Page 14 – Halal Food Guy

The Frog (Closed)

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December 27, 2021

Lately, I have been trying to expand the range of restaurants I visit and try new and different things. Normally with halal food, it’s either burgers, Indian or Turkish, so last year after some research I wrote about 48 alternative halal restaurants. On this list is a modern British restaurant called the frog and always wanted to go, but never got around to it.

But, after watching every episode of ‘Masterchef: The Professionals 2017’ I really wanted to try something like the food I saw on the show, and what better place than a restaurant where the head chef finished 4th this year on Masterchef.

The restaurant is from Award Winning chef, Adam Handling, who was a finalist on Masterchef a few years back.

*the non halal items where changed for halal ones.

I saw an offer on Twitter for January, five courses for £39 Inc. a drink and I couldn’t pass on it. I rounded up some adventurous foodies, pre-ordered halal, booked a table for four and counted the days.

The restaurant is located off Brick Lane, opposite the infamous Mother Clucker. It’s split into two areas, the main dining area – a modern open space with a good atmosphere that looks into the kitchen and a cosy area that is more relaxed and warm.

We sat on swing chairs, the tables were rustic, and despite the cold outside, the warm glow of the heating made sure we didn’t feel the cold.

We were met by Ferenc, the restaurant manager. He is getting a mention here as I have to really comment about his service and knowledge when it came to halal food.

He explained that the meat is from a halal supplier so doesn’t require pre-ordering. However, it is not certified. If guests require certification then they can request it, but it needs a few days notice.

Next, he was very knowledgeable about what was halal and not for us. He went through each dish and said what was okay for us, for example, some desserts use alcohol or the gelatin is made from beef which not halal. He did this without asking and made some substitutions where needed.

Okay. Time to talk about the food!

The meal comes with a drink, in the halal case, we got to chose any soft drink we wanted, I asked for anything sweet and got a nice refreshing mocktail.

Chicken Butter

We started with chicken butter, guess butter infused with chicken, Halal of course. This was more than just a pre-starter or bread and butter, the butter was rich and had a very nice flavour of chicken – a simple but nice start.

Celeriac, yolk, apple, dates

There was a rawness about the dish in terms of textures and taste, but the magic was that it was all brought together in such a well thought out and well-refined manner. You get to experience a journey of spice, crunch, cream, fluffy eggs, melt in your mouth dates and a whole lot more. It may look simple, but each mouthful took you on a different trip through flavour town.

9/10

Pollack, limestone potato, crab, reddish.

The dish can only be described as simple but elegant. The Pollack was cooked to perfection, light, delicate and soft. The skin had an incredible kick and crunch which complimented the dish well. The rest of the elements of the dish were so gentle in my mouth it sent me into a little cloudy daze.

8.5/10

Beef rump, sour cream, artichokes, black garlic.

The beef itself was juicy and tender and cooked to perfection; a strong staple. However, the other elements of the dish had a life of their own and added a real spark to bring the whole thing to life. Despite being a meat dish, I could happily eat this without the beef.

The artichokes and the accompanying sauces had such a deep rich sweet earthy flavour. This was one of my TOP all time dishes.

10/10

We got some pre-dessert treats, for an additional £3 supplement, we added cheese doughnuts.

Imagine fluffy clouds made of doughnut oozing with rich cheese. I’m not even a cheese fan but this was sooo good.

We then got a complimentary pre-dessert treat called,Beetroot, beetroot and more beetroot (guess what’s in it?); have you ever had an explosion of beetroot in your mouth. This was an intense zingy hit of freshness.

Dessert

The dessert was a vegan dark chocolate tofu with a raspberry granita which was actually a lovely dessert and a perfect way to end the meal. The ultimate compliment to the dish was the fact you would never be able to tell it was Vegan and you would probably choose it over other desserts.

Every ingredient felt like it had a purpose on the plate, all the subtle flavour profiles worked in perfect harmony creating a symphony of delicious notes in each dish. (That’s the fanciest sentence I’ve ever written). The tasting menu is a great way to really enjoy the chef’s creativity. The food had a sense of story and theatre, and each dish was introduced by a chef who came to the table to tell us the background and thought behind each dish.

If you have ever wanted to try a dining experience that captures the imagination then head to The Frog. The restaurant is excellent in every sense; the dishes are creative, brave, and experiential. The service was outstanding and their knowledge of providing us with food that met our strict halal requirements was second to none. It’s a restaurant where they care about every tiny detail, even to the level of matching their plates to echo the story of the dish. Service was great, the gaps between each course was perfect.

I’ve eaten at Gordon Ramsay Hospital Road, Marcus, The Ledbury, Core and many other high end British/European restaurants and without question, this was one my best, in fact, it was one of the best meals I’ve had. Ever. I just loved it.

This review was co-written with my friend from TheHalalCityLife who joined me on this review, check out his instagram here.

Etles Uyghur

Chinese

Halal Food Guy

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April 16, 2018

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I love discovering new places to eat and Etles is a small family run restaurant in Walthamstow that can be described as an absolute gem. The restaurant serves up food from the Uyghur region in China. The food is a nice fusion of Turkish and Chinese cuisines. From the outside, the place looks like a cheap, run of the mill restaurant. Inside, it’s no frills, with simple decor and random artwork scattered over the walls. It really did remind me of travelling in a foreign country and finding a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

The menu features pictures of each dish, which is helpful as almost every dish was a totally new discovery, I didn’t recognise any names and you won’t find your sweet and sour chicken here, no. What you do find is a little overwhelming and confusing set of choices ahead of you, in a good way.

Menus

Here is what we ordered.

Dishes came with either a very basic pasta or rice and come with a free cold spring roll type thing…

To start I went for something that looked familiar, lamb shish!

Uyghur sis kebab, £2 each

When they first landed on the table I was a bit worried as they looked dry, but these were great. The spices they were marinated in really worked and it had familiar flavours but also some spices that I couldn’t put my finger on. They were also very soft and tender, but also a little fatty, which would indicate the use of a cheaper cut of lamb, but then again, the fat is where all the flavour is!

8/10

The Da Pan Ji – £25.00

This is the signature dish, a real showstopper when it lands on the table. If you like spicy food you will like this. A massive plate of chicken cooked with chillies, bell peppers, potatoes, garlic, ginger, soya sauce and other fresh herbs, served with homemade pasta. They really didn’t hold back on the use of chillies here, it was a very hot and spicy dish albeit a little too spicy for me.

Although this as a dish didn’t have many levels of flavour, for me it was a dish worth trying. The chicken was cooked with the skin still on, which is different, meaning it was quite fatty and used the cheaper cuts.

Good for groups, I saw some regulars come in and just order this between 4 people.

6/10

Ma Po Tofu £10.00

Consists of tofu set in a spicy sauce. I was not a fan of this dish, the flavour and spices didn’t really work for me.

5/10

Yu Xiang Rou Si £9.00

Marinated shredded beef with mix shredded vegetables and mixed herbs.This was one of the better dishes, good flavours and it felt like a more typical item of a Chinese restaurant.

7.5/10

We got a complimentary homemade dessert at the end of the meal, a simple honey based cake that was a nice end to the meal.

Some dishes we liked and some we didn’t. I came here with a group of foodies that signed up to my new secret foodie club. I had a great night with them, we all thought that it was worth coming back again and try some other items.

The bill was only £55, for 5 people, which includes drinks, bare in mind, drinks are only £1!

The service is very friendly, at the end of my meal the owner came to talk to me and was really excited and happy and even gave me a hug, a friend of hers called her and said I was there (as i posted on instagram while there).

I am definitely going to come back here again it was really nice to try something totally different. Although it was not amazing food, it was enjoyable. What’s better is that everything is halal and there is no alcohol served here.

Chicken Shop

Chicken

Halal Food Guy

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January 24, 2018

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If you see a chicken shop right in the heart of Mile End it’s safe to think it’s halal, that’s what I thought when I asked a hipster chicken shop in back in 2016, but back then they said they were not halal. I guess I wasn’t the only one asking since then as they gave into the demand and found a halal Chicken supplier.

So I decided to go and check it out, I kept it pretty simple and just went for a whole Rotisserie Chicken with 2 sides.

With Nandos being down the road, you can ask yourself why would you pay almost double for some chicken??. Well, the chicken here is GOOD, like really good. When I took my first bite of chicken which arrives pre-cut (makes it quicker to shove it down my mouth) I could tell that it was quality. It had been marinated for 24 hours, then steamed, then cooked over a wooden charcoal grill which helped the chicken take on extra flavours.

It was tender, juicy and very tasty. The crispy skin also packed loads of flavour, you didn’t really need sauces, but it comes with 2 house sauces. There was enough for two of us, so much in fact that I was able to take some away and enjoy it at work for lunch the next day.

The sweet potato fries were an of a high quality, crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle. Just how it’s meant to be.

I also did order a chicken burger, however, I did not enjoy it and sent it back. The chicken itself was too hot and the bun barely toasted, so the contrasts in temperatures didn’t make it taste that nice.

Overall, Yes, it costs more than Nandos, but good quality chicken should cost more as it costs more to produce. When you factor in the taste and flavours its worth it, I think 3 people could share a whole chicken as long as you portion control.

Brioche Burger (Closed)

Halal Food Guy

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September 29, 2020

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It’s not normal for me to write a review after visiting a place 5 times but alas, here we are. Brioche Burger originally opened up in 2015 in Green Street and I visited there a few times with different results each time.

They moved to Walthamstow after about 2 years in Green Street, where the rents were very high. Once moving to Walthamstow they managed to hire a very experienced a skilled chef who has worked in Michelin starred kitchens.. and the food here shows.

I waited around a year once they moved before I visited and once I visited I went back 3 times in the space of as many weeks. I have tried the brunch menu 3 times and the dinner/main menu twice.

I’ll start with the Breakfast and Brunch Menu. Yes, my first breakfast review!

BRUNCH

The first time I went I got the full English, but it was not the greasy classic I was expecting. The food was of good quality, 2 free range eggs, beef sausage patty, beef rashers, panko mushrooms, spinach balls which were great, smokey beans not classic baked beans, cherry tomatoes and sourdough toast.

8/10

Pancakes

After I ate these, I couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing these fluffy delicious pancakes with turkey rashers were. Like days and weeks after, I was still dreaming about them.

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. There are soo filling as well .

It was without doubt one of the best things I ate in 2017. (I’ve had this twice)

10/10

You can also get them with bananas, blueberries and greek yoghurt.

Egg Royale

Because there was a 50% off offer me and my friend got greedy and decided to get this, despite being full on pancakes! It was good, but not the best, maybe I was too full and couldn’t appreciate it. The hollandaise sauce had a strong citric taste, but the eggs were cooked on point.

DINNER

I came back here during the week, once again there was another offer on, steak Tuesdays, 50% off on steaks. (I also went back on another day, I think it was for my birthday with the family)

Burgers

Hand of the King, £7.95

6oz – beef patty, sautéed onions, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, gherkin, smothered in signature sauce

Reminded me of a Big Mac, simple, good taste a quality burger

8/10

Lone Ranger, £10.95

6oz Angus beef patty – crispy fried onions, American cheese, and our homemade spicy bbq sauce

Here’s the Lone Ranger, a delicious fatty Angus beef patty with crispy onions. Loved it. Cooked on a flat top grill and with a steam dome locking in that flavour. A simple burger with loads of taste.

Was an issue with the onions being stale but they resolved the issue without any fuss and made a brand new batch of onions and a new burger. A very good burger which features in my top 5

9/10

Super Saiyan, £14.99

6oz wagyu beef – Monterey jack cheese, pepper relish, crispy cabbage, egg yolk curls, olive dust and red pepper mayo

The super Saiyan Wagyu burger is one of the most complex and well-thought burgers I’ve had. Every bite provided different flavours, so many textures. Highly recommended.

9/10

Steak

A few years ago, steaks were hard to find, now its easier to find. Brioche Burger does it well. If I were to list my favourite places Meat Co and Zelman meats would take the top 2 spots. This would come in a respectable 3rd.

SIRLOIN, £23.95

10oz – 21 Day Dry-aged Aberdeen Angus

I ordered my steak medium, I wanted rib-eye, but they had run out so I got the Sirlion. I ordered mine medium.

The steak here is sous vide, meaning its cooked at a controlled temperature in a water bath, the raw meat is sealed in a bag and cooked in the water.

It’s then placed finish on the grill. This makes the meat very tender and juicy and I could really tell the difference.

It also came with some veggies on the side, in particular, the creamy mash was AMAZING.

8.5/10

Overall, Brioche Burger have a skilled head chef and continue to improve and develop their menu and food. I really like that the owner takes on board feedback and really wants to make sure the food is of high quality. If you do go here and something is not right, tell the staff, they fix things straight away.

Its now become one of my favourite places to eat. The restaurant has a good amount of seats and some retro decor, they have some exposed original tiles that date back to the 1920’s but it looks dated rather than retro in some areas. Service is casual and relaxed, any issues are always resolved without fuss.

Mother Clucker

Street Food

Halal Food Guy

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January 2, 2018

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Let’s keep this as simple as possible.

Where is it?
A food truck located in Brick Lane, Camden and a few other food markets

What is it?
A food truck that serves up fried chicken and chips.

Why should I go?
Quite simply it’s the most tender, juicy, delicious and BEST fried chicken I’ve ever had.

I don’t need to say anymore, just go and try it.

Review done. Mother Clucker serves halal chicken, free range.

Prices change –

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Drunch Regents Park

Halal Food Guy

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April 16, 2018

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Date of Visit: 24th November

Drunch Regent’s Park is the second and new restaurant off the back of the first Drunch that opened off Oxford Street. This 2nd restaurant is situated in an odd location, it’s found within a residential area and well away from the station and high street.

The restaurant draws in on the rich foreign Arab crowd that like to spend money on the Muslim man’s beer, shisha. Split into 2 areas one the restaurant and one the shisha lounge, I visited the restaurant on a Friday night to find it quiet with only 4 tables being occupied.

Drinks

We started with drinks, with no drinks menu and a focus on alcoholic drinks I was a little confused.

There was no halal drinks menu, but we were told that they can make Mocktails. So without an actual menu, I went for a classic Mojito and a Shirley temple…

Both drinks where poor and I do not recommend. No balance in sweetness or flavours. In fact, even though I asked for a classic I was given a weak passion fruit Mojito.

4/10

Starters

For the starters, we decided to try the meat box. At an eye-popping 30 quid, it seemed like a decent starter, 3 mini burgers or sliders, chips and fried chicken strips

The curried chicken slider was the best, even though I swear it was lamb, tasted like lamb, but the menu says chicken. But the issue was the price, I don’t think one can justify the £30 price point. Just didn’t seem to be value for money.

6/10

For mains, I opted for the steak, medium rare and also the lamb shank.

Although it looks well made, the steak was served medium well, closer to well done. At this point, I would have sent it back, but because the meal was complimentary I couldn’t be bothered. Secondly, our server didn’t return to check on us. The other reason was that I wasn’t that hungry. So because of this I didn’t eat the steak, only tried one overcooked dry piece

No Score

The lamb was by far my favourite dish of the night. A tasty and tender piece of lamb that fell off the bone with minimal effort.

The dish had a simple flavour profile with the focus on the roasted tomato working with the lamb gravy. The accompanying mash potato was creamy and had a light texture and tasted good.

Because I enjoyed this dish I wasn’t too bothered with the delivery of a medium well steak.

8.5/10

Desserts

Desserts were unimaginative and lazy. Not recommended. They seemed to be store bought and not very enjoyable.

3/10

Service was disappointing, based on the price of food and the decor I expected attentive and assertive staff, it felt like the staff couldn’t be bothered. When I mentioned the steak was overdone there was no attempt to make it right. (but I was really bothered, just a shame the entire steak went to waste)

*I was invited to eat here and the meal was on the house

Bombay Bustle

Indian

Halal Food Guy

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April 15, 2018

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Another new Indian restaurant that offers up quality smalls plates which seems to be the trend now. When got the email about this place and learnt that it was from the team behind Jamavar I was like, I have to go!. This place is similar to other new Indian restaurants like Dishroom, Talli Joe, Cinnamon Bazar and my favourite Hankies Cafe, to name a few.

The restaurant itself is split over 2 floors, the top floor is relaxed recreates an Indian Bombay train carriage from colonial back in the daytimes and the downstairs elements dining room more a fancy dining room on a train carriage, they have spent time and effort into the decor to better the ambience of the restaurant.

The menu is split into small plates, tandoor and curries with a lot of choice in each area and a range of dishes to choose from.

I kept it simple and went for a modest 5 dishes.

Samosa Papdi Chaat, £6

A Vegetable Samosa which was topped with Wheat Crisp, Sev, Mint Chutney, tamarind sauce and yoghurt. I liked this chaat, a tasty samosa and the flavours of the tamarind were balanced.

7.5/10

Adipoli Prawns, £9

Soft tender prawns cooked with Garlic, Curry Leaves and Fresh Turmeric. A simple dish but a good one, the flavours were not overpowering but I felt that the presentation could have been better.

8/10

Recheado Fish Tikka, £10

One of my favourite dishes ever is the stonebass tikka from Jamavar, so I had high expectations from this dish. This dish had a strong fish taste and smell because it used mackerel, which to be honest I am not a fan of, a little too strong for my liking, the Goan spices felt a little raw and although the fish was cooked well, I was not keen on the overall taste. The accompanying garnish felt like they were just thrown on without any thought.

Rarah Keema Pao £8

A classic Indian street food dish, mince goats meat used here, cooked in spices and served on a Pao, which is like a mini bun. I was pleased with the portion amount but felt that the dish lacked enough depth in flavour.

7/10

Dum Nalli Biryani, £18

The disappoint of the night was this OVERPRICED and average lamb Biryani. At this price was expecting a dish to blow my socks off, but all I got was the underwhelming sense of dissatisfaction. It just did not justify the price, the spices and aromatics were mild and the lamb tender, but not enough texture or flavour for me.

I regretted ordering this and afterwards thought if I wanted a £18 Biryani I should’ve gone to Dum Biryani in Soho that specializes in this dish and does it well.

5/10

Overall, Bombay Bustle is a welcomed addition to the halal food scene, it’s ideal for a catch up with a friend or in a medium size group where you can share plates. The service was good, but a little slow and inattentive at times.

Would I return? Yes, but in a group of at least 4 so I could share plates and try other dishes.

The total was £57, inc service, no drinks, 5 dishes, 2 people.

CORE by Clare Smyth

Halal Food Guy

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September 29, 2020

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Date of Visit: 26 September 2017

I visited Core by Claire Smyth after visiting Gordon Ramsay Hospital Road (GRH) (A 3-star Michelin restaurant) a few weeks earlier. What’s the relevance of mentioning GRH? Well, Claire Smyth was Chef Patron from 2012 to 2016 and he became the first female British chef to hold and retain three Michelin stars. She left in 2016 to and opened up her own restaurant.

I sat at the chef’s table and booked the tasting menu at £95. The service was excellent and the evening began with a positive start with some good snacks.

Menus

Snacks

1st Course / Isle of Mull scallop

The standout dish on the whole menu was the scallops which were amazing, cooked inside the shell, and the bread served came in handily to soak up that delicious sauce.

It’s at this point the evening took a turn for the worse. With each course, the flavour and taste of the food went downhill with each dish.

2nd Course / Charlotte potato
dulse beurre blanc, herring and trout roe

The potato was bland and lacked creativity and imagination. The ingredients didn’t work well together at all. I was just in a state of bewilderment that I was eating a baked potato!

3rd Course / Skate
Morecambe bay shrimps, Swiss chard, brown butter

The Morecambe bay shrimps fell flat so quickly. At first, there was mild flavour but then just went lifeless with each bite.

4th Course – braised carrot
sheep’s milk yoghurt

I got the pescatarian menu, so received a carrot dish with no lamb. I was stunned with how dull and lazy this dish was. It was just a carrot with some garnish on top. It was almost embarrassing and my fellow diners who had the lamb said I didn’t miss anything.

5th Course – Celeriac
hazelnuts and consommé

The worst dish of the night was the celeriac. It had an unpleasantly bitter aftertaste and was lifeless. This was sent back when our server saw my displeasure. At this point, I just couldn’t believe how boring and tasteless the food was. I really was not in the best mood

As a replacement, they send out another dish. I got a turnip dish instead which again was poor. I didn’t enjoy the flavours or taste of this. A dish that didn’t work at all and I didn’t finish this.

Most of the dishes I had just felt like a mishmash of expensive ingredients thrown together that did not work well each other.

Desserts

The main dessert was the Pear and Verbena which just didn’t feel right with the time of the season, too Summery for late September. However, I did enjoy the lemon flavoured texture of the meringue.

Don’t expect your taste buds to go on any type of journey here. Nothing apart from the scallops was worth it. Also, the pacing of the meal was off, the gaps between courses were too long. We arrived at 8 pm and had to ask for the bill before the final course. On a plus point, they managed to give every member of my party a separate bill.

Despite sitting at the chef’s table, we weren’t asked if we enjoyed the food, I guess they don’t care about feedback. Service was excellent throughout the night and we even got individual bills.

The 9-course tasting meal cost £106 inc service with no drinks. I felt robbed.Having been to Hospital Road and Marcus the same month, those 2 restaurants were a much better food experience.

Penang! (Closed)

Malaysian

Halal Food Guy

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September 29, 2020

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Date of Visit: 12th October 2017

If I had to pick my favourite region for cuisine it would be Malaysian. I love the food – packed full of flavour, spices and always smells amazing. The food combines Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisine, what’s not to like. I’ve been to Malaysia 3 times and I love eating food over there.

Most of the Malaysian restaurants in London are in the Bayswater area and I have been to most of them, my favourite restaurant for Malaysian is Banana Tree. In fact, it’s one of my favourite places to eat and I still have never given it a review here!

Okay, sorry I have waffled on again, Penang is located in Shepherds Bush and is a few doors down from the popular Meat Co. So not an ideal stop to draw the halal crowd with such a heavyweight competition so close.

The restaurant is spacious and had a modern and comfortable atmosphere, like a nice cafe.

Drinks

I started the night with Mocktails, something I no longer order much, but I decided to go for some.

Both were not up to Scratch for me, the strawberry did not have the right balance of sweetness and taste to it. The pina colada suffered the same fate, too much pineapple. Average would be a word to describe both drinks. 5/10

Starters

The crispy squid, light and crispy with a decent portion size as well. Not always easy to get right, but the squid was not rubbery and tasted good and went well with the sauce that came with it. 7.5/10

The chicken satay was really good. It wasn’t dry as what usually happens with chicken breast but tender and had good flavour. The peanut sauce was always really good and enhanced the way it tasted. 8/10

Roti Paratha

Honestly, I can’t even recall this dish. Brilliant blogging right?

Mains

My favourite Malaysian dish is beef rendang. I always get it whenever I see it on a menu. Having also tried and failed at cooking it myself I know it’s not easy.

But I saw it on the menu here on its own and served alongside the nasi lemak, one of the most popular of Malaysian foods so I thought I’d get that.

The beef tasted good and I liked the texture and consistency, although I felt it lacked enough depth in flavour. 6.5/10

We also got a roast chicken, however for some reason this was sent out cold. It certainly was not hot enough to enjoy, I did have one bite and from what I had the chicken was tender, soft and had a nice subtle flavour, but it was sent back to the kitchen. If it wasn’t cold I’d give it a higher score. 6.5/10

In its place, I ordered the chicken clay pot. A very impressive looking dish. The menu describes this as stir-fried chicken fillet, served with soy sauce, ginger, chilli and basil. However, what I tasted was an over sweet dish made primarily of Szechuan peppers. The balance of flavours was totally off. I have a sweet tooth but this was too sweet to enjoy. It felt like a Chinese dish and not a Malaysian one. As mentioned before, food from Malaysia has different influences, but this felt straight off a Chinese menu. 4/10

Dessert

To finish, a typical Malay dessert of fried banana and ice cream. They used an overripe banana which gave a good intense flavour and it was a nice simple dish to finish off the meal. 7/10

Overall, I think I should have tried a few other items such as the Singapore crab. The service was friendly but a little inattentive at times, we had to ask for the dessert menu after waiting for ages. The key dishes lacked authenticity and didn’t really feel like a true representation of traditional Malaysian food.

*I was invited to review, the meal was complimentary

themeforest

Marcus [CLOSED]

Halal Food Guy

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July 15, 2026

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Date of Visit: 29/08/2017

Marcus is a 2-star Michelin restaurant in Knightsbridge serving high-end British food from Marcus Wareing. The kitchen is headed up by husband and wife team Mark and Shauna Froydenlund.

I visited the restaurant with a group of fine dining foodies and sat at the chef’s table which is located inside the kitchen. We got a bespoke 6-course menu for £85 which is good value as a 3-course menu sitting inside the dining area also costs the same

The good news is that the lamb here is halal and of high quality with traceability back to the farmer that reared the animals. They also are able to pre-order chicken as well, however, as with many other high-end restaurants, the menu is focused on sustainable ingredients and produce, so you normally get a lot of locally sourced British ingredients and fish.

The menu

Crab, cucumber, mint, caviar

Sharpe’s express 1900, Tunworth, truffle, girolles

Cod, white bean, lava bread

Rhug Estate lamb shoulder, pea, mint

Bergamot, meringue, iced tea

Milk chocolate, nougat, caramel

As you can see from the menu there is just one meat dish, with the rest focused on seafood and seasonal vegetables.

The food in places like this is different to what I usually blog about. Recently I’ve been trying to explore different cuisines which involves different techniques in cooking food and of course new flavour combinations which help me to develop my palette range. As an avid foodie, I’ve become a little bored with the typical or traditional food catered for Muslims, you know, burgers, kebabs, curries, steak, grilled meats. Food like this used to be new, but now for me, it’s getting old and I want to experiment with new flavours.

Each menu item felt like it had been carefully thought out and put together to create a natural flow during the course of the meal.

The crab was a delicate dish which combined simple ingredients to create a positive start to the night. It came with a perfectly cooked seared scallop and milky smooth caviar. The textures and flavours worked well with each other.

The next dish felt like a mix of random ingredients thrown on a plate, but when you have truffles on the plate you can expect good things.

The stand out dish was the lamb. I’m not saying that because it’s a halal meat dish, it really was delicious. I’ve never had lamb cooked and served in this style before. The main was served with an unusual lamb biscuit type pastry.

All the food here has loads of care and attention applied to it and they cater for any dietary requirements. When you make a reservation, just state you want halal and no alcohol or gelatine in anything. They made me separate menu items for the rest of my foodie group who were non-Muslim.

The negative side of the evening was the slow speed at which food was being served. The gap between courses was too long and I began to feel my inner “hangry monster” waking up.

Pre Dessert

Fancy Spoon

Extras

Main Dessert

As mentioned above, the 3-course menu is £85, but I got the chef’s table 6 course tasting for the same price.