Nottingham is saturated with fried chicken from the big boys KFC, Jollibee and Popeyes to locally-owned takeaways. But one of the newest spots in the city with the ultimate comfort food on the menu is unique.
Firstly, it doesn't serve wings, mini fillets or popcorn chicken. Secondly, there are some pretty out-there flavours, and, thirdly it's the brainchild of a chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Mollis is a passion project for Alex Bond bringing together three of his loves - good quality fried chicken, soft serve ice cream and hip hop. It's located next door to his fine dining restaurant Alchemilla in Derby Road, and that's where we spot him on Saturday night as we walk past so he won't be the one cooking our dinner.
Poll: What is Nottinghamshire's best fish and chip shop?
At Mollis, the former white uPVC door has been replaced by a blue graffitied entrance, with the restaurant name subtlety daubed there in the mix of artwork. Inside is buzzing with a lively crowd - and I'm instantly struck, and distracted, by more colourful graffiti on the walls, not least a cartoon rooster, as we're shown to our table near the bar.
It feels like we're in a concrete bunker, not on Derby Road. It's cool, comfortable and fun. We access the menu via a QR code on the table.
As well as classic cocktails, beers and wines, is a number of signature drinks. I'm game to try anything different but with unconventional ingredients such as split hay cream tequila, lovage vermouth, acid blend, artichoke caramel and Alchemilla absinthe it takes some contemplation.
In the end, I go for banana and miso rum, chocolate vodka, lime juice, banana consommé. I can safely say it's like no other cocktail I've tried.
My worries that it might be sicky are unfounded. The earthy miso and lime juice tone down the sweetness, giving it quite a unique and complex flavour, layer upon layer. It's definitely one to sip slowly and appreciate rather than glug.
Clearly a lot of thought has gone into balancing the unusual contents and the ice cube with a chicken's comb is a quirky touch. My other half's Wiper and True (£6) is a refreshing Helles-type lager, one of six on the list of beers that also includes Endless Summer from Nottingham's Black Iris brewery.
So to the food menu. It's not your common or garden fried chicken. This is proper posh chicken with serious flavours. The menu explains that free-range chicken thighs are used. They're brined in shio koji - I have to Google that and putting it simply it's a Japanese condiment used for marinating that's a white lumpy paste, like very loose rice pudding.
It can cause a pinkish tinge - I don't notice it myself - so diners are reassured it is cooked through and checked with a temperature probe. I think it's supposed to make the meat tender - and it does.
There are seven different flavours to choose from - something from all the continents such as Asian-inspired sea buckthorn nahm jim and fermented cabbage, South American chimichurri and a very British take with cauliflower cheese and truffle.
Gochujang buffalo, blue cheese and pineapple chicken has all the magic words for me. It's a good-sized portion (but so it should be for £12). There's no paper wrappers or buckets in sight. Instead it's presented in one of those white enamel dishes that have come back into fashion on a metal tray.
One bite packs a punch - a big wallop that's spicy, sweet, salty, sharp and creamy, all working in perfect harmony. It's a knife and fork job not something you'd eat with your hands. Told you it was posh.
The meat's good quality and succulent, with a decent crispy coating. I've chosen well. My other half's Sichuan hot oil sandwich tastes good but the oil makes the bun slightly soggy.
We share parmesan fries £6) which had a good texture and plenty of cheese - and are even better dipped in a pot of pickle gravy (£2). We add another side of charred brassicas (£7). Brassicas might sound exotic but it's just the family name for vegetables including broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
What could have just been a plate of greens is pepped by the gooey yolk of a boiled egg. The menu mentions dried shrimp as well but my taste buds have been obliterated by the intensely flavoured chicken... not that I'm complaining. We ordered some chicken skin mayo out of curiosity (£2) but it just tasted like any other mayo, beaten into submission by the more powerful gochujang.
Bond has chosen hip hop as the background music at Mollis and the reservation reminder email warns diners that from 8pm the music will contain 'explicit language.' I can neither confirm nor deny as the restaurant's buzzing chit-chat drowns it out.
The other key part of Mollis is the soft serve ice cream. Forget vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, this is serious grown-up stuff in favours such as Jerusalem artichoke, spent coffee caramel and hazelnuts and rhubarb, liquorice, tarragon and meringue.
We're stuffed but we have to try it, so we share a tub of chocolate, rye whiskey and French toast. While it doesn't look the prettiest, it's smooth, rich, luxuriously thick and creamy. The crunchy bits of French toast add to the pure pleasure.
The bill comes to just over £81. The price is the biggest complaint I've seen in Mollis reviews but arguably it is high-welfare chicken and a heck of a lot of skill has gone into creating these weird and wonderful combinations.
To put it into context we'd recently been out for a curry that set us back £70 but was nowhere near as enjoyable or memorable. If you want cheap chicken, which many do, there are plenty of alternatives but when it comes to something different Mollis (excuse the pun) rules the roost.
READ NEXT:
