It’s been a great year so far in my food journey, I have been trying to visit a broader range of restaurants and explore different types of places and try dishes that I normally wouldn’t go for. This includes restaurants that don’t offer halal options, so allows me to check out seafood and veg dishes.
Below is a rundown of some of my most memorable, best tasting and favourite things I’ve eaten this year. It’s in reverse chronological order.
1. Amazing fluffy pancakes with turkey rashers, Brioche Burger, £7.95
I loved the odd combination of the sweetness from the pancakes and maple syrup with the taste of the turkey rashers. It reminded me of the maple glazed beef bacon from Stax. The flavour mix of the fat from the turkey and sweet maple was one of delight for my taste buds. They are soo filling as well.
2. Pumpkin in makhani sauce, Kricket Soho, £8
They don’t have any halal meat or chicken options, but you don’t need it when you have this dish. If you like the taste of a rich, sweet creamy butter chicken sauce you will love this. The pumpkin was soft and the texture of this dish was great. Highly recommended.
3. Rhug Estate lamb shoulder, pea, mint, 2* Marcus Chefs Table (£85 5 courses)
Taking halal food to the next level. This is what a lamb dish looks like when cooked by an award-winning 2-star Michelin chef @thefroydenlunds
4. Lamb Chops from Jamavar, £26
These lamb chops from @jamavarlondon were something else. Just on another level. At a (pricey) £8 per chop, it’s hard to find a better lamb chop out there.
5. Goats Cheese and Honey
I had a lot of nice food from Skewd when I visited, but my first time trying goat cheese and honey was a memorable one. Just loved the way the flavours worked together. Read the full review here
6. Pretty much everything from The Great Chase
Everything I ate was great. The Chicken was so soft and tender, how they managed this with chicken breast really baffled me, this is what you get when you use Free-range, corn-fed chicken it gives a notable mark of quality. The same goes for the Duck breast.
It’s so rare to see a restaurant that offers up halal eaters a chance experience this type of cuisine. The food here is different and might be a first time for some readers. I really want to urge you to go.
7. Singapore Crab, Fancy Crab, £34.50
Before eating this, I’ve actually never had crab, the Singapore Chilli Crab pictured had a sweet and chill flavour and it’s not even made with coconut milk. No idea how the chef got that taste. The crab meat is sweet and really tasty, better than lobster in my opinion. Be warned, the price is this dish is £34.50 alone. (I got it for half price during a soft launch)
8. Kale Chaat from Talli Joe, £5.50
Crispy kale, potato, pomegranate, sweet yoghurt so good.
9. The best Pasta I’ve had from Pasta Brown, £14
Some proper good authentic and delicious Italian food from Pasta Brown. There’s no halal meat/chicken, but the focus here is on Seafood. So good
Just make sure you ask your pasta not to be cooked with any wine etc.
10. Delicious Lamb Ribs from Bintang, £14
I can tell you the these braised lamb ribs were amazing. Super soft and tender the feel off the bone. Marinated in star anise, cloves, cinnamon and coated in BBQ sauce. I’m telling you these are a must try.
crispy kale, potato, pomegranate, sweet yoghurt
11. Lamb Burger from Baba G’s
I was at the Alchemy festival at Southbank. 27 food stalls, most have halal food. I tried a few things but I loved this burger from Baba G’s. Tasted so good! You can find out more here https://www.bhangraburger.com/
12. Perfectly cooked Scallops from the quirky TWID
I was asked to check out a quirky new restaurant that features a live opera singer while you eat. However, there were no halal meat options on the menu so I was a bit reluctant to visit. Despite this, it turned out to have the best non-meat based dishes I’ve had.
Since having Scallops for the first time I can say I’ve now had it at 7 different places including Gordon Ramsey’s 3 star, but these stand out for me.
13. Everything from my favourite Hankies Cafe
My most visited restaurant, at the time of writing – I’ve been 10 times! On each visit, the food has been great. The lamb chops are just so good – and a lot cheaper than the ones above from Jamavar.
14. Pulled beef from Humus Lina
So I’m not a big fan of Hummus so I really wasn’t expecting much but wow, @hummuslina you really make some amazing food. I got the salted beef hummus with salad and chilli as well as a grilled mushroom one for a friend. Absolutely delicious food. The slow-cooked beef was just amazing and it went perfectly with the grilled pita bread.
15. Grilled Lamb from De cafe Lounge.
I visited this café in Barking right at the start of the Year and tried this Grilled lamb dish. Pictured is a piece of lamb from the mix steak grill with chips and onion gravy with salad for £7.50. I was not expecting much but I was pretty much blown away with how GOOD THE LAMB IS. The taste of the grill and the marinated lamb was out of this world. Very very impressed. So tender and soft.
Extras..
Just a few notable mentions.
Lamb Box from Pilau
I have to include the Lamb Box from Pilau on my list, they normally run out by lunch, so if you find yourself around Oxford St at lunch pop in and make sure you get one!
Poke Bowl, Honi Poke
