First-time restaurateur to open piri piri chicken restaurant in Chelsea

Fire and Feathers aims to reflect casual Portuguese dining, with a menu revolving around chicken and fiery piri piri sauce. Deighton is a newcomer to the industry who previously spent 10 years working in the city.

All about the chicken​

Deighton was inspired to start a restaurant after spending summer holidays in the Algarve discovering his love of piri piri chicken.

He said: “I absolutely love the Algarve area of Portugal, I’ve been going there since I was 13 and the quality and the taste of the piri piri chicken out there simply doesn’t exist in London. I wanted to change that.”

Fire and Feathers will focus on chicken, and the restaurant intends to use only specially sourced small style chicken from within the UK for optimum flavour. The chicken is served with three different types of seasonings: garlic, piri piri and Dynamite (extra hot). Ingredients will be sourced locally where possible.

Deighton said: “I want people to come to the restaurant for the chicken, that’s what I want to be known for. The way we cook it and the style we serve it in, I think it’s very unique.”

Site and design​

Fire and Feathers is split over two storeys with a ground-level bar and restaurant that seats 45-50 people and a semi-open kitchen and dining area for 15-20 people on the first floor.

Deighton said: “Finding the site was a long and difficult process, I was very keen for it to be in an area of London I know well. The restaurant there before wasn’t in great shape, but the first time I walked in it felt like the right place. There are also very few, if any, other restaurants on Fulham Road that specialise in chicken.”

The restaurant’s design scheme uses upcycled and sustainable materials with repurposed floorboards and a patchwork of vintage ceramic tiles from Portugal. The original fabric of the building has been exposed to reveal fireplaces, brickwork, metal joists and wooden beams.

Fun, informal atmosphere​

The menu is simple and concise including just four starters, four mains and four desserts, with sharing platters being prominent. The bar aims to offer affordable drinks with a menu featuring six house cocktails from £6.95 and a wine list that offers six red and six white wines along with rose and sparkling varieties.

Deighton said: “The general vibe I’m going for is a fun, informal atmosphere where people can hang out and enjoy themselves. I’m much more into a casual ambience than a fine dining one.”

On the subject of expansion, Deighton said: “I absolutely would open more sites but there’s not any time span on that. At the moment I’m concentrating on this restaurant, making sure it’s successful and people enjoy it. But when I’m in a good position then expanding would be important to me.

“I love doing this, every day is a challenge but I feel genuinely passionate about the food that we’re making and I can’t wait to open.”