Lindley's No 10 Kitchen is clucking marvellous

Once there was a quirky electrical shop with hair dryers and kettle parts in the window, a video store and a greengrocer’s with a wet fish section! All long gone!

As have two out of the three butchers.

So goes, I would imagine, many conversations amongst the good people of Lindley and probably any other regulars on the shops-and-eat stop that is Lidget Street.

It’s a lovely street and once you’ve dodged the double-deckers and the Corsas crawling round corners at 10 mph, it’s a very, very pleasant place for a night out.

The street has seen many openings, closings and revamps in a few recent years. You can now get your nails done, buy a wedding frock (the wife drools and points every time he changes his window) buy a house, get your eyes tested and pay your paper bill all in a short stroll.

Most importantly, for our household, there’s been a real roundabout of eat and drinkeries over the 14 years we’ve been there.

Fair to say we’ve tried them all – all styles, all prices – but usually, as there’s been four of us including two kids, we’ve opted for the less expensive/casual end.

So, a very big welcome to No 10 Kitchen across the road from, er, Bar 10 (which itself replaced the tapas place Bar Barcelona, which used to be a The Fleece pub).

Bar 10 owner Nikki Schofield has crossed the road and turned the former (disappointing) Turkish, former Indian, former can’t quite remember, into a rotisserie chicken shack – most courses easily under a tenner, great, lively atmosphere and all ages when we visited on a Friday evening with our two friends for a birthday celebration.

Across the road, over our pre-drinks Nikki had been telling us about how the chicken is sous vided (poached in a sealed bag) which apparently adds to the taste and moistness and it did.

The venue itself has been re done out with the right mix of glitz (mirrors) and rustic (brick walls and soft toy comedy chickens) and an awesome sight on the back wall ... the kitchen and there’s no better sight than a fat-dripping rotisserie is there?

And behind the counter, sorry pass as I believe they call it on Masterchef, the chefs . They are the stars of the night – and they give it plenty.

They’re not tucked away anonymously; they’re very very busy, shouting at each other, pointing a-plenty with dishes emerging at a frightening speed. They were all having the craic behind there and that joy transferred to the room which was equally lively.

A chicken-dominant menu was a novelty (amazingly in Huddersfield, only one of us had been to Nando’s). It’s pure chicken, quarter, half or full or chicken in one of three ways – a brioche bun, pittas or in a wrap.

The order went in for two quarter chicken meals one with sweet potato fries one with chips, and two roosters – buttermilk fried chicken in a pitta and the same but in a wrap.

No 10 Kitchen in Lindley

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An instant point of note was the fact the leaves – a mix of green and red - were very fresh and dressed with a shiny dressing. (not all do and there’s nothing that annoys the wife more than sad, undressed salad leaves, apparently. It’s one of her things!

She also reckons white tablecloths add a fortune to any bill and if there’s a queue it must be good even if it’s a chippy!)

They were all served on lovely platters on slates with Bar 10 paper lining (nice touch).

The plated meals visually were probably a bit more special for a meal-in with the two other choices more street foody but on a Friday teatime over a boozy catch-up just what was needed.

The chicken pieces came with glazes. The bbq bourbon glaze meant it was sticky and glistening and brown on top.The jerk glaze on the other one wasn’t spicy enough for us but they swiftly brought us some hot sauce to make up.

The Rooster chicken pitta at Kitchen No 10

The buttermilk chicken had a crunchier coating with two huge soft and melting, chunks of chicken packed into the pitta. With it came chorizo, jalapenos and dill pickle – a really scrummy butty.

Well-cooked chips came in those little wire baskets as did the sweet potato fries.

Away from the four chicken choices, if you were wondering, there’s steak burger and a chargilled veg with rocket for veggies.

Sides range from slaw – (chunky and crunchy on the bite) skins on chips with garlic mayo and a range of salads included a delicious sounding superfood platter of sweet potato, avocado chunks, feta, beetroot and pomegranate seeds.

Two bottles of wine a red and a white – a Malbec and Pinot Grigio – were both spot on as were the Peronis. And the lot for under £80.

So, was it Nando’s with knobs on? No! Better ... and 400m from our front door.

Long live Lidget Street!