I started with a healthy dosing of truffle mac and cheese, because I am an unashamed truffle addict – I add truffle to anything and everything, so when I see it on a menu, it’s a no brainer. It was oozing with cheese, and more importantly, with truffley goodness. Thumbs up from me.

It seemed unlikely that the meal could get any better, but the real test was the chicken. Its a daring move to base a restaurant around one core dish – it needs to be perfect. But Cocotte definitely know what they’re doing. The flavours were simple, the chicken cooked to perfection, with a side of gravy that you almost didn’t need, as the chicken held its own.

Alongside the gravy we also had a selection of dips – unsurprisingly the truffle mayo was my standout, but you may have noticed I have a slight bias! Though the flavours were so rich in themselves that they didn’t really need the accompaniment of dips, it gave an extra element to the dishes, being able to mix and match flavours such as adding a kick to the chicken with a spicy salsa style dip (or, y’know, slathering it in truffle mayo…).

The menu includes a selection of salads, and we chose to try the Gepetto, made up of burratina, tomatoes, and basil dressing. A take on the classic Italian salad, but eschewing mozzarella in favour of the creamier burrata. Burrata is having a bit of a ‘moment’, taking the spotlight away from long-time celebrity cheese halloumi, and it deserves all the recognition it gets. The flavours of the cheese are were so delicate, offset against a punchy dressing and perfectly complimented with baby tomatoes.

Our last side was the ratatouille, on the suggestion of our waiter (they always know best, right?). Ratatouille will never not remind me of the film, and this dish certainly did, with beautiful colours and a simplicity in flavouring that focussed on the texture of the veg.

What makes Coccotte stand out is that the menu revolves around healthy, fresh farm grown ingredients, creating simple but impactful flavours with a blend of herbs and spices. There’s nothing complicated about the dishes, which is what makes the flavours so powerful.

I was completely stuffed by this point, but I managed to find it in me to force down (ok, it took absolutely zero forcing..) a dessert. The lemon tart was a lovely way to end the meal as it didn’t feel heavy or stodgy after two fairly hefty courses.

Overall, I was so impressed with Cocotte. Delicious, wholesome food that doesn’t feel greasy or unhealthy, with a focus on fresh flavours. The concept is simple, but successful: Chicken, done really darn well.

What I’m Wearing…

*I was a guest of Cocotte for this visit