I have been meaning to check out Dirty Bones for quite some time now. They already have three outposts in London, the latest being in the trendy, never-out-of-style Shoreditch. For our first DB experience, we chose to visit the Kensington branch, simply as it was local to us. Now that we have visited one, we cannot wait to try out the other two.

Dirty Bones is New York-style comfort food, alongside some delicious and innovative cocktails. Their menu is an exhaustive list of all things American, including burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings and the ever popular mac and cheese. It is definitely a carb-heavy offering, though a ‘Dirty Mary Salad’ does feature on their menu.

The decor is designed by famous interior designer Lee Broom, and is somewhere between a stylish diner and a speakeasy bar! The interiors are dark and moody, with pendant chandeliers and industrial furniture to create a fun, eclectic and edgy subterranean hangout.

We kicked off the evening with some exciting cocktails from the Dirty Faves list. I had the Top Dog (£8) – Findlandia Vodka, fresh strawberry, Chambord, lemon, and Vaporetto Prosecco. It had all my favourite ingredients in it and was refreshing to taste.

Husband had the Mutts Nuts (£9) – Woodford Reserve bourbon, vanilla and cinnamon-infused maple syrup, Angostura bitters, lemon and apple. It was a delicious and full bodied cocktail – warming from the spicy cinnamon infused maple syrup, bitterness from the Agnostura and finished off with the sweet and smooth bourbon.

I ordered the half pile of Crispy Fried Chicken (£8). The chicken is crispy fried in a spiced buttermilk coating (6 hour brined and 6 hour sous vide and cooked slightly pink). The half pile consists of three pieces and comes with your choice of homemade sauces. I opted for the hot sauce; other options included BBQ and sweet chilli sauce.

My chicken was hands down one of the best kind of crispy fried chicken I have had in London. No offence to other establishments who specialise in fried chicken but this was outstanding.  I am not a big fan of fried food and get bored after a few mouthfuls as it is all too one dimensional for me, with not enough of interest or variety in a plate. But this was the only fried chicken dish where I kept going back for more. As I tucked into the crispy coated chicken, the meat inside was soft, juicy and tasty. A great testament to how wonderful this dish was when my partner (who doesn’t eat or like chicken) went back for seconds!

Husband went for the Mac Daddy (£10). It is undoubtedly a meat lovers’s paradise, snuggled inside a soft brioche bun. It comes with a brisket and dry aged steak burger topped with pulled beef short ribs, mac & cheese and BBQ sauce. It is a moist, meaty, and messy affair with beefy flavours from the steak and short ribs and the velvety softness of mac and cheese. A hugely naughty and indulgent plate, you will want to hit the gym for the next five days to compensate the calorie intake!

For my side, I ordered the Mac and Cheese while Husband went for the Cheesy Truffle Fries (because, obviously we hadn’t ordered enough cheese and carbs for the table).

The Mac and Cheese was the ultimate combination of comfort and guilt. Properly done, it was creamy, cheesy, smooth and crunchy with the parmesan toppings for texture.

The cheesy fries were thin cut, topped with cheese sauce, cheddar, aged parmesan and white truffle oil. It was everything that it said on the tin – with the added heady aftertaste of the truffle oil and aged parmesan. A decadent and delicious dish.

Our total bill came out to be £53 for two with drinks and service, so was not badly priced at all for a Saturday night out in London.

A quick mention about the staff and service – flawless and fun! Throughout the evening they were very attentive and looked after us without being intrusive. The whole atmosphere was informal, like you were hanging out at a mate’s place!

I would definitely recommend heading to your nearest Dirty Bones with your mates – the kind that love their meat!  Just remember to eat lots of greens beforehand so you feel less guilty after!

In terms of concept, I am not sure how ‘New York’ is Dirty Bones (having never visited NYC before) but I am pretty chuffed that we have it all to ourselves in London!

N.B. All opinions and views expressed in this blog are my own. The photographs used have been taken by me and my partner (credited wherever applicable). I review anonymously and pay for my meals.