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Franzos

  

I like my chicken, who doesn’t, I particular like it grilled, it kind of tricks my mind and says “hey this is healthy and tastes good so eat it” We all like a cheeky Nandos from time to time but paying 15 quid for chicken sides and chips is not something I like. Which is here Franzo’s comes in.

This place has gone under a rebrand and redevelopment and is now like a Nandos, but at a fraction of the price

At the time of writing, I’ve eaten here now 4 or 5 times – which should give you an idea that I like this place, I tend to order a whole chicken, with 2 sides and, 2 drinks for £12. I have to say the chicken here is brilliant. I could have eaten the whole chicken on my own! At the end of the day it is just grilled peri peri chicken, but it is really fresh and well cooked, its always soft, juicy and tender.

I did try the lamb chops on my first visit and they where the only thing I have eaten here that has let me down. I have yet to try any of the wraps or burgers, but Its all about the grilled chicken here.

The venue is very popular with locals and families, hey when you can feed your family for this cheap why wouldn’t it be busy? Even when the place is busy, the standard of food does not drop, you don’t have to wait too long before you food arrives.

Better than Nandos and I would think it’s a little better than Five Lads in Leyton. Best peri peri chicken around I say. With a review this good you thing I got paid to say this.. but I didn’t, I like just the chicken here.

Hoppers

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Hoppers a small and I really mean small (it only holds 25 people) Sri Lankan restaurant right in the middle of Soho from the people of behind Michelin started indian eatery Gymkhana. So when you have a place in soho that can hold only 25 people prepare for queues. They have a new and modern virtual queuing system, get there leave your name and number with the hostess and go off until you get a text saying your table is ready.

Lucky for me, I work in Soho, so I went from my office and put my name down, was told there was a 30min wait and went back to work and by the time the table was ready my friend had showed up.. some advanced planning there.

The place is loud due to the size (i think i’ve mentioned that) and a bit cramped.

Food

Hot Butter Devilled Shrimps.....6.5
Mutton Rolls.....4.5
Lamb Kari.....6
Lamb Kothu Roti 9
Hopper
Dosa

Confession time, I’m writing this review a month after visiting and all I can recall is that I Really liked the food here. Everything I ate was great, in particular the Devilled shrimps – they had great flavour and the spice was perfect. Yeah.. thats all I got right now. Hoppers equals good. Not much of a review I know, but does anyone actually read these? I just look at the pics and score.

Cafe Rasa Malaysia

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There are a lot of halal food options in Westfield Stratford, the food court is a great place for eating after a shopping session. Located on the bottom floor, near waitrose and towards Stratford International Entrance is the small Cafe Rasa Malaysia.

The venue is small, just a couple of tables so not ideal for large groups. I ordered a couple of dishes, Roti Cani, Beef Rendag and Kway teow goreng with chicken. I found the beef Rendang too saucy for me, i prefer it when it is dry as the flavours of the meat tend to stand up better. The stand out dish was the Kway teow goreng with chicken. One of the best noodle dishes I have have. £8.90

However, prices expensive considering that it’s a cafe the prices are on par with that of an restaurant, but its the location I guess.

Recommend for quick bite. 

Pie Republic [CLOSED]

 

Update 2: Nov 2016

Quick mention that you can also get a Full HALAL English Breakfast here. £7.95. Defiantly one of the best Halal english breakfasts out there due to the quality of food and taste.

Full English
Full English

 

1st Post / May 2016

I really wanted something that wasn’t burgers, steak, Indian or Turkish and was driving around and spotted a new looking pie restaurant with the magic Halal sign in the window. I thought great, pies, something I definitely don’t eat much of.
It’s only been open for business for 5 weeks. The decor is really nice, very modern, with exposed brick work and timber beams, felt like a English cottage designed by a hipster. I liked it.

pieRe_1

Food

Theres an 3 starters for £10 deal, but since it was just 2 of us we ordered one and ordered “Panko Chicken Wings”, which is basically fried chicken in bread crumbs. I found these too oily didn’t enjoy these much.

pieRe_3

For mains I ordered a Haka, which is a pie filled with lamb, carrots, Rosemary, garlic and potatoes each pie comes with a choice of 2 sides for £7.95. I went for roasted veg (really nice) and homemade slaw. Very good value I think. I liked the pie, i was worried it would be like a British style cooking, but it had a desi style to it with a blend of nice spices.


We also ordered a Pie Pizza, which is a pizza on a pastry based with chicken, peppers, cheese and jalapenos, served with chips. I didn’t eat this so I can’t comment.

Also ordered a really nice Virgin mojito, I was actually impressed by it, good blend of mint and lime, which cost £3.95

pieRe_2


If you are local to East London, i would definitely recommend this place. It’s next to the mosque and is also HMC certified. There are also non pies on the menu.

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

Brioche Burger (closed)

UPDATE: March 2016 – Score has been downgraded due to poor experience below.

I visited Brioche burger on 3rd March, just before 10pm.

The last time I went was in November when I was invited to a tasting session to try the new Agus beef menu but a few months later I wanted to try the menu again.

I ordered dirty dozen wings, Cojack and fresh price burger.

I have to be honest as I always am. I was very disappointed with the quality, standard and taste food I had. I’m not why, but the standards and quality were not good on this visit, perhaps it was due to the kitchen and restaurant not being able to cope during busy periods.

The Cojack was average, I was very surprised with how different this burger tasted from the last time I had the Angus menu. I couldn’t identify or taste the difference of using aged meat. I don’t think the sauces or extras like beef rashers aided to the burger. Really didn’t enjoy this burger at all and for someone who was really hungry and hadn’t eaten a burger for ages I only ate half.

The fresh prince burger, which is a take on a Philly cheese steak sandwich was just awful. The slices of steak were cut too thin it looked like worms and nothing how a Philly steak sandwich should be. Because the steak was cut so small, you weren’t able to taste any of the meat on the tongue. None of the fatty, oily tastes of the meat were evident. Definitely not the same when I first had it in November.

I think a restaurant should maintain standards no matter if you are busy or not, especially if you are charging £10 for a burger.

Very disappointed that they have been able to maintain standards since my last review.

I was given free nachos and 20% as there was a long wait.


My first visit to Brioche burger was not the best foodie experience and my very critical review echoed my sentiment. I didn’t enjoy the burgers, you can read more in my first review. Nevertheless, I did gave the owners some feedback and it seems they have taken some of my suggestions on board and now have introduced a new range of beef burgers and were nice enough to invite me to a tasting session to give them feedback on a new beef burger and steak menu.

The new menu now features Aged beef, Abdereen Angus Steak to be more accurate – and what is more impressive it is HMC certified. This now makes it currently the first HMC 21 day Aged steak that you can get.

BircoheBurger1

Burgers:

Brioche Burger have really researched the way they cooked and create Burgers and have improved.. Firstly, they have used aged minced meat with a 70:30 ratio with fat. It is the fat that helps bring out the taste and keeps the burger juicy. Traditional gourmet burgers have a thick patty, but here they have opted for a thinner patty and gone for that shake shake style, where the burger is smashed and then cooked on a hot plate grill.

BircoheBurger3

I tried 2 burgers, the Lone Ranger – a very simple burger with minimal ingredients – 6oz Angus patty, crispy fried onions, american chesses, spicy bbq sauce in their signature Brioche bun.

The focus of this burger was clear, the taste of the meat. Howver, upon my first bite, I found the burger too salty, it was very over powering, despite this after a few more bites the salty taste went away and I was left enjoying the burger. I was not a fan of the onions, they where in a batter and fried, it added a unnecessary texture in my opinion, I’d much preferred if it were just caramelised fired onions. This burger was definitely an improvement on the betty boo burger that I had on my first visit. But you have to remember that the menu is in development so there is a lot of potential here.
The other burger I had was the Fresh Prince which is there take on the classic and famous Philly Cheese Steak sandwhich. This comes with sliced Angus rump beef steak, onions, peppers, mushrooms, with american cheese, mustard and ketchup. I have to say this was a really good burger, despite the fact that I forgot to mention no mustard as I hate that stuff! It’s a messier burger but the meat and flavours really blended well and made for a outstanding meal.

BircoheBurger4
I’m not much of a eater so I was rather full after the burgers and the brilliant chicken wings that I had for starters. But I was presented with a lovely Angus steak, 21 day dry aged.

Traditionally I have found that “brown guys” can’t really cook steak to the “english” way that I like it, they either cover it in sauce or over cook it. The steak that I had was cooked very very well. It was served Medium, normally I go for medium Rare, but it was cooked to a perfect Medium.

It was soft, juicy and very tender. I like cooking steak myself and know a few tricks, one of them is NOT to cook from cold and allow the meat to come up to room temperature before cooking on a grill – and it’s a method that they guys here used as well, which makes a difference to the consistency of the meat making in soft and easy to eat.

I have to say that the steak can easy be in the best steak in town class, (with Meat and Co being the top) The Banc, in Tottenham along with Gyms Kitchen to the best steaks, but this one can sit along side them. Prices and Menu in the photos.

The food I ate was part of a private tasting session for me with no other people in attendance to influence my views. As mentioned found the burgers and steak too overpowering with the taste of salt, however I am sure this issue as now been addressed. Its really good to see that a restaurant has listened to it’s customers and improved on its menu and food.

 

Gymkhana

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Gymkhana is the sister restaurant to the successful Trishna, both of which boast a Michelin Star. I visited Trishna a few months ago for a Sunday lunch and really enjoyed it and wanted to check out what the newer Gymkhana had to offer.

I originally wanted to visit after work but getting a table here is not easy! Every day that I wanted was booked up for weeks but I managed to check a late lunch slot on a Wednesday which was in line with a day I had off so I booked straight away.

From the moment I made the online reservation the great service began. From email confirmation of the reservation, followed by a reconfirmation the day before which asked if I was celebrating any occasion, which I was, I was taking my friend out for her birthday which I mentioned, the reason I am mentioning this will follow.

Menus

Gymkhana is located near green Park, the décor and theme of the early is that of an old Indian colonial gentleman club, similar to Dishoom if you have been. There two floors, the lower floor is reserved for a different menu I think and is more furnished compared to the main floor where I ate.

Okay, lets talk about food! Having booked a table for 2 at lunch, i wanted to take advantage of the set lunch menu. There were 2 different set menu that i could chose from so I decided to pick 1 of each, as each menu had different items to mix and match from.

TASTE OF GYMKHANA – 4 courses for £35 and GYMKHANA LUNCH MENU 3 courses for £30.

We started with some poppadoms – Cassava, Lentil & Rice Papads, Shrimp Chutney & Mango Chutney.

 

Starters:
Potato Chat, Chickpeas, Tamarind, Sev
This was really good, the balance of flavours and the texture was just perfect. I was really impressed with this starter.

Panner Tikka, Cashew Nut, Corn Chat
A bit on the dry side and it didn’t really wow me.

Hariyali Bream, Tomato Kachumber
A piece of fish covered in a green sauce. I was a bit sceptical at first but this dish was great. The fish was perfectly cooked and the spices it was cooked with really blended well all the flavours.

Starters

 

Mains
Kid Goat Methi Keema, Salli, Pao
There was an option to have the keema served with lamb brains as well, we decided to pass on this choice. But the keema was again another well made dish. It was light and the spices used really brought it to life.

At this point, i found my nose running a little from the heat from the chilli. I was impressed that they didn’t dumb down Indian food for an “English” tongue and kept true to how the food is meant to be cooked.

 

Chicken Butter Masala.
This dish wasn’t that memorable, im writing this review a week after my visit and i am having a hard time to recall the how this dish tasted, clearly it didn’t leave much of an impact.

All of the above was served with Dal Maharani – Im not a fan of Dhal so I didn’t eat much of it, Saag Paneer, it was made from freshly blended spinach, but wasn’t something I particular enjoyed as it wasn’t too my taste and Bread Basket and Basmati Rice

 

By this point we were pretty full. But I left some room for dessert. For which we ordered Blackberry & Apple Falooda, Berry Ripple Kulfi and Date & Fig Kheer. My friend was also surprised with a birthday dessert as well. When our desserts came i was wondering if they do anything for my friend as it was her birthday and the table next to us got a birthday dessert, when i looked up the manager just looked at me and winked, from that i knew that she was gonna get one as well.

From start to finish everything from the service to the food was on point. The staff were very attentive and helpful with ordering and explaining dishes. it’s what you expect from a Michelin stared restaurant.

The food was really good as well, its not a curry house that’s for sure, the standard of cooking, service and environment reinforce this.

Moral Cafe

Update October 2018 – 

Since originally writing this review a lot of time has passed, this place has taken its newly found popularity that I feel I had a part in and has increased prices and dropped standards. I have changed the score to reflect this.

The first time I had a halal English breakfast outside of my home was at Meds and that experience was rather disappointing and left me wondering why it was rated by so many. Well, if you follow me on Instagram, the comments section for that Meds post recommended a place for me to check out.

Moral Cafe is a Turkish run family establishment in Ilford.

The cafe is spacious, clean, modern and contemporary. As mentioned is is a Turkish family run business with a lot of warmth from the people that work there. Very friendly, good service and a nice breakfast. You are able to swap items if you want. Many other things on the menu

I went for the Full English, there are loads of options to choice from the wide range of items on the menu.

moral

I liked the presentation of the breakfast, served in a plate with corners and neat compartment areas for extras. Looking back, I should of swapped a few things out, but for I did have was great. You get to chose the type of bread you even want and its not the cheap tesco value stuff.

I do think that it could of done with a slight twist and maybe add some ethnic flavours to it, (basically, I like chilli and spice) but it stayed true to being a simple and well cooked English Breakfast. Not much to go into here, everything was made well and was good quality.

Highly recommended.

Caraway

0

Caraway Is a indian restaurant in gants hill and not to be confused with a typical curry house. The decor of the restaurant featured a moroccan infused design in the center as well as a pleasant water feature which created a nice atmosphere, as pictured. From looking at the interior and staff I would guess that this is a indian punjabi run restaurant  

Service was unattentive throughout the meal, I felt that we were not really looked after and I had to get the attention of the waiters on a few occasions despite the venue not being busy.

The lamb chops were cooked to medium not over done and served on a sizzling hot plate. Lamb chops were juicy and and had good flavour to them. The chat was a bit disappointing and I am finding it hard to recall it.

Main course, the lamb bhuna curry was fresh and pleasant as well as the keema curry. I think i prefered keema curry as there was deeper flavours.

Cost wise i think the dishes represented good value for money and good portion sizes. A simple and nice local indian restaurant that i would go again as the food was good overall.

 

Starters
Special Alu Papdi Chat...... £5.50
Lamb Chop lajawab........... £6.95
Mains
Keema-e-khas................ £5.95
Bhuna Gosht................. £6.95
2 Plain naan................ £3.00
Drinks
Virgin Colada............... £4.25
Sprite...................... £2.75

TOTAL...................... £35.35

 

Caraway Brasserie Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Siirgista Bros [CLOSED]

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Another Halal burger joint, but this one is in central London, located opposite right opposite the station Burgista is more an upmarket fast food eatery. Order at the till, pay and wait for burger goodness. Menu is simplistic, you can order burgers on their own or with a chips and drink combo or with a milkshake.

I ordered a MEXICALI SPICY BURGER. A beef patty, which consisted of baby gem lettuce, heritage tomato, red onion and our burger sauce, topped with sliced jalapeno chillies, smoky chilli cheese and chipotle mayonnaise.

The burger is similar to the shakeshack style with hand formed beef patties, cooked on a hot grill and smacked. Although described as a gourmet burger, I think it is more a burger had that fancy fast food meets gourmet taste.

The Burger was packed full of different layers of ingredients  in a warm, soft and sweet bun, that held together really well despite oozing with juices from meat and other ingredients.

Enjoyed the burger and I am sure I will be back to try the other burgers on the menu.

burger + chips + ferrero rocher shake in central London for £11.98. Great value.

Masak (closed)

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Masak is a relativity new eatery in my home town of Leyton, East London which serves up a concise menu of Malaysian cuisine. The venue is small, warm and has more of a cafe vibe than a restaurant.

 

 The menu is very simple and focuses on a core section of famous and staple dishes from Malaysian cuisine, of which I am a massive fan of and have been to Malaysia several times in the last 5 years.

I dined here with my parents and brother so 4 of us in total.  We visited on a Sunday night at the restaurant was empty, not a soul insight, which was not a good sign, but lucky it was not a bad omen.

As mentioned, the menu is not complex and has a small but well thought choice of dishes to chose from.

Starters

Ordered – Beef Satay and Chicken Satay, 3 skewers with each dish. (Meat marinated in various spices, skewered then grilled. Served with cucumber, shallot, rice cubes & peanut sauce) £3.99

I found the both satay sticks a little underwhelming, the pieces of chicken were lacking flavour and were on the dry side. I prefer the use of thigh than what they used here chicken breast, as its naturally better tasting meat and has more moisture to it. So not the best start.

Mains

Roti canai £4.99, Beef Rendang £7.99, Nasi Goreng £5.99 and Beef Kari £5.99.

This is where things pick up. The mains were all very good. The beef rendang add a great balance of dryness with the perfect amount of moisture to it. The texture was authentic to what i expect slow cooked meat to be like. It was packed full of flavour was is definitely one of the best beef rendang dishes I have tasted in a long time. By this time I guess people walking past saw us and came in and there were 4 other tables of people eating with us now.

The nasi goreng was served with all the traditional accompaniments, prawn crackers, egg on top with a dollop of sambal on the side and again i Found it a very authentic dish.

The roti canai, which is a traditional type of Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, came with a chicken Kari and was very similar in appearance and taste to the beef kari. This again tasted great, a good level of spice and flavours. It was a very enjoyable meal overall, each dish was cooked really well and tasted great.

For dessert myself and brother both went for Banana fritters, which are bananas deep fried in batter and served with ice cream £2.99

masak10

There was only one member of service staff, so when the flow of people started the service slightly dropped, nothing major just the table was not cleared for 10mins. But the service is friendly and well had that local hospitality feel to it.

The price came to under £50 for 4 people with drinks. I think Masak represents great value as the dishes are very well prices and great value for money.

masak8

 

A very good and authentic tasting Malaysian restaurant.

Oh, make sure wash your hands at the restroom, it’s one of nicest bathrooms i have seen in a restaurant!

Masak Malaysian Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato