][1]Yesterday, we pointed up the fact that The Chip and Stravaigin are often up to something unusual. Well, they’re at it again. As of today, they have rook on the menu at The Ubiquitous Chip and both Stravaigin restaurants.
Rook, a pest to farmers, was a popular meat during wartime rationing. The bird can only be culled during an annual 2 week period as a part of a pest control programme on farms.
Supplies of the bird are expected to last until the middle of next week. Once it has gone, rook won’t be available again for another twelve months.
Since 2009, rook has made an annual appearance on the menu at Stravaigin, on Gibson Street. The dishes proved so popular they were quickly adopted at sister restaurant, The Ubiquitous Chip, in Ashton Lane.
Since its introduction, nearing a thousand people have tried a rook dish with demand always outstripping supply.
Colin Clydesdale, owner of Stravaigin and the Ubiquitous Chip said, ‘Rook is a very lean and tender meat. It isn’t as gamey as pheasant, more like pigeon.
‘Using the rooks just makes sense, it would be a shame if tasty and interesting birds killed for pest control went to waste. Our customers are always up for trying to something a little bit different.’