The long-awaited chicken shop is officially open
That’s right, no longer are we watching the space on the corner of the main intersection at The Junction slowly come to life, because BIRDIE is officially open!
Opening on Tuesday the 23rd of August, the team behind BIRDIE opened up the doors to their modern chicken shop that will no doubt become a go-to in many Novocastrian's daily lunch lives.
Brought to you by the same team behind the Hamilton favourite pub, The Bennett, brothers Dan and Joel Turner, and fellow chicken-loving mate Tom Glenwright, BIRDIE is the culmination of years of building on the concept and the trio's love for good quality food!
Getting the hands on the iconic space in The Junction back in February this year, the team has been busily preparing the space and jumping over hurdles left, right, and centre to officially bring this venue to life.
Working with the ever so talented, Adrian de Boucherville of After Dark Design, the space is undoubtedly blooming beautiful. From the crisp white walls, the muted pastel colour palette, soft timber accents, and curved walls, the venue’s clever design is nothing short of schmick.
“We have just seen what Adrian’s been doing and specialising in the hospitality scene he was well suited. For this being a lot smaller space than the pub, we knew that the detailing needed to be on point and he’s someone that just really suits that bill. You can really see it with the details around the windows, the timber, the benchtops; there has been a lot of thought put into it,” Dan said.
Now onto the good stuff, what’s on the menu?
Focussing on being a traditional chicken shop, but with a slightly elevated offering, you can expect your typical chicken (or the birds as BIRDIE calls them) available in quarter, half, or whole sizes; all of which are high-quality locally sourced free-range chooks.
“We really wanted to focus on clean, healthy food made with fresh ingredients. Similar to your typical rotisserie chicken shops throughout Sydney, but we’re stepping up a few of the ingredients and a few of the concepts,” Tom said.
Treat yourself to a meal pack. Choose from bird and chips; bird and salad; schnitty, chips and gravy; or schnitty, salad, and gravy. You can even get your hands on two, three, or six pieces of fried chicken; yuuuuum.
The lil birdies (kids) haven’t been forgotten about with a selection of smaller meals including chicken nuggets and chips, chicken burger and chips, mac & cheese, and of course, a kids-sized shake!
It wouldn’t be a traditional chicken shop without burgers and rolls, so of course, you can expect a pretty decent selection of burgers including six chicken offerings, a beef burger, and one veggie burger!
The Junction-based foodie venue will also be slinging out a selection of salads made fresh daily which will be on display and available in small, medium, or large. Some goodies that you might see include…
Pea & Broccoli with red quinoa, almonds, edamame, avocado, pepitas, and apple cider vinegar; Kale & Charred Corn with pickled onion, hemp seeds, and pomegranate; Butternut & Rocket with white quinoa, dried cranberries, and toasted pepitas; and the Orzo Cauliflower with shallots, peas, coriander, spinach, feta, and preserved lemon vinegar.
“The food is appealing to the masses really, you know whether it’s a quarter chicken and chips, you know the quality’s going to be there, or if you’re going for a salad, it doesn’t really matter which way you venture, you know you’re in for a good meal,” Dan said.
We’re so excited to see these guys open be a part of the ever-growing foodie community here in Newcastle. Whether it’s a quick lunch pick-up or a dinner out with the family, a visit to BIRDIE is a must-do experience.
