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Fat Burger

Halal Food Guy
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Fat Burger

Update. October 2016

A double burger with beef bacon and cheese. Oh my, this totally knocked me out. This place has definitely improved in standards since my first visit. 8/10. Burger, sweet potato fried and unlimited drinks for £15.

I totally forgot to post this so it’s a bit late..

Yes, I jumped on the band wagon that rolled into town. There has been a massive push on Instagram and twitter about the newly opened FatBurger. I tend to give it a month before a make a visit to a new restaurant, but since Ramadan is fast approaching, I had to get a visit in quick.

I ordered the double FatBurger meal (2 beef patty’s) with no mustard, added cheese. Nothing else, as I don’t like over eating and felt that a burger and chips would be enough. Price was £13.50

First of all. This place is fast food. It’s not gourmet, but for some reason has gourmet prices. 
Food wise, this place seems hit on miss, however on the day I liked my burger. Here’s what liked. The burger is cooked on a hot flat grill. My preferred method of cooking. The burger it self was good, it reminded of a McDonald’s or BK Whopper that I had while on holiday or even Hardees in Saudi. It was layered well, fresh ingredients. A simple burger, the bun was toasted and cooked which made it soft.

However, the meat patty wasn’t very filling. The flavours came from the layers of ingredients in the burger, the meat patty did lack a natural beefy taste. Its a fast food burger.

The other plus points – Service. Very good for fast food. Friendly staff that help you figure out the choices you have. On my visit, I had a party of 12 and they helped arranged seating for everyone.

Free refills. Nice touch. Presentation of food is appealing as well.

My main issue is the pricing. A single burger costs more than a big Mac meal. Okay, so of course for Halal eaters, no concern. But i think it’s too much. I will make the price comparison to a gourmet burger, lets say loaded or proper burger, a burger there with a 8oz patty costs around £7. At Fatburger a double patty is £10.

So for me, this doesn’t represent good value at all. I don’t see the justification in a burger that costs £10.

I will be interesting to see how this place does after the halal boom dies down.

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

Ishtar

Halal Food Guy
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Ishtar

If I’m in the mood for Turkish food I normally think of heading to Harringay Green Lanes or the Stoke Newington area. But if you want a good Turkish restaurant in central London I recommend Ishtar.
The restaurant is contemporary and spacious with 2 floors and a view into the open kitchen.

The service is worthy of mention. It’s very good and is on par with some Michelin starred restaurants I have been to. It’s the little things that make a big difference. For example, in our group of 12, one of us needed a extra straw, the extra straw was brought out right away, on a plate and cloth napkin. I liked that. Food is presented in a visually pleasing way and is made with care and attention to details.


The pricing is also very good. A 3 course lunch menu which offers choice is available from 12 to 6 for £13.95, factor in a drink and service pushes you to just under £20. The options on the menu are impressive especially the non meat options, the salmon and sea bass seem to go down with the others.
Just like last week at Tas, I went for the safe lamb shish, £2 extra for grilled dishes.
Portion size was good, not too much and not too little. The meat was as you expect, cooked well, juicy and succulent. In retrospect, I wish I ordered a non meat option. Im having too much meat. The chilli sauce is also something I review. Here it was home made and really good. A good blend of species and heat.
All in a all, this was a very pleasant and good food experience.

Ishtar scores high in each department as it’s hard to fault any area.

10-12 Crawford Street,Marylebone, London W1U 6AZ

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

Bird

Halal Food Guy
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Bird

Quick Bite Review:

So just spent £10 on fried chicken, not a family meal, but just two pieces!
So I popped into @bird_restaurant which is a hipster fried chicken shop in the trendy Shoreditch area. I’ve had the chicken and waffles from @staxdiner and really enjoyed the crazy combination.

But I have to be honest I was very disappointed with the chicken here. I was expecting more, a lot more. I had a leg and thigh piece. The batter was too hard and crispy and the size of the chicken was on the small size. I didn’t find it tasty. It didn’t feel fresh. My friend wasn’t very impressed, it didn’t do my foodie cred any help.

Of course there are other choices on the menu, but if 2 simple pieces of chicken didn’t taste good then I’m not really convinced.

Guys and girls, sick to your local halal fried chicken shop or KFC. The food here was not worth it in my option. Of course, you are encouraged to visit and make your own conclusions.

I have no idea how places like this are still open. I wouldn’t go here again even if it was free.

Halal status is confirmed via messages and social media. Alcohol is served.

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

Clockjack (closed)

Halal Food Guy
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Clockjack (closed)

One of the things I do in my spare time is research new places to eat, which is when I came across the words Free Range and ethically sourced chicken. I have found that this will increase the chance of a restaurant serving halal chicken. As, Halal doesn’t just mean how meat is killed but also how it lived, so free range is a prerequisite.  So I contacted them and the nice people of Clockjack said they can order in Halal chicken on request. Sorted.

When I arrived at the restaurant I was informed that my halal chicken had been ordered, so that eased any doubts. Clockjack is in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Soho and Piccadilly Circus. They deal with one thing. Chicken, and boy do they get it right!

To drink me and my old work friend ordered the homemade lemonade, simple, sweet and refreshing

I ordered a whole chicken @£19.95. (But just looking at the bill was charged for 2 x Half Chickens @£10.95. Nor sure why) As you can see from the pictures it looks pretty epic! We also ordered some sides:
Clockjack Fries – £3.50
Sweet Potato Fries – £4.25
Clockjack Coleslaw – £3.25 (Cabbage, Celery, Fennel Seeds, Lemon & Mayonnaise)
When a whole upright chicken lands on your table its a pretty epic sight! After a quick few couple of snaps, I then had the fun task on cutting this whole chicken into two. After a bit on meat carving, managed to cut me a lovely leg and thigh piece to start with.

Now a lot of the chicken I eat tends to be grilled, which is good, but using this method of cooking creates a different taste. It is like a roast chicken at the end of the day, but the marinate they use worked really well. The chicken was succulent and juicy. Before roasting, they marinate the chicken in a soft herb brine, which lifts the natural flavour. Then the intense heat of the rotisserie flame turns the skin brown, this brought out some deep flavours from the skin, which made it taste so good. Because its on a rotisserie the rotation helps cook the chicken gently, which resulted in a tender and succulent chicken packed with flavour.

Chicken is cooked on the only vertical rotisserie in Europe. (so they say)

The Sweet potato fries where great and went really well with the chicken, I wasn’t a fan of the Chips in comparison, stick to the sweet potato, much better!

By the end of the meal I was stuffed! It was a very satisfying meal. Service was personable and quick.

Total Bill came to £31inc service.  – Please note that a discount of £10.95 was applied to my final bill as I used a Tastecard

I spoke with one of the managers, he was very friendly and interested in the halal food market. He told me that it was very easy for him to order in halal chicken from his supplier. I also spoke to one of the cooks, he was muslim and also confirmed the chicken I ate was halal.

 

Halal – Halal chicken is ordered upon request, you need to give at 24 to 48 hours notice. Status was confirmed many times direct from the manager. Ask for Gray or one of the mangers. Chief and Kitchen are also Muslim (Bengali)

14 Denman Street, London, W1D 7HJ / http://www.clockjack.co.uk/
Masjid Near / Alcohol on site
Clockjack Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Red Iron Burger

Halal Food Guy
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Red Iron Burger

Another burger joint! Red Iron Burger is in Uxbridge an area that I knew very well around 10 years ago as I went to Brunel University. Anyway I decided to make the journey from East to West and check out the burgers.

The Food:
Ordered some BBQ wings to start, these were nice, cooked well and the sauce was flavoursome, but as I have mentioned in the past, chicken wings are very simple to cook and hard to get wrong.

I ordered the aptly named Red Iron Burger is the signature burger, “oozing layers of mixed cheese’s, house Red Iron Burger sauce, garlic mayo, caramelised red onions, jalapeños, fresh red onion, lettuce and tomato” served with sweet potatoes fires for £11. Let’s address the pricing, for the area, I think it’s over priced. Burgers come with chips or £1.50 extra for sweet potato fries. This burger was £9.50.

The burger itself, when it arrived it looked good, decent presentation and loads of layers, but here was where things turned. When I touched the burger bun, I was shocked to find the bun was COLD and not even cooked. I got up straight away and I asked the cook directly if this was correct and he said yes. We use all our senses when we eat, the bun is the first thing we touch and taste, for this to be cold is a massive error. The bun was also stale, the texture and taste if the bun was awful. It fell apart and didn’t keep its form. The sauces and taste of the burger was also poor. The cheese in the burger didn’t melt, maybe because the bun was too cold. The beef patty was also rather bland. I really didn’t enjoy this meal.

I know many people have rated this place but I think it comes down to competition around the area. There isn’t any other halal burger places, unlike East London and because of this I think they can get away with a lower standard and quality. I have read other views and comments and it seems that this place as taken a dive since it as opened, both in food and service.

Venue is also pretty basic, it has a rustic feel. Had to wait around 20mins for a table for 3. From a service point of view, we had to queue and wait in line for a table, no names taken, so I found that as poor element of service.

You pay for food at the start, which is good for groups and avoiding disproportion in bill paying!

280 High St, Uxbridge UB8 1LQ
Location

 

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Proper Burgers [CLOSED]

Halal Food Guy
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Proper Burgers [CLOSED]

Date of Visit: Friday April 17, 7pm

So I finally got around to visit the fairly newish Proper Burgers in Leyton. My home towns latest addition to the many restaurants around the area. 

From the outside the venue doesn’t look that big, however when you enter you realise that the depth is rather deceptively big inside. The decor is unique – if you are a 80’s kid like me, you will notice a wall of cassette tapes all long the wall, very quirky indeed. The venue is spacious with large wooden tables and comfortable seating with a view of the open kitchen towards the back of the restaurant.

What I ordered:

I was dinning with 2 other friends, I ordered the Red Morris Burger, (£7.95) along with onion rings (£1.95) and Rosemary Fires (£2.50) . For drinks I had a Pina Colada and Mijito (£4.95)

I’ll cut to it. The burger was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. The taste of all the juices from the beef oozed out and made the burger memorable. The ingredients worked well with each other and the texture was great. All the beef burgers are served with 2 4oz patties, rather than one. The reason being is that the management want to deliver a good amount of meat with each burger but also want it cooked well and say that you can get consistency with 2 patties than one – i.e not over cooked on the outside and too under cooked in the middle. Makes sense i guess, however I think it could be an idea to have an option of just one patty for choice.

So why are the burgers here really good? Well, like Stax Diner the burgers here are cooked on a flat hot plate grill (not sure if that’s the official term) rather than the more common flame grill. Now, I think that what this means is that the taste from fat is kept better within the burger and enhances the over all taste. It is the fat within red meat that generally has most of the flavour and taste. The burger here was made with a good proportion of ingredients, i liked the fat they they added loads of fired onions which added a nice sweetness and mixed well from the juices that were coming from the meat.

Food was served on plates, the kind of plates that your mum brought back in the 70’s, honest, it felt like eating on crockery that my mum picked! It added to the random quirkiness. The rosemary fires and chips with melted cheese with beef chilli on top. Not too dry and not to gooey either.

Drinks – The first drink I had was a Pina Colada, lacked sweetness for me but still okay, the Mijito was very good. The first slip gave me a massive hit of sweetness and mint. However, I think the price point for a Mocktail for the area (Leyton) is a bit too high. I think £4.95 is £1 too much. My Friends had a Cosmo and they seemed to enjoy them very much.

Overall, my first visit to Proper Burgers was a good one!nMake sure you pay a visit, it’d definitely worth the visit no matter where you live. We are lucky to have loads of gourmet burger options in East London and Proper Burgers is a great addition. 

Address: 706 Lea Bridge Road, Leyton
Twitter: https://twitter.com/proper_burgers
Web: http://www.properburgerslondon.com/

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Five Lads

Halal Food Guy
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Five Lads

Date of Visit: 3rd April

A new place in Leyton! Today I went to Five Lads in Leyton, which has been only open for 2 or 3 weeks and is a peri peri grill restaurant . It was very busy after the jummah rush and they had a long wait for the chicken 25mins, so I ordered Gourmet Lamb burger meal, which cost an amazing £4.95, burger, with any side and can drink. Burger patty was fresh and thick but just lacked that special secret element, i think the burger needed some type of sauce inside, other than mayo. I got one side of chips and coleslaw, the chips where steak cut but slightly undercooked for my liking.

Before the burger I got some chicken wings for starters, at £2.99. These were brilliant. Possibly better than nandos? After finished the burger I had room for some a proper bit of chicken. I got a 1/4 chicken meal, an amazing £3.49.

This restaurant is a cross between a kebabish and nandos, space for around 25 people. I was very impressed with the food and value. The service and logistics are still being worked on, but it’s only been open for a few weeks.




— Update — Since writing this review, I have been back for take away 3 times. Yep, I think I have a new favourite place in town. I have tried the Chicken Burger which was good and also more chicken. The Chicken is on the small size if I am being honest, but for me, food and value are fantastic.

Will be going back again.
HMC certified, Muslim owners

Address: 308 High Road Leyton, London E10 5PW (The location on Google Maps in wrong, its further down, Corner of Huxley Road)

The Meating Room

Halal Food Guy
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The restaurant is small and can hold around 16 people a max.

I ordered the St. Peter’s (cheese burger)£7.95 Beef patty, gem lettuce, beef tomato, red onion, homemade burger sauce, mature cheddar with sweet potato chips.
What I liked was the burger foused on quality ingredients. The beef patty was thick, juicy and you could taste the natural flavours meat.

I liked the the burger. I like places like this, they focus on the burger with no gimmicks. I would rank the burger is similar standings to uptown burger, Leyton. The only thing missing from the burger was the option of added fired onions.

The sweet potatoes fries were perfect and I’m glad they had root beer on the menu.
I had a bite of the chicken burger which was also good.

So if you find yourself in St.Albans I would definitely check this place out!
Oh and I got 50% off using a tastecard! So value for money is brilliant.

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Loaded Burgers

Halal Food Guy
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Loaded Burgers

I’ve been to loaded burgers twice before last night’s visit and on those occasions I wasn’t impressed. However, almost a year on I thought its time to give it another try.

Im please to report that it was good! I feel that they have definitely improved dramatically since my previous visits from when they first open their doors.

I ordered the Machete burns burger, if you like heat and spice then this burger is for you. It was packed full of layers and the sauces where killer. I think it was a bit too saucy as it made the bun get too wet and fall apart. The burger patty was thick, tasty and cooked to how I wanted it.

After this visit I think ill start moving away from classic beef burgers and try the more experimental burger on menus.

The restaurant was fairly empty for a Monday night so service was quick and efficient. You order and pay first. Notice it’s cash only but there’s a cash machine next door.

All in all, I was happy with the food and will now definitely recommend a visit if you have not been yet.

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The Banc

Halal Food Guy
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The Banc

Bite Size Review

So I finally got around to checking out The Banc in Tottenham. So what do I think? It was brilliant. I enjoyed everything I ate and had a good experience with good food and of course good company.

They know what they are doing here, the steak is aged 21 day piece of meat. Good quality. I ordered the sirloin steak, medium rare. It was cooked perfect. Starters were great as well.

The service was friendly, efficient and personal. The decor was clean, modern and contemporary design.

 261-263 W Green Rd, London N15 3BH

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