Appalachia, London N1: ‘The chicken is like Sunday dinner on performance steroids’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Grace Dent's review for The Guardian highlights Appalachia, a newly opened restaurant near Old Street in London N1, as a unique and serious culinary venture, far from a themed bar. It specializes in authentic Appalachian regional cooking, drawing inspiration from the Scots-Irish mountain settlers of the eastern United States, who historically relied on smoking, pickling, and preserving techniques. Chef Ali Borer, despite not being Appalachian himself and having a background at establishments like Smoking Goat and Guy Ritchie’s Lore of the Land pub, is praised for his execution of this 'food of yesteryear.' The menu features traditional dishes such as grits, pork rinds, collard greens, kilt salad, chow-chow relish, and pot liquor. Dent particularly lauds the chicken, describing it as 'like Sunday dinner on performance steroids,' indicating a dish of exceptional flavor and quality that stands out as a must-try. The restaurant is presented as a significant addition to London's diverse food scene, offering a taste of a specific, often overlooked, American culinary heritage.