Merivale is set to open The Chicken Shop, its new takeaway rotisserie outlet on Sydney’s Oxford Street on 26 January.
Located in the small shopfront next to The Paddington, also owned by Merivale, The Chicken Shop will serve take-away only rotisserie meats, salads and sandwiches by chef Ben Greeno.
Greeno, whose CV includes Momofuku Seiobo, Michelin-starred Sat Bains and Noma, moved to The Paddington in 2015. Now executive chef, he has designed a short menu using the same specially-imported, custom-made French rotisseries, seen in Hospitality’s Kitchen Tour video here.
“Eating out is a pleasure; cooking at home can be joyful, or maybe just a necessity, but sometimes you want nothing more than to grab some takeaway and have an easy night,” Greeno said.
In addition to the poultry, The Chicken Shop will roast a selection of meats and seafood that change every night including ocean trout, pork belly, lamb rump, glazed ham and beef rump. The roast will be served alongside a selection of salads including coz lettuce with avocado, radish and pumpkin seeds; chickpeas, tomato, cucumber and feta; and green beans with hazelnuts and shallots. Sides include fries; roasted carrots with sunflower seeds; and potato gratin.
It’s the lunchtime sandwich offering that Greeno is most excited about. “I’ve actually wanted to do a sandwich place for a while,” he said. “We’re using bread from Brickfields which holds up really well – it doesn’t fall apart in your hands and is easy to eat.” Fillings include glazed leg ham with comte, Dijon mustard and pickle; hot chicken, jalapeno and pickled carrot; and fish fingers with crushed edamame and togarashi.
The Chicken Shop is Merivale’s latest opening in Sydney’s Paddington, with the highly anticipated Fred’s swinging open its doors in late 2016, led by an alum of Chez Panisse and the Napa Valley’s three-Michelin-starred French Laundry, Danielle Alvarez. The basement is home to Charlie Parker’s, a local bar with produce-driven cocktails.