HERE’S a first world conundrum for you – is it justifiable to eat cheap fried chicken?

There was a time when The Gourmand might have stuffed your animal ethics up the proverbial cavity of a trussed-up, battery-farmed chicken.

After all, it all tastes the same after it’s been slopped in salty batter and submerged in the fryer, doesn’t it?

Well not exactly. There are undoubted crack-like properties in whichever miscellaneous fried chicken shop you prefer.

But the reality of it all is utterly horrific. Tens of thousands of the wretched blighters live 30 days in vast excrement-strewn sheds – that’s if they don’t stampede each other to death – before being gassed.

Sussex has its own role in grim factory farming with Buxted Chickens, later Grampian Chicken Factory, near Uckfield, the UK’s first intensive battery chicken farm and notoriously dubbed an “animal gulag”.

It’s enough to put you off that zinger tower burger, however perversely appealing it may be and it was the starting point for Hen restaurant, one of a new generation of higher-end chicken joints.

A vocal proponent of high welfare, Hen sources all its poultry from Brookland Farm in Surrey, where the birds are reared the old-fashioned outdoor way unlike what we understand as mass produced “free range” chicken.

It’s enough to put your mind at rest, a little bit at least. Dinner may still have died, but it enjoyed life before life came to a premature end.

Founded by Philip Ilic, an experienced hospitality manager, his father Peter Ilic owns Foodilic, as well as the opera-themed Little Bay group – though the Brighton branch closed down in disgrace earlier this year after hygiene lapses.

Hen’s a departure from these though, a stylish, modern place with a vivid yellow and grey colour scheme and a fashionable, stripped-back look designed by Philip’s sister Amy from reused materials.

Despite its prominent place in Trafalgar Street, home to popular predecessor cafés, it has not always appeared overburdened with customers.

This observation may will be deceiving though and a second restaurant has already opened in Islington after a crowdfunding campaign by the entrepreneurial Philip to expand the business.

The menu is graphically appealing and user friendly with the main choices based around grilled or fried chicken, a selection of burgers, wings and sides.

There are obvious limits to fried chicken but as well as talking the good talk on ethics, Hen smooths out all the nasty bits found in budget chicken shops.

So the flesh is succulent and has a depth of colour and flavour that makes it seem like a totally different species than the typical anaemic android poultry.

The batter is peppery, herby and actually crispy. For dipping the hot sauce is great – hot and fruity.

And of course it’s a great relief to able to concentrate on finger licking rather hand-wringing.

There’s no elegant way to eat chicken wings, particularly when they are liberally sauced up, so it’s a case of getting animalistic and wrapping your gnashers around them. They’re good, though The Gourmand prefers crispy wings.

The sweet potato fries are a great alternative to white potato and go very well with chicken, Hen’s crispy and liberally seasoned as they should be.

Corn on the cob is wonderfully sweet and charred and worth ordering a whole one.

And the slaw is more of a bowl of shredded lightly dressed salad, which is good really, as there isn’t really any justification for a load of mayo if you’re eating fried chicken.

There’s also breakfasts, brunches and waffles which keep things ticking for the morning café crowd and coffee for the laptop loners.

There are a few cocktails and craft beers for later and they also make their own lemonade. All in all it makes for a rounded, well-curated feed clearly indebted to the American South.

Let’s not carried away, this is simple food done well. You might be pleased but not surprised to get this at a good music festival vendor.

But there’s a clarity and consistency across the concept, from the food, design to the ethics, which makes Hen stand out.

Hen restaurant,  
87-88 Trafalgar Street,
Brighton

Food/drink - Four stars (Out of Five)
Restaurant - Four stars (Out of Five)
Service - Four stars (Out of Five)