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Hankies Cafe [CLOSED]

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Hankies Cafe [CLOSED]

 

I’ve been to this place twice in a week, the first visit I took a chance without any knowledge about the place, turns out I’ve found an absolute gem.

I started writing the review based on my first visit, but before I got around to posting it I went again, so this review is based on 2 different visits less than one week apart.

Hankies Cafe is located on Shaftesburys Avenue right in the west end. From the outside is a small, hidden and easy to miss with all the sights and sounds of the buzzing city. 

Hankies focuses on serving up simple Indian tapas style street food which has become a trend among new restaurants that have similar food. I learned that a hankie is a basically a large thing roti that’s thin enough to read through. These made fresh as is one of the first things you see when you enter.

I visited here on my lunch break and took my mum out for a quick lunch, she’s fussy when it comes to food but like myself she loved the food here.

Menus
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The menu is small and simple, here’s what I ordered and thought of each item.

DAHI PURI

From the street bites menu, DAHI PURI Four simple Bhel Puri with okra, onion, pomegranate, rice puffs, chilli tomato chutney. With yoghurt and Tamarind sauce over them. Great textures and good flavours, a really good start.7.5/10 – £4

Chive and Garlic Grilled prawns

Chive and Garlic Grilled prawns. These were absolutely fantastic. The quality and freshness of the prawn were of a high standard. The prawns were marinated in simple flavours and cooked to perfection. These are on par with some Michelin starred prawns I had from barrafina. 10/10  £6.50

Lamb Chops

Lamb chops

Off the grill menu again I went for 2 chili lamb chops. Once again I was impressed with what I ate. The flavours were good, but the quality of the lamb and the way it was cooked was just perfect. There was a perfect amount of fat which just melted in the mouth upon each bite. The lamb chop was cooked to a perfect medium rare and prepared in what I’ve learned recently as French trim, where they remove the meat off the bone/rib area.

Each lamb chop is £4.50, but if I compare with Dishoom 3 lamb chops for a £18 then it is worth it. I’m gonna give it 10/10.

Yellow Fish Tikka




Next came the yellow chili fish tikka. I’m not sure what fish it was but I’m guessing mackerel from the smell. After having the prawns and lamb chops this fish tikka was not as good as these two items, but we’re still decent nevertheless.

HANKIES LUNCH

If you go at lunch time you can order a full Indian Thali called a HANKIES LUNCH costing £9.5
where you can choose – Chicken Dhaba or Kidney N’ Keema Kachori Poppers, Dal, Hankies Salad, Raita, Roomali, Aam Gur Ki Kher. I liked what I tried, apart from the daal and I didn’t try the raita as it’s not something I eat. The (kher) rice pudding dessert was really good. I got the chicken Dhaba, a simple chicken curry.It also came with a hankie but I also ordered an additional one which came with this very simple but great tasting side dish.

KACHORI POPPERS, from the lunch thali
Me holding a hankie

The total bill was less than £20!

When you factor in location and the quality of the food, the prices are really worth your money.

Here are some items from my 2nd visit

KACHORI POPPERS £4.5

KACHORI POPPERS £4.5, green peas, lotus stem chips, yoghurt and Tamarind mint Chutney.

LEMON CHILLI & JAGGERY CHICKEN £4.5

LEMON CHILLI & JAGGERY CHICKEN £4.5, These were really good, very soft, tender and juicy – main issue is with the portion amount and maybe could do with a bit more flavour or sauce added. 8.5/10

KIDNEY N’ KEEMA £5.5

KIDNEY N’ KEEMA £5.5, lamb mince, kidney, tomato and coriander sauce. Simple but tasted great – 8/10

EGG & CRAB GOTALA £7.5

EGG & CRAB GOTALA £7.5, eggs ‘masala’, spicy crab. A non meat dish, you could taste that fishy crab was a different dish

Lamb Chops

CHILLI LAMB CHOP £4.5 (per chop) – Still amazing and just a must.

CHIVE & GARLIC PRAWN

CHIVE & GARLIC PRAWN £6.5 – I don’t know how they get it so soft, they taste so good. 9/10

If this place was Dishoom or some other hipster place it would of queues all the time. I like the fact that’s it’s new and undiscovered. I’m hoping that they keep up the standards and that it was not a one off. The food was excellent, venue clean, modern and contemporary and service friendly and welcoming. Food is served when ready so items come out at different times. Also, I managed to get 50% using my tastecard. So value wise it was brilliant – and I’ve based my score on this fact.

Maida / Wraps & Wings

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Maida / Wraps & Wings

Just around the corner from brick lane is the fusion restaurant Ma’dia on Shoreditch high street.

The Ma’dia menu and the food it serves up has something for everyone, they have a traditional Indian menu as well as a indo Chinese menu. But now they also have a new addition to the menu and it’s called wraps and wings.

This separate menu or pop up inside Ma’dia offers up an American menu of wraps, chicken wings and burgers. The wraps and wings menu really has a wide range of items, loads of different types of wings, lamb burgers and wraps. I think the menu should be a little more focused and could be improved if it had fewer options.

MENU
menu
menu
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menu
DRINKS
drinks
WINGS

I decided to sample some of the different wings and sides so ordered a mixed batch of wings. There’s a wide range of different wings some of which you can have grilled or deep fried. Then you pick the sauce for the wings. I picked grilled Korean, buffalo, sweet and spicy, BBQ and Fried Buttermilk.

Loads of food


For me I really liked the Buttermilk fried chicken, the texture of the breading was good and the chicken was juicy and tender.

Buttermilk fried wings in the middle

The other wings I feel was not as good as the fried buttermilk, I found the sauces a bit too strong in pretty much all of the other wings. They all had the same problem of being grilled then dipped in their respective sauce and therefore lacked authenticity.

Also checked out the chilli chips which were decent and the presentation of food was good as well.






BURGER

The burger was an interesting one. All the burgers are made from aged spring lamb. The burger has a strong Indian spice taste to it and is directed for the local crowd. I could taste that the lamb was cooked with cumin and garam Masala. It came with these Indian style onion rings which I really liked, the taste and crunch added a different layer to the burger. Overall, it was nice to have a burger with a difference and I liked it.


DESSERT

Desserts are epic. But one of the surprising highlights was this Oreo cheesecake which was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve had. So well made, the layers of cake were brilliant and it tasted great. Very unexpected but highly recommended.

I think this place is good if you come from Indian, Pakistani, bengali etc background and you want to take your mum for a burger that she won’t call bland 🙂 If you don’t fancy a burger then there’s always Indian food menu.

 I was invited to review the wraps and wings menu. As usual this never affects my thoughts about the food.

Maida Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

House of Ho

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House of Ho

  

House of Ho is a restaurant serving up Vietnamese, Japanese and Thai dishes in Central London. Located behind Oxford Street in the on Charlotte Street an area I know well, I used to work in a office a few buildings down for 4 years a couples of years back.

Anyway, I was invited to check out the menu and knowing that they serve halal chicken I decided to check it out. The venue is chic, cosy and modern, the main dining area is small but you don’t feel crammed in. Once seated I browsed the menu which featured a range of Japanese sushi and sashimi as well as different items like dumplings and food of the grill. I was given any 6 dishes to chose from, i knew one was going to be reserved for dessert so I had to pick 5 food options.

Menus
Menus
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Menus

We started the evening with Mocktails.
NHA TRANG BREEZE / Mango Puree, Passion Juice, Mango Juice, Ginger Beer / £5.50
LEMONGRASS LEMONADE / Lemongrass Syrup, Lemon Juice, Soda Top. / £4.50

The lemongrass mocktail was great. A simple drink but the balance of flavours and sweetness was spot on. 

Drinks

I decided to go for a range of halal chicken dishes and some sea food items.

Starters
Popcorn Shrimp

First up is the popcorn shrimp in a creamy spicy sauce. Those familiar with the popcorn shrimp from pf chang’s will like this, in fact I think these are better. A very large portion of deep fried shrimp which were soft and well cooked covered in a pleasant creamy and mild spicy sauce. 

Grilled glazed chicken wings

My choice of starter was the Grilled glazed chicken wings. Perfectly grilled chicken wings cooked and glazed with a sauce that’s similar to Hoi son. My only gripe is that the wings were small size wise but what they lacked in size they made up with flavour and taste. Highly recommended. £7

 

Sushi

Next up.. Sushi

Since there was a focus on sushi on the menu I decided to try out the sushi and sashimi platter coming in at £35. Yes, it’s on the expensive side but when in Rome..

The presentation of this platter has a wow factor and it’s very instagram worthy. A liquid ice smoking tray of sushi and sashimi on a platter of crushed ice. The platter came with tuna and sharmachi tartare, salmon, yellow tail, 3 sushi rolls and 3 dragon rolls. The fish was fresh as where all of the ingredients. I can’t claim to be a sushi connoisseur but I could really say that £35 price tag is justified when I get a sushi box from itsu that tastes similar. However, there’s definitely no comparison when it comes to the freshness of the fish.




Mains

For the main course I was recommended prior to eating here to check out the green curry, so I got that as a main as well as the chilean sea bass.

You tend to see chilean Sea Bass on the menu of upmarket restaurants as it carries a usual heavy price tag and is also know  as Patagonian Toothfish in some areas. The grilled fish was served wrapped in a leaf and served with a glazing of plum sauce. For me this sauce didn’t work. I found overpowering and too sweet and didn’t add anything. The fish itself was perfectly cooked, soft and delicate to eat. £30

The chicken green curry (My pictures came out too dark and blurry)

I really like Thai food and the green and red curry is something I like cooking as well. What I like about Thai food is the usual use and presence of deep flavours and rich ingredients .

Sadly this green curry was really lacking in the taste department. There was very little taste of key ingredients like lemongrass or heat from chilies. In fact the overall depth of flavour where lacking from this curry and no pungency of the fresh and exciting ingredients you expect. The only positive thing was the chicken was well cooked, soft and tender.

The service started off well, we were welcomed and the menu and style of food was explained. Up until the sushi platter, once we finished I remained on the table for ages and there was a long wait between finishing this and getting the mains. However we were well looked after during the night and staff kept checking in on us.

Dessert

Lucky I left room for dessert and when you see the option for ordering a dessert platter that’s what you order. Costing £25 you get four items, ideal for a group of four.

Our favourite item was the banana crumble. A great sweet dish with good textures and balance of sweetness that complimented the fresh banana really well. Recommended.

The green tea fondant was different, I wasn’t expecting it to be sweet but it was. The fondant itself was soft and gooey and was nice dish. The other items where a selection of fresh exotic fruit and 3 scopes of different ice cream and sobres.

Overall, I think its great to see that House of Ho offer up halal items, even if its just a few items, The chicken wings were good and worth checking out. The sushi i think didn’t show value for money. I think, its a nice place for catching up with friends after work with a few drinks, chicken wings and desserts in a chic environment.

I was invited to review here and was given the choice of ordering 6 items and 2 drinks. 

The House of Ho Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

DUM Biryani House

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DUM Biryani House

I pretty much work next to the new Indian opening Dum Biryani House in Soho, specialising in you guessed it Dum Biryani!. I contacted this place in November to check if the food was halal and they confirmed that it was. I missed out on the soft launch when it opened but decided to pay a visit after work 2 months after I spotted it on day one!

Halal status confirmed

The menu is small and only consists of a handful of starters/small plates and 3 different type of Dum Biryani. (view menu in link below)

Starters

For starters, I went for Kodi Vepudu (Chicken wings) and Mutton Fry.

Kodi Vepudu

The chicken wings were ridiculously hot, in terms of chilli. An overuse of green chillies made it very unpleasant to eat. My mouth was on fire and that burning heat just overpowered any chance of my taste buds being put to use to enjoy the flavours of the chicken wings. These should be advertised as super hot wings, I can handle my chili, (i get the black bottle of hot sauce at nando’s!) 4/10

Mutton Fry

The Mutton Fry was a better dish compared with the hot wings. Slow cooked sliced lamb mixed with a Andhra masala and served with some small pieces of paratha. Andhra is a blend of spices very similar to garam masala, which is why it tasted so familiar, while I was eating it i couldn’t help but draw the similarities with my mum’s cooking! 6.5/10

Side note. no plates given for the starters and I couldn’t get the attention of any service staff.

I went for the Lamb Biryani. When it arrives it does look impressive, a massive dome of pastry over the biryani. It’s also served with Mirch Unda Salan (curry with green chilli and half boiled egg) and smoked aubergine raita.

At first, the Biryani felt too dry and too light, it also had a strong raw taste of spices that felt like it hadn’t had enough time to be cooked together. (In particular the taste of cloves). The lamb itself felt dry and had very little taste, it was not tender and slightly hard to chew. It was only after 15 mins of making my way thru the Biryani and giving it a good mix together when it began to improve in taste. The flavours started to become balanced and the texture of the rice became moist and blended better. this is something you expect from the start. So overall, I am not really rating this Biryani that highly. 5/10

A video posted by Halal Food Guy (@halalfoodguy) on

For a restaurant that specialises in one dish it’s strange to see how they didn’t get it quite right on my visit. The dish was bland and unbalanced to start with then slowly got better.

The price for one Biyani is £15 and overpriced for what I got.

The decor and atmosphere all depends on where you are seated. When i first arrived I was showed a seat tucked away in a cold and lonely corner of the restaurant and was told to sit and the end of a table designed for 6. I chose not to be seated there and wait for a table in the main dining area which was dimly light for a moody atmosphere. The restaurant is underground and has no natural lighting but you don’t feel it.

Overall, I think there are better options for Indian food around the area. The signature dish was weak and really needs improvement. I’m not letting the mini spectal of the dome of puff pastry cracking open with a plume of steam distracting me from what’s at the end of the day average food at best.

Total was £34 inc service.

Two Buns

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Two Buns

In East London, (where as you may know I’m from and live) we are pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a burger to eat. So when a new burger place opens up across the other side of London in Harrow I really didn’t care, but I was hearing a lot of good things and having just bought a new car I thought I’d make the one hour drive and check out Two Buns.

Two Buns describes itself their burgess as gourmet but it’s certainly not. It’s fast food I wanted to make that clear.

Menu

I went for the triple and the double patty was burger with orders of sweet potatoes fried and chilli chips. Ordering is done at the Till and payment taken before food received. 

First of all I started the night of with some non alcoholic beer, which I sent back as they tasted nasty and served at room temperature.

Burger and Sweet Potato fires

When the burgers came, I was given the wrong one, the double. Which actually turned out okay as it was better than the triple. So before coming here I had some high expectations. The main issue I had with the burger was with the texture and consistency of the meat. It was too juicy and not it a good way, it was a unpleasant gooey texture which wasn’t helped with the overuse of cheese slices. In the triple burger, there as just way too much cheese, which overpowered the overall taste of the burger. The menu didn’t mention the 3 layers of American cheese that comes inside the triple patty burger!

Double or tripple, i can’t remember

Taste wise, it felt the same as a McDonald’s cheeseburger (the halal ones from Dubai or other halal countries!)

The double is a better choice that the triple. You have a choice of fresh or grilled onions, but wasn’t offered the option when I ordered. My mistake, I should have got grilled onions.

Price wise the double was £6 and triple £8 just for the burger. A bit expensive just for fast food in Harrow.

With so many options on the east part of town I wouldn’t recommend the trip, unless you are a local. We just have more and better options.

Chilli Beef Chips

The chilli beef was decent, but they did just pour hot chilli over cold chips.

 

48 Alternative London restaurants that serve halal

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48 Alternative London restaurants that serve halal

Below is a list of restaurants that uses or is able to pre order halal meat. The places here are different to the usual restaurants that you might be accustom to. The idea behind this list is to help you expand the places where you visit to eat for 2017. I have not been to any of the places listed below (apart from one)

Some of the listed places also serve pork and each kitchen/restaurant has different cooking methods so cross contamination is possible. If this is an issue for you it’s best to avoid, however it is best to contact the restaurant and double check yourself before you visit.

The list is split into regions of London, Central, East, North and South, then split again into no reorder need and pre-order required at booking. Please make sure you double check when you visit or book.

Sources: direct messages on twitter, instagram, emails, phone calls and halalgems.com

Update: May 2017

JW Steakhouse – 48 hours notice required for halal meat

Restaurants within the Gordon Ramsey Group. 

Maze Grill Royal Hospital Road – they have daily halal baby chicken, buffalo fried chicken, lamb and wagyu

Maze Grill Park Walk – with 2-3 days’ notice they can arrange for halal lamb and chicken

Maze Grill Mayfair – they have daily halal chicken and lamb and with 72hrs notice, they can arrange for beef

Maze – with 48hrs notice they can arrange for halal lamb only

The Savoy Grill – they have daily halal chicken, with 48hrs notice they can arrange lamb or beef

Bread Street Kitchen – with 48hrs notice they can arrange for halal chicken wings

 

Central London

Partial Halal Food

  1. Bo Drake – Soho W1 (Korean) – Chicken is halal
  2. Bone Daddies Old Street – Old Street EC1V (Japanese) – All branches serve halal chicken
  3. Bukowski Grill – Soho W1F (American) – Chicken is halal
  4. Enoteca da Luca – Old Street EC1V (Italian) – Chicken is halal
  5. Heist Bank – Paddington W2 (European) – Boneless chicken & lamb are halal

    Heist Bank – Paddington W2
  6. House of Ho – Fitzrovia W1T (Vietnamese) – Chicken is halal
  7. Hummus Bros – Gray’s Inn Road WC1X (Lebanese) – Chicken is halal
  8. Hungry Donkey – Liverpool Street E1 (Greek) – Lamb is halal
  9. Kiri London – Mayfair WC1 (Japanese) – Waygu Beef is halal
  10. Mercante – Mayfair (Italian) W1J – Chicken is halal
  11. Red Dog Saloon – Soho N1 (American) – Chicken is halal
  12. The Collins Room at The Berkeley – Knightsbridge SW1X (International)

    The Collins Room at The Berkeley
  13. The Duck & Rice – Soho W1F (Chinese) – Duck is halal
  14. The Posh Burger – Old Street EC1V (Burger) Chicken and Beef (Not Wagyu)
  15. Yosma – Baker Street W1U (Turkish) – Chicken breast are is halal
  16. Yum Som – City EC3V (Asian) – Chicken is halal
  17. VQ – Notting Hill W11 (International) – Chicken & sausage are halal
  18. Zelman Meats – Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge SW1X (Steak & Grill)

    Zelman Meats – Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge
  19. Zenobi – South Kensington SW7

    Pre-Order Needed
  20. Albion Clerkenwell – Clerkenwell (International) EC1M – pre-ordered available
  21. Aviary – Finsbury Square EC2A (European) – Pre-order halal meat
  22. Black Roe – Mayfair W1S (Grills) – 48 hours pre-order for halal meat
  23. Darwin Brasserie at Sky Garden – Halal Chicken with 3 days notice,
  24. Galvin at the Athenaeum – Mayfair W1J (International) – pre-ordered available
  25. Galvin Bistro de Luxe – Marylebone W1U (French) – pre-ordered available
  26. Galvin La Chapelle – Spital Square E1 (French) – pre-ordered available

    Galvin La Chapelle
  27. Luca – Clerkenwell EC1M (Italian) – Halal meat available to pre-order
  28. Margot – Covent Garden WC2B (Italian) – 48 hours pre-order for chicken or beef
  29. Roba – Paddington W2 (British) – 48 hours pre-order for halal meat
  30. Sartoria – Mayfair W1S (Italian) – 48 hours pre-order for halal meat.
  31. The Foyer & Reading Room at Claridge’s – Claridge’s, Mayfair W1K (European) – 24 hours pre-order for halal meat

    The Foyer & Reading Room at Claridge’s
  32. Theo Randall at The Intercontinetal – Park Lane W1J (Italian) – 24 hours pre-order for halal meat.
  33. The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant – Belgravia (Steaks) – Pre order on request



    East London


    Partial Halal Food

  34. Bella Italia – Beckton E6 (Italian) – Chicken is halal
  35. Big Easy – Just the chicken
  36. Sticks N Sushi – Canary Wharf E14 (Japanese) – Chicken is halal

    Sticks N Sushi – Canary Wharf E14 (Japanese)
  37. Quilombero – East India Dock E14 (Italian/Argentine) – Chicken is halal

    Pre-Order Needed
  38. Absurd Bird – Spitalfields E1 (American) – 24 hours pre-order for halal meat
  39. Chriskitch Hoxton – Shoreditch N1 (International) – 24 hours pre-order for chicken or lamb
  40. Perilla – Newington Green N16 (European) – 48 hours notice for halal meat
  41. The Frog E1 – Brick Lane E1 (Fusion) – Halal meat needs ordering

    The Frog E1 – Brick Lane E1 (Fusion)

    South London

  42. MEAT Liquor  – Croydon CR0 (American) – Chicken is halal
  43. Nanban – Brixton SW9 (Pan-Asian) – Chicken and goat is halal
  44. MeatUP – Wandsworth SW18 (American) – Chicken is halal, 48 hours pre-order for all other meat

    North London

    Partial Halal Food

  45. Meat Liquor – Islington N1 (American) – Chicken is halal
  46. Tootoomoo – Islington N1 (Pan-Asian) – Chicken is halal
  47. Galley London – Islington N1 (European) – 48 hours pre-order for halal meat
  48. The Juniper Tree – Belsize Park NW3 (English) – Pre-order halal meat

    The Juniper Tree – Belsize Park NW3

Sorry West London, nothing for you guys!

 

14 of the best things I ate in 2016

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14 of the best things I ate in 2016

From Michelin star to PFC, Here is a very random list of my most memorable things I ate in 2016, it’s a pretty strange selection but these are the dishes that made me go wow, for overall taste and in some cases amazing value.

2016 was a good year for food, with so many options in London I was really spoilt for choice when it came to eating out. It was a year where believe or not I ate out a lot less than usual – thanks to a very busy work year and being on the Lean in 15 lifestyle, (google Joe Wicks) I cooked more of my own food than ever (and lost 1 stone in 4 weeks) and kept that weight off by eating healthier and less.

1. Char Siu lamb ribs, Chi Kitchen, £12.50

These are the single best things that I ate this year. The soft, juicy and tender meat just  melts in the mouth as has so much flavour and just the right amount of sweetness for my liking. I made so rather questionable groaning noises while i was eating this.

2 Set Lunch Menu, Gymkhana, £35 set menu

Was hard to get a table for lunch, but I loved the experience here – The service and was on all on point. By choice of indian restaurant in London.

3 Chicken Jalfrezi Pie, Square Pie, £7.95

Just a pie, but I really liked eating this dish this year. So much so I have my tally at 5 of theses bad boys this year. A soft and flakey crust filled with a tasty chicken curry filling.

4 Cap of Rump Steak, Carne Carbana, £21.95

There’s a lot of meat on show here but once i tried the cap of rump steak cooked medium rare I didn’t to try anything else. The taste and melt on the mouth texture was similar to eating wagyu beef.

5 Proper fries, Proper Burgers, £7 approx

I remember waiting for my food to arrive and noticed that 2 people came in just to order the Proper fries for take away and once i tried it i realised why. A great mash up of pulled beef, cheese can chips with yummy chill.

6 Single Platter, Franzos £12

I have lost count the number of times I have had the grilled chicken form here. Once you eat the chicken here you won’t want to eat nandos every again, the taste and juiciness make this the best chicken I have had this year. Every time I visit the chicken is on point.

7 Breakfast, Moral £6-7

This year I tried a few english breakfasts outside making them myself and Moral is the one place that stands out among everyplace I have tried. The service and staff create a family feel and the is clean and simple with loads of different changeable items.



8 Korean fried chicken, Flesh and Buns, £6.50

Absolutely fantastic, really sticky, spicy and messy but the heat and flavour made these a memorable food dish.

9 Pretty much anything from, Five Lads

Before there was Franzos there was Five Lads, not to be confused with the burger chain of the similar name. The Chicken here is not at the same level for the similar franzos, but it’s a close second but they also to nice and better burgers.

10 Salt Burger, Dubai

I ate a lot of Burgers in Dubai when I went for the first time this summer. But the stand out was the burger from Salt. It’s simple but so tasty and the location just has the best vibe

11. Devilish Shrimp, Hoppers, £7 approx

12. Lamb and feta pide, Pide £8

This lamb and feta Pide was brilliant. So much flavour and taste from the lamb, I looked it up, turns out they marinade and mix with spices to create that deep taste. Wish there was more in my take away box. Cost is £8.50.

13. Mini Mix Grill, PFC (Stepney Green) £5

Okay, this may be an odd choice, but during ramadan I was in Stepney Green and popped into PFC and noticed a mix grill for £5 so I thought i’d give it a try. Single lamb chop, chicken tikka, mutton tikka, chicken wing and kebab with nan and drink. Have to say it was brilliant, everything was cooked medium rare without asking. Very surprised with that!

14. Chocolate Fondant, Banana Tree £5

I had a lot of desserts this year, mainly on my one cheat day a week, so I would pick carefully what I would have, but the chocolate fondant with coconut ice cream from Banana Tree always was my winner. I don’t think I’ve had better.

Cinnamon Bazaar

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Cinnamon Bazaar

Cinnamon bazaar is a new opening from the collective group of Cinnamon Indian restaurants. I missed the soft launch where they had 50% off but visit on a Friday night 2 weeks into the main opening. I have to say I did visit on a night where i was really tired from a long week at work and just wanted a chilled night. The place was buzzing and a bit loud, but it’s a Friday night in Covent garden so i can’t really have a moan.

Food

3 Chaats, Papdi, Watermelon and Aloo tikki. £4.50 each

chaats
Papdi, Watermelon and Aloo tikki.

Papdi chaat a mix of crisp wheat, tangy tamarind, yoghurt and chickpea vermicelli. Watermelon chaat, yep sounds strange – Pressed watermelon, amaranth seeds, date chutney, masala cashew nuts. Aloo tikki chaat, a spiced potato cake with curried white peas, chickpeas

The watermelon chaat was something that i have never heard of before, it was certainly different and fresh but an odd combination that didn’t work for my taste. The papdi chaat and aloo tikki were pretty good, nice balance of flavours and use of tamarind which i am a fan of. Prices are reasonable and the portion sizes just about right, maybe could be a tad more.

Mains

Kabuli kofta £10.00

We all shared food between us. Straight away I’m going to say that the Kabuli kofta which were basically spinach balls were really good. The accompanying tomato and fenugreek sauce was really rich in flavour and spice and went perfectly with the texture and taste of the spinach balls. 8/10

Lahore style kadhai chicken £10.50

The Lahore style kadhai chicken with pickled root vegetables was my choice and i liked the presentation, the dish was simple and light, the chicken well cooked but the overall dish lacked that punch. 6.5/10

Malabar boatman’s haddock curry £13.50

The fish dish was an haddock curry with kokum, green mango chutney, i found the strong natural flavours of the haddock overpowering and the sauce a bit too tangy. The least prefered dish on the night. 4/10

 

The service was okay, it got busy and hard to get the attention of waiters, when are main waiter was not available we tried to ask another waiter a question and he could not understand english very well. We ended up also asking for the service charge to be removed, as i think the priced up enough as it was and if the service is optional, then why would i pay extra if i don’t have to!

Overall, it was a okay food experience which left me thinking that recently the non meat dishes i’ve been eating have tasted the best.

With so many other places around I don’t think i’d ever come back. I was put off with the fact that there was pork on the menu, which i didn’t know prior to booking, had i known, i would not have come whereas its personally off putting.

Darbaar

Halal Food Guy
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0
Darbaar

It was my mums birthday and in our small family we always go out for dinner, I asked my mum where she wanted to go she said the local indian restaurant, bless her she always wants the simple things but i thought i’d take her and the family out for something a little more upmarket and try Darbaar,

Venue

Located near Liverpool St station, Darbaar is a Indian restaurant that has recently won the best newcomer at the British curry awards 2016. The venue feels like it’s part of that corporate banking world and the seems like it is definitely aimed for that market.

Arriving on a Monday night, we found ourselves the only diners seated in the spacious eating area with a view into the open kitchen. The decor is modern and has a upmarket feel. They even have a fancy futuristic lavatory with more buttons that my car, worth checking out.

Menu

There were a lot of options on the menu, from the al la carte to the different set menus, after some decisioning making the 4 of us managed to figure out what to order. We are a family that doesn’t eat much and my parents are very simple people that are not too fussy when it comes to food.

 

 

Food

HARYALI DATE & SAMOSA CHAAT (V) £5.00

The best thing we ate on the night was this dish. I loved the freshness of the ingredients and flavours of mint with the sweetness of the dates, there’s a different taste experience with each bite, the texture of the samosa, the pomegranate and the aniseed. One of the chaats i have had.

 

AMRITSARI SPICED CALAMARI FRITTERS £6.50

These felt a bit too chewy and didn’t feel like they were cooked well,

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TANDOORI GOBI ADRAKI WITH CORIANDER CHUTNEY (V) £9.00

Yeah look at that picture..4 pieces of cauliflower…with some spices and they charging £9, so you think these better rock my world… no, they didn’t, they where as about as standard as a naan, i felt my dad just looking at me think what the hell is this

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ABDUL’S PLATTER OF ASSORTED GRILLS & KEBABS (FOR 2) £28.00

This platter came with a mix of  – TANDOORI SALMON, LAMB SHEEKH, CHICKEN TIKKA and PANNER. The chicken – NO taste what so ever, definitely not marinated in any spices might as well have just some chicken and suck in under a grill flame then serve. Lamb Sheekh kebab, theres were decent, very thick, not too dry, but it needed more spice that what was presented. The Panner.. well i couldn’t really taste anything other than the raw milky cheese undertone. The salon was the only thing that had a strong sense of flavour and spice.

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PUNJABI SPICED KENTISH LAMB CHOPS £28.00

The presentation was impressive and the accompanying extras like the  saag sauce where a nice touch. However, at a cost of £9 per chop I was expecting something thick, juicy, flavoursome and melt in your mouth. With the first bite i was filled with disappointment. The lamb was overcooked, medium well, so it was too dry, which means the natural flavours of the lamb were not existent. There was very little taste of spice from the actually lamb.

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KASHMIRI LAMB LEG ROGAN JOSH £20.00

I was hoping for a really kick ass curry, but again let down with this dish. I know it’s a tomato based curry but it was over powered with a strong tomato taste, which really and a strong bitter acidic aftertaste, whilst at the same time being very salty. No spice, no flavour. Just awful.

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BIRYANI HYDERABADI SPICED DARBAAR SPECIAL KID GOAT BIRYANI £18.00

This was my dad’s dish and as biryani go this was just okay. I found it to light and fluffy for my liking and like with most of the mains just fell short of having enough taste and that special something. There wasn’t enough meat in this dish either.

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Service was an interesting one. When I arrived I was told by the woman at the door that no one at my party had arrived, but when i called my brother he said he was already seated. Our waiter, a man with a very strong Italian accent was happy Chappy and seemed to be singing to himself a lot! It was hard for my parents to understand what he was saying at times. He also began clearing our table without asking and while we were still eating. I also made arrangements for my mum to get the standard happy birthday treat at the end, which took too long for it to happen. We ended up just sitting waiting trying to get the attention of service staff to move things on.

I ordered a range of items hoping to sample and experience a range of different cooking skills from the food, however I was very disappointed with almost everything I ate (apart from the chaat)

With prices like the ones found here I was expecting a standard similar to ones of Trishna or Gymkhana and I was using these places as a benchmark. Darbaar fell far from achieving the same culinary standards set by similar and comparable venues.

If you work in banking and wear a suit, maybe you will like it, i looked around and noticed that the people eating there were all in suits and over 40. I work in media and wear trainers to work – maybe I like a different vibe, but really didn’t enjoy it much.

The food is definitely catered for the corporate environment, light food with minimal taste. The kind where you can go for a corporate lunch and come back to your desk without feeling like you need a nap. I really was expecting more, but the food here was some of the poorest indian food I have had. Would definitely NOT recommend.

Also, my mum and dad whose opinion of indian food i trust share my views, they weren’t happy with the food, but did enjoy the surprise cake at the end.

Almost forgot, the total bill came to just under £140, with no drinks, which comes to £35pp. Not really worth it in my opinion.

The prices of some of the dishes borderlines on the  almost ridiculous. For example, £28 for lamb chops, i’m expecting a much better quality cut of lamb, i know it’s not lamb season, but it was average at best. The same goes for the grill platter, it’s just makes me angry when a place like this thinks it can get away with charging these prices and serve up mediocre food. I’d take the food from lahore kebab house any day from this.

Although we finished all the food, we did so because the portion sizes were very small. Didn’t bother with dessert as the poor food put us all off. Although , the birthday cake square was good.

Unfortunately I was unable to speak with head chef Abdul, I just arrived just as he left wishing my mum a happy birthday.

Darbaar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Rustix Gourmet

Halal Food Guy
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Rustix Gourmet

If you live around East London like me then you are lucky to be blessed with loads of decent halal places to eat and many of those are Burger and steak joints that have similar menus and vibes.

Rustix Gourmet is the new boy on the scene just down the road from the others boyz on the block Fat Boyz, review here.

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Venue
Having been open for just 2 weeks I thought I’d pay them a visit on a Saturday night. There are 2 floors, the upstairs same level as the kitchen and bar and the bottom floor, smaller space but a slightly better atmosphere. I arrived and the place was packed but I and my partner in crime were shown a table for 4 people within a few mins downstairs. What you notice straight away is the attention to detail of the decor, the place really does have a rustic American feel, from the wooden theme to the vintage signs around the walls. So points for creating a nice atmosphere and spending the time and effort on the decor. If you do sit downstairs the small space does make it more intimate and a little louder, especially if someone walks or runs up the wooden stairs.

I liked the simple nature of the menu, spilt in obvious sections and concise options to pick from.

Food

So let’s begin talking about the food for starters I opted for the lamb chops and buttermilk chicken filet strips.

Lamb Chops Part 1
Lamb Chops Part 1

The lamb chops were a bit of a disaster. The presentation was good but the execution of the cooking was just bad. I requested medium rare and made sure that the person that took my order understood what medium rare ment. What I received was lamb chops well done, dry, overcooked and chewy. I sent these back after one bite and asked for medium rare as ordered.

Part 2
Part 2

When they the new order arrived for the second time…guess what same thing happened again, lamb chops were well done! Turns out my order went to the table next to me and I actually noticed that the guy next to my table and juicy pink chops! More about this later. 2/10

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The chicken dippers weren’t anything to write home about, i think they could have done with more spices and seasoning during the cooking process. 5/10

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Chilli beef was also ordered from the side menu, rustix cut chips topped with chili beef and cheese. These were slightly overcooked on the oven grill which caused the beef to dry out and almost turn into a dry Indian keema style topping. The chili was not very flavoursome for my liking, just felt a bit dry and weak in the intensity of taste. 5/10

A photo posted by Halal Food Guy (@halalfoodguy) on


I ordered the Single version of the MckBurger, which is a pretty simple burger, beef patty, double cheese with their house sauce, i also added caramelised onions as an extra. The burger was surprisingly good. I actually really liked it a lot, the meat patty was simple in flavour, but what i liked was it was cooked on a flat iron grill making it moist as the natural juices are not lost during the cooking phase. The bad point was the bread on the bun was cold, despite being clearly toasted on the grill, but the bun itself was soft with a slight sweetness to it. I think my custom addition of added the caramelised onions added that sweetness that I really like in burgers. I’d give the burger a 7.5/10

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The mojito arrived after the starters and was poor, no way enough use of mint or lime, it lacked any kick, sweetness or mojito taste. As you can see from the photo there is barely and mint in the glass and just a tiny lime! 3/10




Service
There was a long wait for food to arrive, 20mins after ordering and my drink arrived after I asked and after the starters arrived. The lamb chops accident was a massive fail. It seems that food getting send to incorrect tables. When it came to paying, the owners first of all didn’t know my identity and ripped up the bill and said the food was on the house. They said that the service and experience was not up to scratch. They also mentioned that they knew they cocked up the lamb chops the second time and sent it to the table next to me and they said they actually saw me clocking that! At this point they asked me not to base a review upon this visit and to try again, which at the time I agreed to. However, 2 weeks later I’m writing this review.

Overall the decor of this place is worth checking out and the burger I had was pretty tasty and enjoyable. I’m sure with time they can iron out service issues and have a good place for people to dine at. Despite having so many mistakes with the service that fact that they gave the meal on the house was a good touch and they really wanted me to come back for the “experience” as eating more than just food.

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