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Keeping the chooks on at Cookshop

Jane Ormond

Roast chicken roll with gravy and slaw.
Roast chicken roll with gravy and slaw. Simon Schluter

Modern Australian$$

Ah, the old work-life balance. For many chefs tied to the pass late into the night, it can seem like a dreamy mirage up there on the "maybe one day" horizon. For Andrew Logan, former head chef at the Newmarket and then Mamasita, it was the driver behind his decision to step back, take the summer off and reconfigure his career into something more lifestyle-friendly.

"Running a business has always interested me – I've studied business – so I knew it was always going to be that path, and I always wanted to do a local, casual takeaway," he says. While cruising around, looking for somewhere to set up shop, he came across a lovely old chicken shop on Queens Parade, Fitzroy North that was primed for a new owner, and Cookshop was born.

"I wasn't going to take the chicken away from the locals," he says, knowing what a reliable staple the neighbourhood chook shop is. What he did was bring it back with a chef's masterful touch.

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Fitzroy North's corner chicken shop lives again.
Fitzroy North's corner chicken shop lives again. Simon Schluter

Cookshop is a laidback little space; a corner shop sashed with leadlight windows and lined with a few low stools and benches for eating in and gazing out onto a grafittied bluestone laneway.

A handsome butcher's block is topped with help-yourself cutlery and a bowl of succulents, there's a housemade condiments station, a smoking rotisserie slowly turning and a bain marie showcasing all manner of steamy goodness – a tray of roasted chats, potato gratin, heavy on sweet leeks instead of cream and cheese, a glistening roast of the day and hunks of charry wood barbecued carrots, brussels and onions.

Rotisserie chicken is the main game here – it's juicy and moist, the skin flamed to a deep, dark lacquer. Aware that locals are still concerned with price point, Logan offers the choice of La Ionica or Bannockburn birds. You can get your chook with veg or a salad that's dressed to order. We're not talking a begrudging Greek with three token olives placed like a decoy on top here. We're talking barbecued eggplant with sesame, rocket and tahini crema, or buckwheat and broccoli with mandarin and feta.

Half rotisserie chicken with cauliflower cous cous salad.
Half rotisserie chicken with cauliflower cous cous salad. Simon Schluter
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For a hearty take-home dinner, you can get a whole bird with your choice of sides, but locals are already proving keen on the daily specials – the kind of old-school dishes his mum used to make, like a smoky rich beef goulash with spatzle and sour cream.

For a quick lunch, the "on the roll" menu features the meat of the day – lamb shoulder one day, pork ribs the next – with gravy and slaw, as well as a beef burger, a crumbed chicken breast with salad or a simple cold chicken, iceberg and mayo combo. Logan picks up the crusty rolls and soft white buns (straight up, no brioche) from the bakery at Piedimonte's first thing every morning.

Cookshop has only just started, but already Logan has plans for the summer, expanding the offering to homemade drinks, prepped meals in the fridge and a catering option.

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