They call it “awesome slaw” and it’s exactly that.

With the red cabbage and carrot base amped with bean shoots and currants, red onion and whole leaves of Italian parsley, the lot lightly dressed, it’s sweet and crunchy and has the perfect amount of juicy bite. It’s a side salad that could be the main event.

But Henrietta’s Slaw House doesn’t have quite the same ring about it, and admittedly misses the main point.
Henrietta’s is a chook shop, but it’s one that shares about as much with the charcoal chookery of the Sunday night dinners of our suburban youths as a Hawkers saison to wash it all down does with VB.

It’s fast food done with pride, care, and restaurant smarts from some smart restaurant brains indeed.

After spending a summer down in Queenscliff trialling their recipes, former Albert St Food & Wine founders Stuart Brookshaw and Ruth Giffney have opened their first – they hope of many – shops that draw on our collective love of classic charcoal chook.

But now that chicken is free range (Bannockburn) organic (Milawa) or even rare breed (ever-changing), the drinks cabinet is filled with cleverly curated all-Victorian wine and beers, and there’s even a barman shaking bush tomato bloody marys and single origin espresso martinis.

Clever? You bet, but it’s still a chook shop at heart so if you dine in the 90-seater restaurant instead of taking away, your chook pack will be served on an enamel tin plate after you’ve queued and ordered at the bar, though it will be delivered to your table admirably quickly, even when rush hour’s in full flight.

The rotisserie is the pride of the open kitchen, where at any one time a dozen or so birds are turning over white coals, and the chicken really is brilliant. Moist and tender soft, brilliantly seasoned with a rub of layered nuance, it’s real chicken that tastes of care every step of the way; as does the pot the finger lickin’ gravy that’s a must-have on the side.

That slaw is one of a changing roster of equally good-looking salads – a herb mayo’d potato salad, ancient grains et al – while herb-flecked, chicken salt-dusted crinkle cuts seal the deal.

It’s winner, winner, chicken dinner – and lunch – all the way. The slaw is just a bonus.