Restaurant Story has become one of the capital’s most highly regarded restaurants in recent years, so when chef patron Tom Sellers announced a follow-up, it wasn’t a surprise. His decision to turn his hand to chicken and chips? Slightly more of a surprise, but who doesn’t want to see what Sellers does with a rotisserie bird?
Story Cellar was originally sold on the premise of posh chicken, but chicken in fact makes up a tiny proportion of the menu these days. Between a host of starters, a fish and shellfish section, dry-aged pork chop, steak frites and more from the grill, and sides, Story Cellar is a fully-fledged restaurant. It’s a beautiful one too - sleek and sophisticated, illuminated by the gloom of chic table lamps. Red leather upholstery and dark panelled walls bring a cosy warmth, and there’s something to admire wherever you’re sitting, whether it’s seats by the windows, or the counter seats where chef’s deftly direct traffic across the grills.
Let’s start with the obvious - it does a cracking rotisserie chicken; brined, steamed to perfect internal temp and then glazed over the flames of the grill. Crucially, the breast and brown meat are both juicy and full of flavour, which is almost impossible to do via traditional methods. The french fries are outstanding - not a million miles from Burger King circa 2004. If you’re just here for the much-publicised chicken, you really won’t be disappointed. On price, it doesn’t compete with Nandos but for the quality, £32 is fair.
That said, if you come here just for chicken, we think you’ll be missing out, as there are some superb dishes across the rest of the menu. Snail bolognaise leads the charge, braised down until rich and gelatinous, then finished with a spoon of parsley butter. We ate a lovely piece of hake steamed en papillotte, and an onglet steak was perfectly cooked, the rare side of medium rare, with an exemplary sauce Diane. Classic cooking is right in Sellers wheelhouse.
The best dishes on the menu are meat and fish centric - we’re not sure this is a restaurant we’d recommend for vegetarians, as we found those options lacking the same pizzazz as others. But Story Cellar is a haven for meat eaters, and you’ll struggle to find a better plate of chicken and chips in all of London, of that there is no question.