I've always said that Liverpool has been missing one thing, and that's been a chicken restaurant. A proper chicken restaurant. Last weekend I was invited to
Yard & Coop to try out their
buttermilk chicken. Their menu is simple upon first inspection, with plenty of ways to customise your meal to get exactly what you're looking for. All of their chicken is
"24-hour brined and buttermilked" to make it succulent, then crumbed in their secret herbs and spices recipe. It's also British Farm Assured Red Tractor too. Along with the chicken-based meals, there are a range of vegetarian options available too that looked delicious.
The decor is exactly what I expected; laid back, comfortable but chic. The lounge area close to the more gives off a huge 'Friends' vibe which I adored. We went at a really quiet time but it worked in our favour as we had no issue taking photos. Rest assured, I have seen photos of the place looking absolutely packed but again it worked better for us to go at a quiet time to get the photos we needed. From the first photo you can see how there are some chicken coops which really adds to the design. We spoke to the manager who told us that the design was totally different to the Manchester restaurant but I love how homely it feels, with the Smeg fridge by the bar to the unique cushions dotted around.
We had a look over the menu to see what options we had and pondered over the multitude of chicken options over a drink. I was going to try a shake, but I noticed there was the option to have
Cherryade and the inner child in me said
yes. It looked so much more appetising than when I had it as a child, but it was just as tasty. My boyfriend Andy opted for a
pale ale which you can read more about in
his review. If I were to visit during the evening I'd try out one of their many cocktail options, but since I was here for the chicken I stuck to something non-alcoholic.
Once we ordered, our lovely server Amy asked if we would like any side orders so we took her recommendation and tried the
Mac N Cheese Balls too. They were crumb coated balls of macaroni and cheese, fried. We tried a few out when we were in
Los Angeles last year and have been craving them ever since. They were a great side order and I think those and the Not Chicken Nuggets (crumb-coated halloumi balls) would be perfect as a side or along with chips for a main.
For my main meal I opted for the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast with chips, and for the sauce on the side I opted for the Bourbon BBQ which is described as a 'sweet and spicy BBQ with bourbon whiskey. I'm very particular when it comes to BBQ sauce but this was exactly what I was looking for. You can actually choose from a selection of 7 different sauces and since it comes on the side, you can dip your chips in or cover your chicken in it. If you're looking to try a few sauces, each pot of extra sauce is only 50p which is great. The chicken was honestly the best fried chicken I've ever tasted and I knew once I had my first bite that I would be coming back. I was a bit in over my head since it was the first time I visited, so next time I'll probably order my chips with the Coop Chicken Gravy for the ultimate chicken meal.
I was so full after my main even though I left about half of my chips, probably because I was focused on enjoying my meal instead of cramming everything inside. Amy came to ask if we would like any shakes or brownies to finish off. I was tempted to leave it after the main but the sound of the Cookie Dough Brownie sounded too yummy to resist. I asked to see a menu in case they had more brownies but Amy assured us that since the brownies are made fresh that day, they only make a few different types to keep them all fresh. It was cookie dough vs salted caramel but I knew that Andy prefers cookie dough so we went for that option. It was self-saucing which was beautiful, and Amy had asked if we wanted it hot with ice cream and my eyes lit up. It's the little things that can really make or break a meal, and hot brownies definitely finished the meal off with a bang.
You could tell that Yard & Coop really paid attention to detail, looking at the decor, the menu options and the food itself. The food came quickly with stunning presentation so I knew that we were being looked after. Having fresh food made everything taste so much nicer, and with £5 lunch deals during weekdays, we've already booked a day off work to come back. I'm always 100% honest when it comes to reviews and I couldn't fault this place at all. I've been to plenty of restaurants with a huge lack of chicken options which I relayed back to the manager (who was a lovely chap), and this is the solution. If you're in Liverpool, you need to check out Yard & Coop for yourself.
*Invited to review the food in exchange for a review
