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MEATliquor

Halal Food Guy
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5
MEATliquor

 

Sometimes you see you work non-muslim friends post or talk about an epic burger they had and you get food envy because you know that burger won’t be halal, but one day you decide and ask if they have any halal options and booyah, you get the news that chicken is halal. Sold.

Located off oxford st, opposite Chi Kitchen, you will find the hipster cool Meat Liquor where all the male staff have the same beard 🙂 First of all, this place is dark and loud. So if you are not into that type of scene then this place won’t be your thing. Next, there’s no reservations for small groups so be prepared to queue up outside and then wait at the bar once inside.

Menu
Menu
Menu

Lucky, I was seated at the back where it was a little less noisy and away from the crowd. I have to apologise for the poor pictures here, the place is really dark!

The food came all at once so here is how it went down.

Braai Wings – £5.00 / Not sure of they are still in the menu now

South African-style BBQ chicken wings, dry-rubbed with spices and chargrilled. Has a fiery kick. Not that good, they were excessively char-grilled which left an overpowered burnt taste with each bite. 5/10

HIPPIE FRIES (V) 5.50

My partner in food crime told me that she heard that the Hippie fries were really good so we got those. These were epic and sooo good. It’s basically fries, grilled onions and hippie sauce. I love the grilled onions and sauce all over the chips, it was so unhealthy but I think a treat every now and then is not bad. 9/10

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DIRTY CHICKEN CHEESEBURGER – 8.75

All the chicken burgers are the same price, which i liked. I opted for the Dirty Chicken Cheeseburger – deep fried chicken fillet, mayo, lettuce, cheese, red onions – a classic chicken burger. To be fair, this was a good burger but nothing amazing, just slightly better than a KFC burger, the chicken and ingredients were fresh but it was just too simple and no different to the burgers you can get a good pfc. 6/10

TOWER BLOCK BURGER = 8.75

We also got the tower block burger, fried chicken fillet with cheese, hash brown, jalapeños, slaw, onions & russian dressing. It’s very close to the burger above but the small extras really change the taste and overall food experience. The sauce that comes inside really brings all the ingredients together making a really nice burger 8/10.

I’d definitely come back here again for a quick burger and hippe fries, i also heard they have a good dessert menu, when i go next time i’ll be sure to add it on here.

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

Flesh and Buns

Halal Food Guy
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1
Flesh and Buns

Recently I’ve been looking for different places to eat, places where I’ve never been before or places that serve a style of cuisine that i have not tried before. Since I love chicken and meat so much I was in contact with different casual restaurants and found that many I contacted have halal items on the menu.

It was a Thursday night and I arrived without a reservation at 8pm and had to wait 30mins to get a table, so it’s a popular and busy place. Flesh & Buns, from the team behind Bone Daddies, is located within the busy Seven Dials area in Covent Garden. It’s Inspired by Japanese izakayas, roughly translated as a pub or place designed for informal eating and drinking. All restaurants under the Bone Daddies label serve halal chicken.

Once seated I didn’t hang around and wasted no time in ordering.


KOREAN FRIED WINGS £6.5

I won’t get into too much depth with reviews of the other dishes as this was hands down the best thing I ate here, in fact one of the best wings i’ve ever had in ages. The flavours were rich and powerful made by the spicy sticky sauce that covered the wings. The heat was the right about in spice and definitely the highlight of the meal.  10/10

1/2 YOUNG CHICKEN £13
The good things about the chicken is how well it’s cooked, it was very soft and tender and the texture was great, but that was not enough for me as I really did not take well to the overpowered citrus flavours that were dominant in this dish. Despite being presented well, i did not enjoy this dish at all. 4/10

CHICKEN YAKITORI £4.5

A very simple plate. I felt that the chicken lacked much endeavour when it comes to taste and flavours. It’s just grilled chicken. 5/10

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SPICY TUNA ROLL £8.8 / PRAWN TEMPURA ROLL £8

In retrospect, i shouldn’t have ordered the sushi as the focus here is about the steamed buns. Not to say that the sushi was not good, it was fresh and tasted good, but having spent over £16 for 2 sets would have been better spent on more buns and wings.

fleshandbuns4

BONE DADDIES HANDMADE BUNS, TWO FOR £2

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CHOCOLATE FONDANT £6.25

Because i didn’t like the main chicken dish i received the chocolate fondant on the house. It was presented in a unique way, but it was a average dessert. For me the fondant was too soft and light, i prefer it a light more harder and sticky.

fleshandbuns9

Our server was really friendly and attentive during the meal, so service gets 2 thumbs up from me.

So if you are looking for something a bit different to the usual halal offerings, i’d definitely suggest this place, just make sure you get the wings and buns and be adventurous with trying other dishes.

fleshandbuns6

Flesh & Buns Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Chicken and foxes (closed)

Halal Food Guy
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0
Chicken and foxes (closed)

When a restaurant changes its suppliers due to demand then surely that’s a positive thing for the halal food industry. Serving up free range rotisserie chicken is Chicken and Foxes located opposite Baker Street station and one door down from Barista Bros.

I remember going in here a 6 months ago asking if they did halal, the answer was no at the time, but since then they said that every day they get people asking so they decided to cater for the halal consumer.

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As you can see the menu is as simple as you ever going to get.

I opted for the ½ chicken spicy with roast potatoes and chips. I went on a friday night with a mate and the place was totally empty so the atmosphere was pretty dead. Not to worry as I was meeting a friend for a long overdue catch up so the peace and quiet in a busy city was welcomed.

The food arrived quickly. The chicken leg was cooked well, it was soft and had a decent level of juiciness to it, but i was not too impressed with the spice or flavour, i found lacking any real kick or taste. The chicken breast suffered from being really dry and bland. I found it hard to eat and ended up wasted a lot of it was it was not enjoyable to eat. The roast potatoes were awful, they were not cooked right at all, felt like they were reheated in a microwave from already being undercooked.

The service was okay at the start, but once we got our food we were never checked back on to see if everyone was okay. At the end of the meal i informed them about the lame roast potatoes and they took it off the bill.

My friend had the chicken salad, they have it a 5.5/10

I’d sick to nandos, but since there’s nothing similar in the area then hey it’s not a totally bad choice if you want something healthy-ish, but with burgerista next door, i know where i’d end up if i was in the area.

Carne Carbana (CLOSED)

Halal Food Guy
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2
Carne Carbana (CLOSED)

This restaurant is now closed down. 

Carne Carbana is a new restaurant that offers a Brazilian BBQ experience with a fully halal and HMC menu located in the Shoreditch and Bethnal Green area.

At the time of writing this, Carne Carbana is the only fully halal Brazilian restaurant within zone 1 to 3 in London.

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Upon entering you will notice a strong wooden theme and the flames and heat of the BBQ in the centre of the restaurant. I was seated downstairs where there are a lot more seats than the top floor, the downstairs also felt like it had a better atmosphere and also has a large booth for big groups or families.

Once seated, the menu and concept was explained, it’s straight forward; buffet style all you can eat on the meat side, you pick 3 sides and get a soft drink for £21.95

Menu
Menu

The sides arrived very quickly and between the 2 of us there were 6 sides, plus a salad and gravy. At this point the table was looking pretty packed with a range of food. The sides were a bit hit and miss, the good stuff was the curly fries, mash and beef stew, I was not to keen on the rice, it was a bit dry and didn’t taste great, also the coleslaw was way too creamy. My advice is not to eat too much of your sides.

Sides
Sides

Now the magic happens, once you get your sides you press a button on the middle of your table which lights it up green, which means bring me the MEAT! When you have had enough or want a break turn it off, it might sound like gimmick but i loved the interaction and it actually worked, i found myself feeling full and turning it off, then when feeling like one extra bit i would be turning it on again.

magic button
meat light

The meat is carved fresh off skewers on you your plate, the order of the meat was random, there was no case of bringing out the cheaper cuts of meat first so you get full on that.

I tried a range of chicken, beef and lamb. The chicken wings both BBQ and Chili were great, amazing texture and flavour 9/10 for the BBQ wings and 8/10 for the chilli.

There were 2 types of beef I tried the Rump steak which was cooked to a requested medium rare. Then i tried what was the showstopper of the night, a cut of beef that i had never heard of nor ate before, the Cap of rump. In Brazil, the most prized cut of meat, despite having the name rump, it’s actually sirloin. What made this meat so good was the FAT. Combined with the taste of the BBQ grill the fat just melted in the mouth and the flavours that came from it where just out of this world. It is very rich in flavour and was an absolute treat for my taste buds. This reminded me of eating wagyu beef, as that melt in the mouth texture was very similar.




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Cap of Rump

Meats are cooked fresh and brought out when ready, so because of this there are gaps between receiving food which makes you eat less as you don’t have all the food on your plate to eat at once.  

Our server was great! He always asked us what we wanted and how we would like meat cooked and also made recommendations. He remembered what I liked after trying something for the first time and kept coming back with a second, third and fourth helping!

Grilled Pineapple! Was actually good!
Grilled Pineapple! Was actually good!

I was not expecting to enjoy myself as much as I did here but I did! I loved the simple magic button, maybe i’m a big kid inside but I would come back here just to eat that Cap of Rump as it was soo good.

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I think you are given too many sides to start off with and the portion sizes are too big, I would prefer a small platter of sides, that way I can sample different sides and not waste food as I wasted a lot of the sides which i did not like. But I am a small eater and can’t complain too  much that portion sizes were too big!

Service was friendly, attentive and efficient. We were constantly looked after during the meal and a special mention to our Brazilian server who really looked after us. They didn’t know I was Mr Halal Food Guy until the end of the meal. Value wise, not so bad, you get a large portion of sides, a soft drink and all you can eat meat for £21.95

I was invited to eat here, the meal was on the house.

 

Med Bar

Halal Food Guy
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0
Med Bar

Found a great spot in Soho for lunch. £5 chicken and halloumi salad with couscous. It’s close to the popular savage salads but this is much better. Very close to the Masjid there. Recommended for lunch. Chicken confirmed halal from staff. Its now one of my go to places for lunch in Soho, the food is always fresh and really filling. They also make freshly prepared Gözleme as well.

Salad box £5.

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

med-bar

Square Pie (closed)

Halal Food Guy
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0
Square Pie (closed)

RESTAURANT CLOSED DOWN

I love this place! With all the food options to chose from in Westfield I always seem to find myself eating here. The chicken jalfrezi pie (halal) from Square Pie in Westfield, Stratford.
I have to say it was brilliant and simple comfort food. Im don’t eat many pies, bit it was the best pie I’ve had! I have had it 5 times this year. You can pick 2 sides and a really authentic tasting curry pie for £7.95

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

Square Pie Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Dapur

Halal Food Guy
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0
Dapur

(lunch time only)

Dapur is a small, modern cafe serving home-cooked Malaysian cuisine made from locally sourced produce.

Pictured is the Beef rendang with coconut rice. Only open at lunch times during the week. Home cooked style food and vibe. Very authentic, helps to have real malay people that cook the food. Halal sign in window. Nice simple  lunch. I prefer rendang when it’s darker in colour and more dry.

dapur

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

Fatboyz [CLOSED]

Halal Food Guy
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0
Fatboyz [CLOSED]

Update May 2017: Score Adjusted

The last time I ate here it only had been open for a week and I thought it had potential. I found myself around the area and a bit peckish so decided to pop in.
There have definitely been improvements. I ordered the American, which is basically a cheeseburger and it only costs £5. The taste of the beef was really good and I loved the sweetness from the onions and the bun. A simple but really well-cooked burger. The beef was cooked on a flat plate grill so it kept the juices there and really enhanced the flavours.
I enjoyed it so much, I ordered another! That’s a first
At only £5, pound for pound, it could be one of the best and most enjoyable burgers I’ve had. I have updated the score from a 6 to a 9, based on the “American Burger”

 

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A new fast food style burger place has opened up near West Ham’s old stadium, called Fatboyz. Normally I don’t visit a new open and wait a month or so to allow a place to get into the swing of things but I felt like checking this place out.

The menu is simple and straightforward but does offer a little something for everyone, especially for families and children or a place where groups of uni friends can go.

Menu
Menu

The Champ Burger £6.00

The champ burger was a disappointment for a couple of reasons. The beef patty had zero taste, not almost no taste but no taste what so ever. There was nothing from patty telling me it was beef, it was dry and suffered from being overcooked. The burger also had too many different sauces being uses that made the consistency too soggy and also the flavours didn’t work well together. I also removed the onion rings as I don’t like them. 4/10

 

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Beef melt £6.50

I was encouraged to try this pulled beef melt with peppers and cheese. This was nice, the texture of the beef was good but it feel that it was missing something to lift the meal, the peppers were fresh and added to the texture of the melted cheese, but I feel something was missing. 6/10

beef melt
beef melt

Dirty Chips £3.50

The dirty chips were my 2nd favourite item, chilli beef sauce over chips. The chilli tasted good, nice flavours and spice and really good value. 7.5/10

dirty chips
dirty chips

Chilli cheese bangers £3.00 for six

I definitely recommend getting these. Simple, tasty and the gooey cheese was great. Deep-fried cheese and jalapeno peppers and only £3 for 6 bargain! 8/10

Chili cheese bangers
Chili cheese bangers

Sweet Potato Fries £2.00

Sweet potatoes fries were cooked well and tasted good, they were not soft or soggy but firm, I think really good value at only £2.

Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato Fries

Fish Finger Sandwich Meal £3.00

My partner in crime had this, it came with fries and a drink, I have it a good authority that it was “yummy”. ( and yes, it’s a kid’s meal)

Fish Finger Sandwich Meal
Fish Finger Sandwich Meal

All in all it was a mix bag, with some nice bits and some that need improvement, but at the time of visiting it had only been open for 2 days, so there is definitely natural room for improvement which I am sure they will achieve. The venue is small and does have that local vibe to it and feels like it wants to be part of the community. There was a instance of a homeless person wanting food and they gave them some free food, so I really liked that helping the community aspect.  Service was okay and again needs some tweaking with bringing out food in right order but I know they will get this right in time.

If you are local it’s worth a visit, one of the 3 owners took time to speak with us and was very open to feedback, he was very warm and personal and he didn’t know I was a “blogger”. 

Check the place out and let me know how you found it! 

Pie Factory

Halal Food Guy
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0
Pie Factory

The pie factory is one of two restaurants that I know of that focus on pies for halal food consumer. The other being pie Republic.

Located in Whitechapel, opposite the east London mosque the location is ideal for the target crowd. I am always looking for places that offer alternative types of cuisine to ones that I am regularly accustomed to, Pies are not a food that I eat a lot of and it’s good to see that as a halal food addict that places are opening up that allow people like you and me to try food that has been unavailable to us growing up. I was always wanted to try what other people were eating as growing up I was just restricted to one type of cuisine, food from the indian sub continent.  I think as a Londoner, we are lucky to have no so many different food choices to pick from. Anyway I digress.

For drinks I ordered a strawberry mojito and a original mojito. I found the drinks a little too sweet, the strawberry one did have a heavy sugary taste, it felt like a can of strawberry mirdna. The original one lacked the balance of mint and lime.

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The menu is pretty straightforward two different types of pies available, pies come with a choice of two different sides. I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala pie. The pie was visually appealing and the size just about okay for me but won’t be big enough for some. The filling of the pie was a little too dry for my liking and lacked the flavour or spice that i was expecting and overall was a bit on the bland side. I think it would have benefited from a more sauce inside the pie, the textures would work better, as the pie was well cooked, a good crusty outer and soft inner.

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However the accompanying sides were really good, the roasted veg and potatoes had a lot of flavour and cooked well. The pie also came with onion gravy separate and not all over.

Very Hot Pie
Very Hot Pie

Value is great in my opinion, a nice simple warming meal for £6.25 is pretty darn good.

A simple place, cheap food and good location, its worth a visit.

The Pie Factory Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

 

Burgeri

Halal Food Guy
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3
Burgeri

Another new burger joint! Burgeri is the latest addition to the halal burger scene in London and is a import from the a established chain in doha, Middle East.

I work very close by and have been walking past the restaurant under construction every day, each time monitoring the very slow process. I found it odd that it took so long to get this place up and running, leaving a space empty and under development for so long in prime and expensive location can’t be good business sense.

After walking past it for 5 months it finally opened on the day of Eid, which I was working on. So I deiced to check it out at lunch. I think I was one of the first customers, of course I knew that I wouldn’t base any review on a day one launch, as the staff where still being trained and the paint was still wet on the walls, but I did what to check out the menu and sample a cheeky burger.

The menu offers burgers made of quality beef, including Angus and Wagyu.

I’ll quickly talk about what I received and ordered. I went for the B special, seems like a standard cheese burger. The style of burgers is that of a fast food chain, like shake shack or fatburger and this can’t be considered gourmet.

For £5.50 I received the most terrible looking burger I’ve seen, it just looked sad and ready for a funeral. No life, no visual appeal. It tasted flat and very average and could be compared to a burger from a cheap chicken shop just in a softer bun. The another issue was the size, I was finished after 5 bites. The beef patty was too small and overall the burger was not worth that 5 month wait! But I knew not to be too harsh and judge.

Sad looking burger
Burger from first visit

I allowed myself a 5 or 6 weeks to past and decided to go again. This time I went with a large group on a Friday night. The venue is popular with the Arab crowd is definitely a other option for the Arab tourist compared to the non halal five guys burgers around the corner that many Arab tourists eat at.

We decided to Sit in the small a eating area downstairs, it’s definitely not as nice and lively as the main eating area but where allowed to move tables around and take over the area.

Anyway, like last time I went for the B Special but with a double patty with some sweet potato fries. £8.50. This time the burger a clear improvement on the last one I had. It visually looked better presented and the layers of ingredients worked better. The burger bun, in my opinion, is still too small and the double beef option didn’t make much of a difference to satisfying my hunger.

However, the quality and taste of the meat was good, I could taste that fat mixed with with the chuck beef and the fresh ingredients and sauces brought it all together making a solid burger. The soft Bun was lightly toasted and the melted cheese really gave a nice gooey texture to it. Overall the burger scores a solid 7/10 taste.

B. Special
B. Special

Others in my group shared the same view as me, we also all thought that the sides we ordered like the sweets potatoes chips and onions rings where really good and definitely worth getting.

Service was a okay, seemed to be a mix up with some an order, but most likely down to the large group and language barrier with waiting staff.

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Burgeri is a welcomed addition to the halal burger market and offers an alternative to the popular stax dinner a few minutes away. A few improvements are needed, especially with burger size, in terms of bun and meat amount. But causal environment and reasonable price for central London will draw in customers old and new.

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

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