Soopa Store News, Reviews & Opinion
**STAGOLEE’S HAS NOW CLOSED**
When someone first mentioned Stagolee’s to me I was quite interested in paying them a visit but when I discovered the restaurant was located in Fulham Broadway my interest waned a bit.
Visiting would mean enduring the painfully slow journey from West to East London at the end of the night however if the news was true, it should be worth it because the fried chicken is rumoured to be top-notch. As you are reading this you can safely assume my love of fried chicken trumps my dislike of traversing across London at night.
Stagolee’s is not a huge place and that works in giving it a bit of a homely vibe. The first thing you notice is the choice of main dishes is either chicken or fish. Don’t visit Stagolee’s Hot Chicken and Liquor Joint if you’re hankering after a vegan bean burger or a bloody rare sirloin steak, there’s a reason it says, hot chicken in it’s name.
I’ll jump straight to Stagolee’s skillet fried chicken, it comes in 3 guises: Regular, Hot and Tom Devil. I didn’t try the Regular chicken, I guess it is the one for you if you don’t like hot food. I did however have a piece of Hot chicken. I didn’t find it particularly hot, just a nice blend of seasoning and heat. The Hot chicken has 2 flames alongside it to denote its heat level, Tom Devil has 5.
That jump is totally justified in terms of heat levels but be warned, it’s a heat that builds up layer upon layer, the first few mouthfuls will have you thinking, Hmm… this isn’t as hot as I was expecting and then just as you’re trying to finish that thought your brain suddenly wakes up to the fact that the heat sensor is going off in the kitchen and it can’t find a tea towel to wave underneath it. If you like hot, you’ll enjoy Tom Devil hot.
As far as sides go I highly recommend you get the carrot salad, as a nice contrast to the heat of the chicken. The hot spinach dip is absolutely delicious, if it came as a main I would gladly order it, it is moreishly good. The greens came with hunks of deliciously smokey ham and again, could easily be served as a main. It’s hard to actually single things out for being good as it implies that anything else is inferior, far from it.
Everything I tried at Stagolee’s was fantastically tasty and fresh. Which is something chef Ashley James is justifiably proud of, with the exception of the crinkle cut fries, everything is made from scratch. If the keylime pie is on the menu, be sure to have a slice. It’s a word apart from the catering fare you’ve probably had elsewhere. Prices are more than reasonable, 2 generous pieces of chicken for £5.95 and sides ranged from £3-£6
As well as all American dining, Stagolee’s is all American drinking too. They have 4 craft beers on draft and an enviable selection of US bourbons, whiskies and moonshine and if you’re stuck where to start, they do tasting flights! You’ll do well to remember that lot of the whiskies are for sipping, not knocking back.
If straight up shots are not for you then as well as a varied wine list, there’s a nice selection of cocktails available, I liked the Espresso Moontini but overall felt Ashley’s Hip complemented the heat of the chicken better. That said, I didn’t try the Stagecoach Mary; another reason to return I guess.
Stagolee’s Hot Chicken & Liquor Joint is currently open Wednesday to Sunday and has a website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram presence.
