It’s not often I give a restaurant a second chance after a 1st poor first visit, but @haweli.restaurant (located near where I live on Ilford Lane) reached out and wanted me to give them another try so I went on a Friday night and here’s what I got.
Sadly it wasn’t second time lucky, I still found the food below average and wasn’t impressed with most of what I ate.
The mixed grill at over £20 was disappointing, with the exception of the sheesh kebab, every item was bland, hard, dry and suffered from being overcooked, probably due to being served on a hot sizzling plate.
The chappi kebab was nice, crispy exterior, good flavours and nice texture
The chilli panner was poor, with no texture or colour just some Panner tossed with a sweet unbalanced sauce.
I was recommended to try the house special Charsi Chicken, whilst the dish looked impressive, it wasn’t to my taste. I found the raw acidity of the tomatoes create an overpowering flavour and it just tasted like boiled chicken with tomatoes. Avoid.
The poor cooking continued with the Bhindi Masala, a bowl of oily goo that looked like it was made a week ago, the menu described it as cooked in a dry masala. All I could taste was the unhealthy amount of oil, zero taste of Okra. Awful.
I got a lamb handi, while the meat was tender and soft, overall the dish lacked depth in flavour.
The Keema naan was decent but half was burnt and inedible. The saving grace was the kheer it was tasty and very good.
Food is still below average and I definitely won’t ever return, nor would I recommend this place. Much better places for food in the area. Yet it’s still busy. The service was good and the interior is spacious and clean.
I was invited to review. The meal was complimentary.
Last year it’s easy to say that coco in tower Bridge was the biggest and most hyped halal restaurant opening. It stood out as one of the most instagramable places to eat, with its stunning high-end interiors and floral-themed decor.
They recently opened a new restaurant in Lakeside, West Thurrock overlooking the water, but this time offers an Asian-focused menu with influences from Japanese, Indian, Thai and Korean cuisine.
I was invited down and here’s what I thought. I visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon at around 3 pm with my 4-month baby and wife, we were originally sat inside and the restaurant was not too busy, inside the music was a bit too loud for us, so we decided to take the scenic view and dine outside with a view of the lake.
If you have been following me for a while you know that my focus at restaurants is on the quality and taste of the food, I’m not distracted by decor, vibe, fire shows or dry ice…but who doesn’t like a bit of theatre. On a side note, since coco launched, I’ve noticed most similar new restaurants basically look the same, hard to tell them apart sometimes!
I sampled a wide range of menu items, I’m gonna generalise everything but say it was all good, not average but not excellent either, everything would score 6 or 7 out of 10. While there were no significant issues, nothing really kept my tastebuds alive. All the dishes were played safe.
The dishes that worked were the Lamb Biryani which was better than I’d expected, the wagyu bao bun was actually delicious and the fire chilli chicken certainly lived up to its name, it has a lot of heat and was very spicy!
The sushi was probably the most underwhelming dish, I was really expecting better, especially for the price tag. The cauliflower was undercooked and too raw for my taste, but the sauce that accompanied the dish was good. The mixed grill featured some nice cuts of meat, I found one of my chops overcooked and one cooked just right.
This place is more about the decor and vibe with food that’s gonna be just okay. An ideal for a special occasion with a loved one or even a meal with friends.
The drinks menu features a range of non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails, I tried a few and wasn’t that impressed with the premium drinks like the Royal Spirt Dakari at £12.50 didn’t seem worth it to me in terms of taste, however, the classic Pina Colada at £10 was very good.
People will say that the prices are high, however, this happens when a restaurant has this level of decor and doesn’t serve alcohol which generates high margins for all Restaurants.
If the question you are asking is Where Can I get a decent halal breakfast in London, then look no further. From a Halal Full English to the classics like eggs benedict, there are loads of places that offer decent breakfast options. There are 100’s of places to get eggs benedict and other popular non-meat breakfast/brunch’s so I have not mentioned those.
I’ve featured a selection of places I’ve been to. Most of the places are in East London. If you know any more then please comment below or send me an email or tweet.
As best to my knowledge all of the places are either fully Halal or part Halal. However, the menu and suppliers can change without notice so always check ahead.
East London
Pie Factory Ilford
Probably my most visited and a favourite spot for breakfast, always consistent, food standards are high and the prices are very good value for money
My rating – 9.5/10
Coffee Garden
473 High Rd Leytonstone, Leytonstone, London E11 4JU
Here’s a new fully halal and HMC cafe located in North London called @cobblers.cafe
The cafe is cosey and has been decorated nicely with a strong floral theme. The menu has a wide range of popular breakfast and brunch items, I went for the Mediterranean breakfast (£11) American Pan Cakes £12 and Nutella French toast £9.50. The breakfast items were freshly made and good in portion size. I did find the sujuk in the Mediterranean breakfast a little tough and wasn’t the best but they said they are made in-house and not processed. There are also other items available so there are options for everyone.
Querky Cafe
They have 3 locations so we decided to visit the closest one to us in Forest Gate.
When we got there I was a little surprised to find such a small cafe.. However, they told me to walk down the side which lead us to a lovely secret indoor garden dining area.
The menu has the Classic English breakfast as well a low-carb Keto Breakfast option as well and there’s also some brunch options like chicken N waffles.
We went for a Big Breakfast which was actually enough for the 2 of us, all fresh and well made in particular the hash brown. You can also swap out items, we swapped the turkey rashers for grilled Halloumi.
Been a while since I had chicken N waffles and I enjoyed this dish. I was expecting something premade but the waffle and chicken tasted fresh and homemade.
Ordering and payment are done via your phone and the system worked well. The staff were genuinely friendly and the service was good.
There are no fruit juices on the menu and no eggs Royale etc style dishes but, they have smoothies and other options.
I’ll definitely be back again. All food halal. No alcohol. I paid for my meal and was not invited.
Address: 180 Forest Ln, London E7 9BB Other locations Address: 23 High St, London E17 7AD Address: 110 Watney St, London E1 2QE
My rating – 8.5/10
Mii Chai Ilford
The place is spacious with good seating and a simple menu. I ordered Full English breakfast £6.99 Desi Breakfast £6.79 Nutella French Toast £4.49 Masala Chips £3.49
The English breakfast was clean and not greasy, they used good quality chicken sausages and the baked beans had a masala twist, however, I wasn’t impressed with the way they dumped the eggs broken and upside down on the plate
The desi breakfast, is an Indian omelette (they sneakily add on 80p if you want one fully loaded) with a choice of roti or paratha.
The French toast was a bit Meh and I wasn’t keen on the masala Chips.
I went for breakfast, but there are loads of other cafe-style foods available.
Here’s a cute cafe right by the water near Victoria Park Hackney/Bethnal Green @bluivycafe is a cafe that has halal options available
We ordered the Vegetarian Full English, French toast and Halal American Fantasy
The food was good and I was impressed with the portion for the pancakes, in particular, the number of halal turkey rashers, there must have been 10 pieces. The French toast had too much Berry compote, it made the bread soggy and overpowered the dish. Really liked the vegetarian English Breakfast, especially the roast potatoes.
The halal full English which I didn’t order is priced at £12.95 which is a bit steep for breakfast food, but you are paying for the picturesque location which looks amazing on a sunny day.
Halal items are clearly labelled. I confirmed with staff who stated, that non-halal items are cooked Separate. As most customers order the halal English breakfast, that’s cooked on the grill and non-halal items are cooked in pans separately from the main grill.
I paid for my meal in full. Not an invite. Went as a normal customer.
One of the first halal breakfast spots to open, i have been going here since 2015, but their standards did drop around 2018,
Forward to 2022 and they are under new management, I decided to go and check them out and things are back to the way things were.
Nothing special here. But the cafe is clean, the portions are big and the food is of a good standard. All breakfasts come with a drink. Just simple and good. As halal breakfasts should be
Another Halal breakfast spot in East London for you today. Last week I checked out @hashtagcafe.london (a recommendation from a follower) located in Seven Kings, Ilford
Full English Breakfast £8 French Toast £7 Sheik kebab Paratha Roll £4 Strawberry and mango smoothie £4
The Best item was the French toast. It’s hard to find this level in East London, it’s something you normally find in Central. The toast was thick, soft and really tasty. The addition of the fruits, mascarpone and maple syrup worked really well. Definitely recommend.
The full English was okay, I wasn’t too keen on the quality of the beef sausages, the mushrooms were bland and one of my eggs was overcooked. However, rather than not say anything as I did with bad eggs from mi Chai last week, I asked for a new egg and this was replaced with no fuss within a minute. The only good element was the hash browns, these were good.
I also enjoyed the paratha roll, a simple low-cost dish that tasted good. There are desi Breakfasts available and maybe I’ll try them another time.
The venue is clean, and modern and has floral elements to help create a nice atmosphere. The service was also good as well.
Overall, a good breakfast spot that’s worth checking out. Free one-hour parking is available outside via ringgo app or park for 90mins in Aldi. Fully halal. I paid for this meal and the staff were unaware of who I was
Address: 701A High Rd, Seven Kings, Ilford IG3 8RH
My rating – 7/10
Balans
Halal menu on request.
Westfield Stratford city, Ground Floor, 123 The Street Shopping Centre, London E20 1EN
There’s been a recent trend of new places that have opened that have a lot of theatrics in food presentation, you know the places, dry ice, there’s a lot of it, they use the smoke to cover the average food, but ultimately let you down when it comes to the taste of the actual food…
This is Not one of those places.
@mumbai7.restaraunrt is a New modern Indian eatery that’s just opened up in Ilford/Seven Kings East London.
Upon walking in, one would be forgiven if you thought you had travelled into Central London because of the stylish decor, the open kitchen as you walk in where you can see all the chefs busy at work and the multiple amounts of service staff from, including a host. It’s a welcome sight in East London.
I was invited to give an honest review and headed down with the wife and new baby. Here’s what we got.
Mains Baadshah ka Wagyu Bhuna Steak £16.50 Bollywood Biryani £14.50
Drinks
Pataka £5 Fantoosh £6.50 Nimbu Pani £4 Date & Vanilla Lassi £4
Dessert
Milk-Cake £7
Mango Mastani £7
sharing chaat
The sharing chaat complete with a smokey dry ice show comes with Angoori gol-gappa, dahi puri, sev puri. That gol gappi was the highlight out of the 3. Absolutely delicious
You have never had a samosa like this before. The chef as bought his unique twist on many dishes, here he told me the idea was to recreate a cornetto ice cream, it was even filled with foam to act as the ice cream.
Lamb Chops
The lamb chops, hard to these style of chops East London, good flavour, French trimmed, thick but I found them overcooked for me and the best bit, the fat had been removed. I mentioned this to the head chef, he told me that on opening night they had chops sent back due to them being served medium rare, people wanted them cooked more. I suggested that they ask the customer how they would like their lamb cooked moving forward.
Paanwala chicken
The Paanwala chicken was a unique dish, tender chicken, subtly spiced and smoked with apple and cedarwood chips to infuse the chicken, giving it a smokey flavour. While the chicken had a lovely velvety texture, I think the flavours could be taken up a level.
Wagyu Bhuna steak
The wagyu Bhuna steak was a winner. Braised for 6 hours this delicate piece of meat fell apart with minimal effort, served with a balanced masala sauce. The steak was delicious, you could tell that a lot of love went into this dish, the texture and flavours all worked to create a heading main course. It was also served with masala chips, I found them a bit soft but that was the chef’s intention as a play on steak and mash.
I was surprised with the biryani, the aromatic burst of steam when it was cut opened released memories of a mum’s homemade eid special. This dish was great, the lamb was soft and cooked perfectly and the rice was light and delicious – a fantastic biryani and tasted even better the next way as we had loads of leftovers.
The drinks here are fully non-alcoholic and display some creativity and do not offer the usual sugary Mocktail you find in every halal restaurant in East London.
Pataka was an elegant Raspberry, Elderflower with non-alcoholic halal Champagne.
Fantoosh is the fancy one you order for those Instagram likes. Lemongrass, Lychee, and Cherry topped with Rose Petal Tea that comes with a little theatrical dry ice show. I found that flavours slowly reduced quickly, so it was nice at first but after a while, the taste wasn’t strong enough.
Nimbu Pani, this was a twist on the classic. The addition of chaat masala really added a surprise tang to the drink. It’s gonna be one you either like or hate due to the intense flavour, it means it will last you all night as you can only take small sips.
To finish the meal we have desserts. Apna Bidu Ka Milk-Cake, with Marbled chocolate cake, white chocolate cream and chocolate mousse. This milk cake was different to the classic that you find everywhere, whilst the overall flavour wasn’t very sweet, the texture was brilliant and very light.
Mango Mastani Mango falooda, sorbet, saffron noodles, nuts, shahi – tukda. This layered sundae like dessert was fun to eat. Loads of different textures and elements gave each spoonful a different experience with every bite. I very much Rd liked this unique and playful creation.
Overall, I was very impressed and had a great dining experience. There’s a balance of thought out and well-executed dishes that focus on delivering in flavour and taste, all while creating a theatrical dining experience with the dry ice element, decor and high-end service.
This is a welcomed addition to the East London halal food scene. It’s suitable for any occasion, date night, girl’s night or dinner with the family. Some of the prices of dishes don’t match the portions, but I don’t have many complaints here. I enjoyed the food and definitely will be back.
All food is halal, no alcohol served, free street parking outside with no restrictions
Ramadan is upon us, which means that Muslims all over the world are fasting from sunrise to sunset. If you’re looking for some easy recipes to enjoy during this holy month, look no further! I’ve put together a list of 10 delicious and easy-to-follow recipes that will help you make the most of Ramadan. Enjoy!
Images are for illustrative purposes
Dates Milkshake
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 banana, sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Fattoush Salad
Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cucumber, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1 tablespoon sumac
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Roasted Eggplant Dip
Traditional arabian eggplant dip baba ganoush with corn chips on white wooden table. Selective focus
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, roasted
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy with pita bread or crackers!
Chicken Shawarma
Eastern traditional shawarma with chicken and vegetables, Doner Kebab with sauces on slate. Fast food. Eastern food.
Ingredients:
1-pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Shawarma bread
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Grill chicken for 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Spread sauce, chicken, and onions on the Shawarma bread, roll into a wrap and enjoy!
Falafel
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup olive oil, for frying
Instructions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Shape mixture into small balls or patties.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add falafel and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Punjabi Samosa
Ingredients:
1-pound potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
Instructions:
In a large pot, combine potatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover the potatoes.
Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Drain potatoes and allow to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut pastry into 3-inch squares.
Place a tablespoon of potato mixture in the center of each square.
Fold pastry over filling and press edges together to seal.
Place samosas on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup diced watermelon
1 cup diced cantaloupe
1 cup diced honeydew melon
1 cup grapes
1/4 cup lime juice
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Enjoy!
Note:
You can add any seasonal fruits.
Cucumber Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
Ice cubes, if needed
Instructions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and enjoy!
Mango Delight Smooth
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
Instructions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and enjoy!
Dum Qeema AKA Mince
Ingredients:
1/2 pound beef mince
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until browned.
Add onion, garlic, cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Cook for 5 minutes, or until the beef is fully cooked.
What Kind of Food Should We Eat in Ramadan?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as everyone’s dietary needs and preferences are different. However, during Ramadan, many Muslims choose to eat foods that are easy to digest and provide sustained energy throughout the day.
Common choices include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and plenty of fluids. By eating foods that are nutritious and easy to digest, you can help yourself stay energized and focused during the long days of fasting.
Why Should We Watch What We Eat in Ramadan?
During Ramadan, we abstain from food and drink, including water, for the entire day. Because of this, it is important to be mindful of what you eat and drink during your non-fasting hours.
Eating nutritious foods can help you stay hydrated and maintain your energy levels throughout the day. Eating foods that are high in sugar or fat can make you feel sluggish and cause you to crash during your fast.
What Is the Link Between Food and Prayer?
Prayer and food are intimately linked in Islam. Apart from avoiding Haram food, Muslims are discouraged from eating excessively or indulging in rich foods that could make it difficult to focus on prayer during prayer times.
Instead, Muslims are encouraged to eat simple, nutritious meals that will fuel their bodies and minds for worship. This becomes especially important in Ramadan, when energy levels are already low due to the fast.
Conclusion for 10 Easy Recipes for Ramadan 2022
Ramadan is a time of fasting and reflection for Muslims all over the world. For many people, this month-long holiday is a time to celebrate with family and friends, break bread together, and enjoy special dishes that are only served during Ramadan.
If you’re looking for some easy recipes to add to your Ramadan menu this year, we’ve got you covered! Here are 10 delicious recipes that will be sure to please everyone in your family.
2021 was another year of yummy food for me. Despite the lockdown in the UK with restaurants only opening in Mid May 2021 I still managed to eat out at nearly 90 restaurants and takeaways.
I managed to try over 50 Newley opened or 1st-time visits to restaurants, below is a summary of some of the NEW places I visited in 2021
Towards the bottom is a table of all the places I went to in 2021, I have left out places that are take-ways or dark kitchens.
ALL places below either have a full or partial halal menu unless stated. However, please check before visiting any place as the status of menus can change without notice.
List is in alphabetical order.
6 Burgerz, Burgers Address: 554 Mile End Rd, Bow, London E3 4PL
I checked out a new Burger spot in East London @6burgerz 📍 Located In Mile End (under the yellow bridge)
Although it’s primarily a burger joint there’s a load of other comfort food items on the menu, and that’s where I think you focus on because I have, to be honest, the burgers weren’t very good. With so many burger places in East London, standards are pretty high, but the burgers I tried here sadly fell short of the mark.
I went for a double smash beef burger, but what I got was a sauce… with buns and tasteless beef. Never had a burger with so much sweet sugary sauce there to mask the flavour of a beef patty that had zero taste. Really disappointed with it.
But I hope you are still reading because the food did get better!
The highlight of the evening was the lamb ribs, at only £5.95 these were bites of pure deliciousness and I’d happily come back just for these. Sooo good and definitely recommend
Another good dish was the dynamite shrimp, similar to the ones from PF changs, these huge shrimps were soft and saucy and really yum
I also tried the grilled chicken, I got the hot flavour as the waitresses said it’s not hot, but it set my mouth on fire and was too spicy hot for me, Wings were good, I got Fried and grilled, both worth trying
Sadly a few more dishes I have to mention for you to avoid, the mac n cheese was just awful, trio burgers were not great, buttermilk fried chicken burger had too much crispy batter and the chicken wasn’t soft and the loaded beef fries were dry and tasteless.
Inside the decor is modern and stylish with some nice lighting and spacious seating with additional seating upstairs due to open.
I’m all about the honest reviews, I had some good items like the ribs, chicken and dynamite shrimp so let’s focus on the positive… Just avoid the burgers as they need work right now.
Good spot for a meal with friends, food came out quickly and service was good. All good is halal and no alcohol is present.
My food was complimentary this was a #invite. Thoughts and words my own
Al Kalf, Somalii, Address: 112-116 Vine Ct, London E1 1JE
This place is the definition of a true of a Hidden Gem! Part of my Restaurant Roulette ♦️ Series, where I visit a restaurant anonymously as a regular customer in search of a diamond in the rough.
Al Kalf is located down an Alley of Whitechapel Road close to The East London Mosque and is a Somali 🇸🇴 restaurant serving up some really tasty food. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much but head downstairs to the basement you’ll find a simple no-frills clean seating area.
I didn’t know much other than a high score on google and a few images from the takeaway menu. There are no actual menus in the restaurant, so literally said to our server “One Lamb and one chicken boss man” and had no idea what do expect..
10mins later we got a massive plate of rice filled with delicious a soft, tender and massive oven-baked lamb shank that had loads of flavour and along with the lamb was an equally impressive piece of really tasty chicken, crispy skin on the outside, soft delicate chicken cooked perfectly on the inside, flavoured with traditional East African spices.
Honestly, every bite of lamb and chicken was met with satisfaction and it was a joy to eat. Somethings you would get a really tasty bit of fatty lamb that had deep flavour, so so good.
The lamb and rice was £12 and chicken and rice was £7 so we ate like Kings for £19 and still had enough to take away between 2 of us.
Fully Halal. Masjid next door. Card accepted. No alcohol served or permitted.
The restaurant plan to open a new dining area in the main road in the coming few weeks so keep an eye out for the review of that!
I paid for my meal. Not a invite.
Apana des, Indian Address: 105 Ilford Ln, Ilford IG1 2RJ
Came here as I’m local, it was really bad. I ordered masala Chips which were just fries with some spice powder on top, I returned those.
Got a chicken paratha roll, which was poor, it was some chicken, salad and paratha – not even rolled up.
But the worse was the Afghani lamb Kharai, it tasted like boiled meat in water with tomatoes, not flavour, the meat was tough and just awful all around.
Bella Cosa, Italian Address: Drewry House, 213 Marsh Wall, London E14 9FJ
A rare Italian restaurant with a halal menu, read the full review here
Blu Ivy Cafe, Breakfast
A cute cafe right by the water near Victoria Park Hackney/Bethnal Green @bluivycafe is a cafe that has halal options available We ordered the Vegetarian Full English, French toast and Halal American Fantasy (🥞 pancakes)) and some juices.
The food was good and I was impressed with the portion for the pancakes in particular the number of halal turkey rashers, there must of been 10 pieces. The French toast had too much Berry compote, it made the bread soggy and overpowered the dish. Really liked the vegetarian English Breakfast, especially the roast potatoes. The halal full English which I didn’t order is priced at £12.95 which is a bit steep for breakfast food, but you are paying for the picturesque location which looks amazing on a sunny day.
Halal items are clearly labelled. I confirmed with staff who stated, non-halal items are cooked Separate. As most customers order the halal English breakfast, that’s cooked in the grill and non-halal items are cooked in pans separately from the main grill. I paid for my meal in full. Not a invite. Went as a normal customer.
I’m a massive fan of Malaysian food so was excited to get an invite from a new Malaysian cafe! First 2 quick facts – this restaurant is one of only 4 places in zone one / central London that has a fully halal menu and permits no alcoholic drinks.
Second, it’s the only restaurant that also serves HMC poultry, beef and lamb in zone 1. It’s not fully HMC (certified) as they have halal duck and HMC don’t do duck. Duck needs to be imported from outside the UK. (I know HMC is important for some followers) Tucked away in a little basement in Paddington @bondakitchenlondon specialises in Dim Sum and other Malaysian classics. I visited back in early August & tried a mix of steamed dim sum, deep-fried dim sum, duck and rice, beef rendang bao buns, noodles and Nasi goreng.
The best thing I ate was surprisingly the Calamari! This was the best I’ve ever had, unbelievably soft and tender squid with a light crispy batter. Recommended. The steamed dim sum platter featured a mix of chicken and seafood the yellow one (Cod Saffron) was the standout. Worth trying. I also tried some deep-fried dim sum, (more like springs rolls) but these didn’t do it for me. Very oily and greasy and no flavours of the fillings were standing out. I was looking forward to the beef rendang bao buns, but found the beef tough and lacking the deep rich flavours I expect from a well-made rendang.
Also tried a nasi lemak Ayam berempah, this translates to rice with spicy fried chicken, a dish you see everywhere in Malaysia. You get a very generous portion of very flavourful chicken that’s also served with a tasty sambal and fried lemongrass garnish.
Most of the dishes I ate were suggestions from the lovely owner who was throwing the menu at me to get a flavour of everything. Speaking of the owners, it’s a husband and wife duo and the wife was so warm and lovely, felt like we were eating at her home, not a restaurant, she was warm and friendly to all the tables, not just us! All food halal. No alcohol served I was invited and the meal was complimentary.
For My first meal of after Lockdown (17.05.21) I decided to visit @cafe_621 who are pretty much the only restaurant outside of Edgware Road that does good Lebanese food. I reviewed it during lockdown as a home delivery and really enjoyed it so I wanted to try it again
I got a mix shawarma with chips and a tabbouleh, along with a wrap and drink. The shawarma is really good here and they use the more expensive cuts of lamb, so that’s a reason for the good quality and taste in food. The chilli sauce is also on point. The restaurant area is small, but comfortable with screens between tables for extra safety, the decor has a traditional Arabian cave feel. Good food, not fancy or anything, more of a cafe vibe.
Total was around £30. I paid for this meal in full. Thoughts are my own.
As part of a new review series; I’m visiting restaurants that could be a hidden from gem and I’m off to a cool start with this unassuming restaurant called Chapandaz located in East Ham
From the outside, the restaurant looks like a takeaway and not a place one would want to visit and I was close not to walk in but I’m glad I did as I had a great meal.
I was surprised with the cooking level of the kebabs, they weren’t overcooked or dry, but rather cooked perfectly, tender and really juicy. I enjoyed every item, in particular the aubergine dish. The lamb kebabs came with 2 skewers 10 pieces in each, the signature Qabuil Palow was again cooked perfect and featured a soft falling off the bone lamb shank. The green chilli sauce was also brilliant as well! Basically, everything I had was good…even the salad.
So a great hidden gem and worth a visit. All food halal. No alcohol served. I paid for my meal and visited as a regular customer.
Chicktopia, Burgers Address: 3rd Floor, Lakeside, Unit 433, Food Court, W Thurrock Way, Grays RM20 2ZP
Located in the food court at Lakeside, the Chicken is halal here.
Cobblers Cafe, Breakfast Address: 241 Fore St, London N18 2TY
The last place I ate out in 2021 was a newly opened fully halal cafe in North London. A solid spot for breakfast and lunch and its also HMC.
COCO Restaurant, Turkish Address: 34a Shad Thames, London SE1 2YG
Corner Stone, Modern European Address: 3 Prince Edward Rd, London E9 5LX
Came here for my Birthday, it has a Michelin star and is known for seafood dishes. No halal options.
Dilara, Uyghur Address: 27 Blackstock Rd, Finsbury Park, London N4 2JF
If you are a proper foodie that likes trying something new, then here’s a little hidden gem of a place @dilara_uyghur_resturanti 📍 Located in Finsbury Park
This is an authentic Uyghur restaurant (only a handful in London) Pictured is a speciality dish, a giant plate of lip tingling spicy chicken with a noodles and potatoes. Made with 14 different spices this was a flavour-packed dish that made my lips tingle. I also tried a fresh out of oven Uyghur Samsa, a pastry bun filled with lamb. Really unqiue and tasty. Got some lamb kebabs skewers, but these were missing the chili powder coating that I normally expect to find with Uyghur kebabs.
The restaurant from the outside appears to be a Turkish takeaway and does after Turkish menu, but inside you are served the Uyghur menu. Which can best be described as a fusion of Chinese, Turkish and Indian food. A good place to try if you want some new and different. It’s a family-run restaurant that’s simple and no fuss. Alcohol is served, but it’s mainly for people that come to Arsenal on match days (I didn’t see any tables drinking). The meat and chicken is from a HMC supplier, but due to the fact they serve alcohol are not permitted to promote HMC.
Dilpasand, Pakistani
Dishoom Covent Garden, Indian
Full Review of the New Dishoom in Covent Garden here
Diyarbakir, Turkish Address: 52-53 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, Harringay Ladder, London N4 1AG
Made a trip to Green Lanes in Harringay, home to a Turkish style restaurant on every corner. With so many options, I decided to have a quick bite at one that I hadn’t been to before and went for the popular @DIYARBAKIRKITCHEN
Went on a Friday with no reservation and despite looking super busy we luckily got a nice large table straight away. The menu has all the usual suspects, me and the wife decided to keep it simple and get a hummus donner and a mix kebab, which is a good choice, as it’s like a mixed platter but enough for 2 and costs half the price of a sharing platter £49 for the cheapest one.
With the mixed kebab £22.90. I got Lamb Shish, chicken Shish, Adana, chicken donner, lamb donner with rice. We also were served the standard complimentary bread, salad and yoghurt. Food was tasty and good portions, we even had leftovers.
This spot is highly rated and its hard to shine with so much competition. I paid for this meal.
I made a trip to @duskbrentwood in Brentwood, Essex, where I was #invited to experience a new menu in development. I tried a 5 course tasting menu (price £69) it was a great experience full of theater, fun and food science at your table.
Started the evening with some really good Mocktails, very sweet but loads of flavour. The tasting menu started with some salmon and cream cheese dish, with some gold. Then moved to some wagyu beef with loads of foaming on the plate Next was the Black cod, which was a delicious item and my favourite of the night. Followed by the main course, I opted for the lambchops which came with a little fire that burnt at the table for 15mins, also tried a very genorous portion and tasty duck Biryani
The final course was our favourite. The chef really had some fun at our table with this one and created a dessert on the table with loads of dry ice and other magic served up. The dramatic foodie experience is the draw here. It was great fun and something different. Great for a special occasion. Most of the food was good, but room for improvement in some areas. I was invited to provide honest feedback. Thoughts my own.
Fatt Pundit, Indian
Fiore Dell Amore, Italian Address: 192a Brick Ln, London E1 6SA
Check out this new Fully Halal Italian restaurant in Brick @fioredellamoreuk The striking decor of hanging flower gardens and colourful flowers on every wall makes this place instagramable. There’s a fully halal menu and dry bar severing non alcoholic drinks like Mocktails but also has imported halal wine.
Drinks Strawberry Bellinis £5.95 really good Mocktail! Pina colds £4.95 not bad. Sparking Wine £5.95 wasn’t to my taste
Starters I went for a sharing platter for £14.95 and sourdough Bruscheta £4.95 The sharing platter looked epic! Its meant for 2 people but the portion size was massive, the sourdough garlic bread was excellent, I also liked the Bruscheta.
Mains My favourite was the spaghetti bolognese £9.95, a very hearty portion with flavours that worked well, something I’d happy try again. Also tried a Gnocchi sorreentia £9.95, cooked in a simple tomato sauce. Carbonara, typically made with panchetta, here turkey rashers are used in this Italian classic. £9.95 Saw some chicken tacos as well which I got, it also came with nachos on the side. I wasn’t too keen on this. £8.95
Finished the meal off with a yummy chocolate fondant and sweet waffle for dessert. Overall food-wise, while although nothing I had blew me away it’s great to a new addition to the halal scene that’s not a burger or grill joint. There’s a good range of halal pasta dishes made with halal beef and no wine.
I was invited to review here, meal was complimentary.
Fredos, Grill Address: 823 Romford Rd, London E12 6EA
I headed down to @fredosldn as it’s been a good few years since I last visited. I went as a regular paying customer.
When I visited a few years ago, I was impressed with the steak, it was later when I discovered they used a supplier that was renowned for rearing and producing quality steaks.
However, in a move to go HMC they now changed to a different supplier who produces a steak that’s much lower in standard and quality, sadly HMC normally means poorly quality (yes this is true)
At £26.95 I was expecting a good tasting steak, however, it lacked any real depth in flavour you get from dry ageing. I requested medium-rare but it was closer to medium but just about okay. It claims to be a 28 day aged steak, I very much doubt it. It was on par with rib-eye steaks you can buy at selected Tesco and Asda stores for around £7. Absolutely not worth the price, it is should be around £14. Not worth it.
The good was the spicy chicken Tandoori pizza, good tasting pieces of chicken, generous in amount and a good balance of heat from green chillies and pizza sauce and it tasted great the next day as leftovers.
The chicken parma was really tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, I liked this dish a lot, the French onion signature sauce went perfectly and was excellent, I asked for more.
The venue is spacious and is decorated with flowers on every wall to create that popular insta worth vibe that’s so popular these days.
All food halal. No alcohol. I paid for my meal.
Goodmans, Steak Address: 24-26 Maddox St, London W1S 1QH
my birthday last week and it’s pretty hard to find a new restaurant that I haven’t been to. I decided to check out @goodman_london steak house located just off Regents Street. Goodmans is the big brother to my favourite steak restaurant Zelmans Meats.
On the menu are a range of steaks, please note that ONLY the CANADIAN ANGUS is halal. Also, some other dishes like mac N cheese are not halal, it’s made with a beef stock that is not halal, (they made one with no beef stock for me) however when you book (and trust me you need to book in advance) there’s an option for halal, but it’s always a good idea to remind your server before you order. Our server was great, very knowledgeable with the menu and what foods we couldn’t eat and made suggestions of how certain items can be made halal friendly for us.
I went for the menu standard Canadian rib eye 400g priced at £37, but you can order smaller sizes which cost less as well.
I ordered medium rare and I do like my steaks pink in the middle, but this was actually a bit too rare for me, some parts where med rare some rare. It’s a big cut and I managed to eat half of it. Taste wise, I was expecting deeper beefer flavour profile but I didn’t get that feeling. Maybe it was too rare for me. Thinking about it now, it could of done with a bit more salt. I took the rest home and recooked the next day to a medium rare for my preference and It is actually turned out great.
For starters we got prawn Tempura £14, if you have had dynamite strimp before this was similar. Also got Argentinan prawns £15, these were great, massive prawns in a Chilli shiso dressing.
My wife got a half lobster as a main course, the Kicthen staff where also happy to do the hard part and extract all the lobster meat so it was easy to eat.
The ambience of the restaurant was not the best place for a birthday celebration/date night meal. It was packed very loud, lots of tables of lads going for a steak after work.
Would I go back again.. Yeah, I would. Probably would get a smaller cut. There’s also a restaurant in Canary Wharf. Paid for the meal.
Grand Trunk Road, Indian Address: 219 High Rd, London E18 2PB
Looking for Michelin levels of Indian food without going into Central London? Then here’s one for you Full review Here
It’s not often I give a restaurant a second chance after a poor first visit, but @haweli.restaurant (located near where I live on Ilford Lane) reached out and wanted me to give them another try so I went last Friday night and here’s what I got.
Sadly it wasn’t second time lucky, I still found the food below average and wasn’t impressed with most of what I ate.
The mix grill at over £20 was disappointing, with the exception of the sheesh kebab, every item was bland, hard, dry and suffered from being overcooked, probably due to being served on a hot sizzling plate.
The chappi kebab was nice, crispy exterior, with good flavours and nice texture The chilli panner was poor, no texture or colour just some Panner tossed with a sweet unbalanced sauce.
I was recommended to try the house special Charsi Chicken, whilst the dish looked impressive, it wasn’t to my taste. I found the raw acidity of the tomatoes create an overpowering flavour and it just tasted like boiled chicken with tomatoes. Avoid.
The poor cooking continued with the Bhindi Masala, a bowl of oily goo that looked like it was made a week ago, the menu described it as cooked in a dry masala. All I could taste was the unhealthy amount of oil, zero taste of Okra. Awful.
I got a lamb handi, while meat was tender and soft, overall the dish lacked depth of flavour.
The Keema naan was decent but half was burnt and inedible. The saving grace was the kheer it was tasty and very good.
Food is still below average and I definitely won’t ever return, nor would I recommend this place. Much better places for food in the area. Yet it’s still busy. The service was good and the interior is spacious and clean.
I was invited to review. Meal was complimentary.
Japes, Pizza Address: 22-25 Dean St, London W1D 3RY
Say CHEESEEEEE 🧀 pull! Today for lunch I headed into 📍 SOHO for a quick bite of deep Dish Pizza from @japes I’m a big fan of deep pan pizzas and this was the thickest, sauciest and cheesiest I’ve had. Japes have halal chicken and vegan options available, but I decided to go for a simple classic Margherita and a Mediterranean pizza. Both were loaded with toppings and plenty of sauce.
Pizzas are extremely filling as I was pretty much done after one slice! So 1 pizza could be enough for 2. Also got a truffle dip for the thick crust which was great. Good spot in Soho if you like your 🍕
Alcohol served., Halal Chicken only, Vegan options available
this meal was complimentary
Kanishka, Indian Address: 17-19 Maddox St, London W1S 2QH
A new Indian restaurant off Regents Street @kanishkamayfair is a fine dining restaurant with a traditional Indian menu. I ordered from the A la carte menu
Chicken Tikka pie £19 A very uniquely presented dish, with a dome puff pastry middle that housed a chicken tikka filling.
My favourite dish, Gangtok momos £18. I threw a whole Momo straight in my mouth, which burst the dumpling & released an explosion of flavour like a delicious flavour bomb (lamb filling) a rare 10/10 dish.
Tandoori mix grill £24 consisting of a lake district lamb chop, jumbo King prawn, cornish seabass & corn fed chicken tikka. The presentation could be better, lamb chop was soft & tender but needed more flavour. The chicken was a bit dry, slightly overcooked thus not juicy. Seabass was the best item on the plate cooked perfect & tasted great.
Mains
A £33 biryani, everything was cooked perfectly & the pineapple Rita was actually delicious, but at £33 I was expecting a mind-blowing biryani but this was just solid good one.
Lake District lamb rump £35. A disappointing dish spoilt by an overpowering salty curry sauce. The waiter noticed my 😒 face & attempted to send it back to the kitchen, but as I was reviewing here I left it (if I was paying I would send it back, you should always do so, no matter the price or restaurant)
For dessert, I went for the instagramable Chocolate Sphere £13 with Cherry mousse & salted caramel sauce. Also got the Peanut Butter Parfait £13 with Banana cake, caramelized banana & 24-carat gold leaf, a really balanced dessert with loads of components that worked well together
The service was what I’d expect from a restaurant aiming for a Michelin star, waiters were extremely attentive, excellent all round. The upstairs dining room has an art deco style with jazz playing creating a fine dining environment.
Place is ideal for a special occasion or date night. I recommended the cost effective set menus available for £45 Sun-Thurs or lunchtime 3 courses for £35 or the 5 plates for £30 offer. Check their website for more info.
Chicken & lamb are halal only. The wagyu beef is not halal. Meal was complimentary. review on the blog next week
Kekik, Turkish Address: 226 High St, Bromley BR1 1PQ
I made a rare trip South of the river to Bromley to visit the stylish and modern Turkish restaurant @kekikkitchen
Serving up really tasty and quality Turkish dishes. I was impressed with the overall ambience and decor which was sophisticated and matched the level of food.
Khana Kazana, Indian Address: 222A Green St, London E7 8LE
The service might be Meh and there’s no flower walls for your socials, but it doesn’t matter coz the curries are bangin at @khanakhazanalondon on Green Street. I’ve been twice now and the food has been very tasty.
Chicken Jalfrazi, Lamb Karahi and Saag Gohst were full of flavour and well balanced. Priced are very good as well with curries that are enough to share between to are £8 each
Service is a bit strange, for a proper sit down restaurant they have a pay before you eat system which is annoying especially if you want to order anything extra, just puts you off from doing so.
But as Pakistani restaurants go, this one is clean, simple but serve tasty food at a reasonable price
Kibele, Turkish Address: 175-177 Great Portland St, London W1W 5PJ
@kibele.london is a Turkish Restaurant located in Central London, on Great Portland Street. I’ve actually been before for a Christmas work lunch (obviously they asked me to pick the place) a few years ago when I worked nearby and it was good then, so I was happy to be invited and pay another visitm
I went with @thehalalcitylife and here is what we got, as usual, I ordered more than the usual as it was a review meal.
Here is what we got
Borek (V) £7.50 Pastries made of a thin flaky phyllo dough filled with spinach and feta cheese
Goat’s Cheese & Honey Glazed Fig £14.90 Grilled goat’s cheese on a bed of mixed leaves, rockets, Beetroot, sultanas, and walnuts. Topped with honey Glazed fig and pomegranate Molasses.
Mains
Sarma Beyti £17.90 Slightly spicy fresh prime lamb finely chopped, blended with herbs, garlic and spices. Wrapped in freshly baked flatbread dressed with thick creamy butter and our house tomato sauce. Served with yoghurt and bulgur.
Iskender £18.90 Choice of grilled lamb or chicken, on a bed of crispy bread, fresh tomato sauce, creamy yoghurt, drizzled with melted butter.
Kibele Special £21.90 Char-grilled lamb cubes, chicken cubes, spicy lamb skewer, chicken kofte, chicken wing and lamb cutlet. (we requested lamb ribs to be added) more than enough for 2 people.
Baklava £7.50 Phyllo pastry rolls filled with crushed pistachios and honey syrup. Served with pistachio ice cream
All the food I had was good, a solid meal with dishes that didn’t disappoint, the food was well cooked and service was fast and attentive. The Baklava dessert was pretty darn good! Prices reflect the location of being in Central London and the decor is modern and sophisticated.
The downstairs area becomes pretty lively on a Friday and Saturday night, so if you want some fun that’s a good day to go, other wise upstairs is more for date night or dinner with friends
All food is halal. Alcohol is served. Meal was complimentary. Thoughts my own.
Kyice’s Kitchen, Caribbean Address: 76 Brick Ln, London E1 6RL
Halal Caribbean Food from @kyiceskitchen a restaurant that you may not know about. Located in Brick Lane
The menu has loads of Halal Caribbean dishes and they specialise in seafood boils in a bag
However, on sundays there’s a special Sunday roast for only £11.95 so I decided to check that out
You get the option of roast lamb, jerk chicken and roast chicken. With that comes mac N cheese, rice and beans, roast potatoes, roast parnsips, steamed broccoli and Yorkshire puddings with gravy.
The presentation and appearance of the food wasn’t the best (I tried making a reel, but it was pretty lame), but what is lacks in looks it makes up in pure comfort and taste. I enjoyed every bite and cleaned my plate. It really had a nice home cooked feeling, in particular the rice was really tasty.
Some items were not fresh, like the Yorkshire puds, I could tell that most of what’s on plate was all precooked and reheated, I guess this is what keeps the costs down, I think it’s good value for money and you get to try a lot of different items.
The lamb I had was made well and tasted good. However, I found the chicken to be slightly on the dry side, it would have been better if it was tender and moist.
I would definitely come back and recommend the Sunday roast, but there’s still loads of other things on the menu for you to try.
I checked out @laragrilldagenham clean, modern and cosy Turkish restaurant situated in Dagenham, that’s recently had a refurbishment. This place was recommended to be from a follower when I asked you guys for suggestions.
I have to say I was very impressed with the food and overall experience. Wasn’t that hungry and ordered just 2 mains.
Incik, a slow roasted lamb shank served in a bed of mash potatos. A massive bit of lamb, very soft and tender, but the flavours were also on point £15.90
Also got a lasagna, I know, not a very authentic Turkish dish but this was really enjoyable, sublte flavours and nicey layered £12.80
The complimentary salad and bread was excellent as well.
I’m definitely going to be visting again. There’s a car park next to the restaurant, prices are decent, good service, nice decor and mostly importantly good food.
I paid for my meal. All food halal. Alcohol served.
Manjal, Indian Address: First Floor, Drewry House 213 Marsh Wall meridian place (south quay, London E14 9FJ
Last month I reviewed the italian restaurant @bellacosauk. Above them is a Indian restaurant called @manjalrestaurantuk that’s part of the same restaurant group and they #invited Me down. I brought along my parents for this one and I have to say we had a great meal!
Honestly, I was a bit sceptical before visiting as I thought it was gonna be a standard Indian.. However, some of the food I ate here was better than food from indian restaurants that have a Michelin star.
I’ll start with 3 items that were amazing, like unreal. The Tandoori mix grill featured 2 types of chicken tikka. In my life, I’ve never had chicken so tender, soft, juicy and tasty. It was just unbelievably good. Coriander chicken and a malali tikka. Both I score a rare 10/10
What’s the 3rd amazing item. The naan. Yes people. I had the best naan I’ve ever had. It was soft like a cloud, when me and my mum took a bite we both looked at each other with a look of pure ASTONISHMENT. I don’t know what it was. But it was so good!
Adaraki Tandoori Lamb Chops (not to be confused with the devil chops on the menu) brilliant – these premium quality chops from New Zealand where cooked perfectly in the Tandoor oven and the marinate used hit the spot. Up there with my favourite single chops from Hankies
Scores out of 🔟 for each dish I ate below. I ordered far more dishes than a regular paying customer would, as it was a review meal.
Food was complimentary. All food Halal. alcohol served.
The Mantl, Turkish Address: 142 Brompton Rd, London SW3 1HY
I made the 2 hour round trip on the district line to visit my favourite Turkish restaurant @mantlknightsbridge
I celebrated my 2 year wedding anniversary, my wife hadn’t been before so we decided to go. My last visit was 2 years ago when it first opened (as a invite) and it was a great experience. This time I went as a regular paying customer.
When we go to eat out we tend to order loads of starters rather than the traditional 1 starter and main each. That’s what we did here. It allows us to taste more of the menu, get more for our money and good left overs for tomorrow lunch.
I don’t eat hummus that much, but Mrs HFG does and I’m glad she got this pulled lamb hummus dish because it was absolutely delicious!
I remember the Adana being amazing when I first tried it and it set the bar high for any Adana kebebs I had after that. This adana wasn’t as good as I remember from my 1st visit which was almost a 10/10, however, it was still very good, packed full of flavour and cooked perfectly so it wasn’t dry, 9/10
The mac N cheese was another favourite as to the grilled prawns which were fantastic.
My Nargile Swing drink was made with Strawberry, maple syrup, lemon juice and egg white.. Yes egg white. I liked this and better than over sweet standard fruit Mocktails.
For dessert, I got the MILK KADAYIF a dish I again had on my 1st visit and never found in any other restaurant since. Its like a milk cake meets Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli) I love it. The lady for a chocolate fondant both £9. But as it was our wedding anniversary the restaurant gave it to us on the house! Thanks @mantlknightsbridge
One of my most frequently asked questions are recommendations places for an anniversary, for me and my wife we want the food to be the most important thing, obviously, service and settings are important as well
Meatpoint, Burgers [Closed] Address: 395 Barking Rd, London E6 2JT
Came across a new Local Restaurant that’s fully halal that’s serving some tasty Halal burgers. I was pleasantly surprised with this burger. A tasty thick 5oz beef patty made from chuck with a 80:20 ratio of fat to beef. Its also cooked on a flat top grill, so that keeps the flavours better
The bun was a buttery brioche and I have to say this was a very well made burger. Its been a while I had a burger that’s wasn’t a smashed one, but this was good and I recommend checking this place out for your next bunch. Especially while the 30% discount is running I do wish I ordered more burgers, but I’m still on a diet and didn’t want to order food just for pics.
I also tried a few others things on the menu, like the lamb donner and hot dog but they weren’t on the level as the burgers and I don’t recommend them. Grilled Halloumi, Mocktails and shakes were good, as to was the flavour of the grilled peri wings.
My meal was complimentary. Review and words my own. All food halal. No alcoholic drinks served. Muslim owned.
Melih, Turkish Address: 1177 High Rd, Romford RM6 4AL
Melih, a Turkish restaurant in Romford, Essex. Once we sat down we were given complimentary bread, salad and a Lahmacun as well. So that’s a good start.
Just ordered the Melih special for 2 people, £22.50. Now it was meant to come with the following. 1 Adana, chicken Shish, Lamb Shish, 5 chicken wings, 3 lamb ribs and 2 lamb chops. I was looking forward to the lamb, as that’s my preferred meat of choice.
But when it arrived, after a min, I realised there was no lamb chops. But 1 tiny extra wing and one chicken kofa…strange. I didn’t think this was correct.
I was a bit confused and asked where are the chops. Staff said they didn’t have any chops left. So they gave me a chicken kofta extra.. With no acknowledgement or letting me know beforehand. I said I wanted lamb, but they insisted, they had no chops.
They then said they can give me more lamb ribs.. I said fine.. But then saw there were actually no ribs on the platter to start with either! Then after I complained again, they said they will give me ribs, but acted like it was extra! After 10mins some ribs were dumped on the platter. But I was like. This was meant to come anyway!
Then after another round of complaining from me.. Guess what.. Lamb chops suddenly were available again and I got some at the end of the meal. I said well I’ve finished now, they said you can take it home.
I just don’t understand what happened here. I’ve eaten so many places, but never had a restaurant lie and try to scam me.
The food was actually decent, but the sneaky and dishonest service left a bad taste in my mouth and more a negative and disappointing experience.
Chilli sauce was great, but they have a thing with serving burnt bread. Prices are really low, like back in the day prices. But so is the decor and service. A shame really. Which I don’t care about. I’m all about food taste and quality.
On to the next random restaurant! All food halal. HFA certificate on display. I paid in full.
My Shish, Turkish Address: 20 Woodford New Rd, London E17 3PR
A spot with a wow factor! @myshish.london is a new FULLY HALAL spot located in North East London with a Turkish inspired menu with a great atmosphere. Read review here
Needo’s Grill, Pakistani Address: 87 New Rd, London E1 1HH
It’s been a long time since I’ve last been to a old school curry house, I made a trip to @needoogrill in Whitechapel and got lucky finding parking right outside the restaurant. Once seated I had a look at the menu which also serves as a disposable table mat. Here are the main items we ordered.
Lamb Chops. Its been ages since I’ve had these style of chops in any restaurant and eating them reminded me why I’ve avoided them. 4 chops, overcooked, thin, dry and poor quality. Although the taste of the marinate was good, it just was an example of quantity over quality. I’ll rather have one £7 chop from a modern Indian than these.
The lamb Karahi on the menu at just under £10 for a small, was truly disappointing. Zero, and I mean zero flavours, taste or spice it was, without doubt, the balandest curry I have ever had. The meat was cooked perfectly, however, the sauce was just awful. In retrospect I should of sent that back.
The biryani was middle of the road, nothing special and the Keema curry was better than the other 2 dishes but it didn’t take much to achieve that level of merit. The one saving grace is the mango lassi. Honestly, it’s simple but brilliant and the best around.
Another issue is the ridiculously fast service, as I was about to have a poppadom, the sizzling lamb chops starters arrived and before I was able to take a bite.. the mains were out. Not great if you came out to enjoy a relaxed meal. Just felt rushed.
I think places like this are best for large groups, where you can share costs and portion sizes are enough for 2 to 3 people. Smaller groups like couples can’t really enjoy a range of flavours from dishes. My bill came to £50 for 2. Honestly, didn’t feel like it was worth it.
The food was mediocre, it was a reminder to me that the new style of Indian restaurants that offer smaller tapas-style plates are better for the wallet and taste buds. Also, they don’t give tap water, within their right not to as they don’t serve alcohol..but come on!
Not recommended. All food halal. No alcohol served. I paid for my meal.
Ooki Sushi, Suhsi
Papadums, Indian Address: 20 James St, London W1 1EH
I made a trip into Central London to check out a new Indian Street Food restaurant @papadumstreetkitchen I got a range of Indian food dishes and all of them tasted great. I was also impressed with the prices, especially as its central London, with prices ranging from under £5 to £8 for small plates.
All the food is halal, apart from one vension dish. Most of the seating is located outside, with only a few seats available inside. My only issue was it took a while for the food to come out, as a food blogger I had to wait for all the food to arrive so I can film.. Then eat. But it wasn’t too bad.A good spot for a quick bite, I also tried the thali, but at £14.95 I was expecting more Than 2 chicken curries. So, skip that and order load sod small plates to share with friends.
A friend of mine ate here last week and told them about me, so they reached out and invited me down. I bought that same friend along for round 2. ☺
Meal was complimentary. Thoughts my own.
Qurkey Cafe, Breakfast
Last weekend my wife and I were looking for a new breakfast spot and after a bit of searching she found @querkycafe Which happens to be Halal so we decided to give them a go. They have 3 locations so we decided to visit the closest one to us in Forest Gate.
When we got there I was a little surprised to find such a small cafe.. However they told me to walk down the side which lead us to a lovley secret indoor garden dining area.
The menu has the Classic English breakfast as well a low carb Keto Breakfast option as well and there’s also some brunch options like chicken N waffles.
We went for a Big Breakfast which was actually enough for the 2 of us, all fresh and well made in particular the hash brown. You can also swap out items, we swapped the turkey rashers for grilled Halloumi.
Been a while since I had chicken N waffles and I enjoyed this dish. I was expecting something premade but the waffle and chicken tasted fresh and homemade.
Ordering and payment is done via your phone and the system worked well. The staff were genuinely friendly and service was good.
There’s no fruit juices on the menu and no eggs Royale etc style dishes but, they have smoothies and other options.
I’ll definitely be back again. All food halal. No alcohol. I paid for my meal and was not invited.
Rasa Sayung Chinatown, Malaysian
Rayaan, Somali
Saffron Street, Indian Address: 448-450 Cranbrook Rd, Gants Hill, Ilford IG2 6LL
I visited Saffron Street, the sister restaurant of the long-standing and popular Saffron Kitchen during the first week of the restaurants opening. 20/05/21
Located in Gants Hill Ilford, the spacious restaurant is split into 2 parts, each having a unique atmosphere and theme. You really don’t feel like you are stepping inside a restaurant in East London, this place has all the vibes of a modern contemporary Indian restaurant in Central.
Overall, I liked the modern and quirky presentation of some dishes, like the Pani Puri, a classic street food dish from India, it was good, 6/10, mint water was a bit strong. The samosa chaat was better, nice layering and sauces used brought it all together. 7/10
Masala chips is a classic that has been a popular item for a decade. Tasty and worth getting 8/10
The main meal was the Thaali. I decided to get this as it gives me a chance to sample loads of items without ordering them individually. It consisted of lamb chops, Sholay chicken wings, Dhaba gosht, butter chicken, daal Makani, pilau rice, 2 types of naan, onion salad and kheer for dessert.
At £22, it’s very expensive in my opinion, maybe if was a restaurant in Central London it should justify the price. Dissatisfaction was with the so-called lamb chops, with tasted nothing like lamb, I’m convinced it was mutton. In the central London restaurant, the lamb chops there are thick and don’t have the layer of fat removed, unlike these ones. But overall, everything else tasted good!
Despite this small negative, everything else was good, including the delicious kheer for dessert.
I’d definitely recommend here for a catch up with friends or date, or even dinner with the family. Would I return? Yes I would. You can tell, there’s care and attention here to the food, service and restaurant experience
The bill was £60 for 2 of us, no drinks. Service charge is not added. Although I’d been invited, I decided to go as a regular customer and paid for my meal in full.
Salash Kitchen, Turkish Address: 84-86 High Rd, London E18 2NA
SKVPDiner, Indian Address: 219 Cranbrook Rd, Cranbrook, Ilford IG1 4TD
I honestly can’t remember the last time I discovered a restaurant the old fashioned way by just walking past it for the first time. We noticed a colourful street food restaurant that we have never seen before so we deiced to take a chance… And we were happy we did
S.K.V.P @CONTACTSKVP is an authentic vegetarian Indian Street food restaurant that has loads of classic items available
Yes, it’s vegetarian, but I really didn’t miss the meat plus its always good to reduce your meat intake (says the guy that was planning on a meat feast at Sultan 😂)
The menu had sooo many options that it was hard to figure out what do get but I got a couple of dishes. The Chilli Panner was, without doubt, the best Panner I’ve had and would go back just for that.
Also got their speciality dish the Vada Pav as well as trying their Pani Puri which came with a bottle of mint water that you can take home. We also got a samosa chaat, a bit different in the texture to the regular ones I’ve had, a bit more saucey but the tamarind sauce was on point.
This is really proper authentic Indian food. Highly recommended.
Bill was only £18 and the service was fast. I’ll definitely be going back and try more of their food once I’m off my low carb Keto diet! I paid for my meal in full. Not an invite.
Spice Khazana, Indian Address: 266-268 High Rd, Ilford IG1 1QF
A buffet spot that I went to 3 times in as many months, my first visit was great, loads of items available and everything tasted great and only £15 per person.
Spice Hut Romford, Fast Food Address: 1b Arcade Pl, Exchange St, Romford RM1 1RS
Donner and chips from the fanciest @spicehut_official there is. Was actually a decent quick bite. But I prefer Turkish donner not this desi style. Obviously, chips in a metal cup made them taste 👌
Yes people. A flower 🌸 wall makes all food taste better, right 😉 I had to make a trip here to see it for myself and it was magical. I’m hoping they start using dry ice soon.
Parking is available in The Brewery Car Park.
Sushi and Thai Express, Sushi Address: 98 Mile End Rd, Stepney Green, London E1 4UN
Here’s a little new halal restaurant, that does sushi and Thai dishes. Located in Stepney Green @sushi_and_thai_express . I went for a selection of sushi dishes. Although there’s some seating available downstairs, I’d say it’s more of a takeaway and delivery place as it’s a pretty basic seating area.
Here’s what I got and their menu item number as well.
My favourite items were 11,28 and 33. These were really tasty and I have to be honest, from the outside I wasn’t expecting much but these 3 sushi rolls were really yum. The mixed sushi boxes were good as well but not as good as the rolls.
A good spot if you are local to the area and want some sushi. There’s also Thai curries available that are made fresh to order.
My meal was complimentary.
Thaispice, Thai Address: 292 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ
Here’s another New halal restaurant, this time it’s Thai food. Located in Haggerston @thaispicelondon serves up Thai fusion dishes.
The restaurant features a nice outdoor Rooftop seating area great on a sunny day, the bottom floor has a large dining area that can accommodate party groups, the middle floor has limited seating.
Starters I got a custom platter (not on the menu) that featured wong tongs, chicken wings, spring rolls & fish cakes. Everything was fresh & tasted great, in particular the spring rolls, the fish cakes and the chicken wings, I was impressed, can’t fault anything.
Mains Prawn Tom Yum soup Kuay tiew pad kee Mao w/chicken Gang kua sapparod duck Khao pad thaispice sapprarod (pineapple rice) Red Curry Chicken Lamb chops 2pc Grilled ribs 2pc Chicken & mushroom pie
The Thai dishes here were tasty and authentic, in particular the fried pineapple rice, Tom Yum soup & the red curry. Also tried a special called Gang kua sapparod (with halal duck), but this was identical to the red curry (unknown to me) ! It did have a rich depth of flavour and tasted authentic, all mains had generous portions as well.
However, some dishes were not up to the same level in taste and satisfaction, the grilled Lamb chops and ribs were just grilled with no marination, with some poor tasting sauce coated over them after grilling. Not great.
I felt like a pie, yes, not an authentic Thai dish, but it is on the menu so I wanted to try it, however, as it wasn’t good at all, the filling was very mushy and lacked flavour, the sides were good.
Whilst the owner Naz was very welcoming and did his best to provide good service the mains took an age to arrive and I spent the best part of 3 hours from start to finish. Mainly because there were 2 groups of around 15 people that ordered at the same time (even though the six rule was in effect at the time, 3 weeks ago) so that caused a delay, which I can understand.
All the food is halal and alcohol is not served, however, customers are permitted to bring their own. One negative is that they don’t accept card and are cash only, which in this day and age I just don’t understand.
I was invited to review here.
The Best Kebeb, Turkish
The Courtyard, Fusion Address: 108 Woolwich High St, London SE18 6DN
I was invited to the opening night and I don’t normally go to events like this. This is not really a restaurant, its more of a shisha spot. It took over an hour for the food to arrive and nothing was worth mentioning. Lamb shank was decent, but not fair of me to write a review as it was so new and they were still finding their feet.
Toomai Square, Pan Asian Address: 5- 6 Lambarde square, London SE10 9GB
My experience with restaurants that have different cuisines on the menu in the past tend not to have the best food, but I was surprised with this spot just south of the river Full review here
Wok n Roll, Pan Asian Address: 61 Hanbury St, London E1 5JP
@woknroll.bricklane is a new FULLY HALAL restaurant that serves up Thai and sushi dishes Located just off Brick Lane
I was really impressed with the Thai 🇹🇭 Menu it provided some really excellent and quality dishes and I fully recommend trying here.
I highly recommend you order the starter platter that featured spring roll, chicken satay, prawn tempura prawn toast and thai fish cake at £10.99. Every item was good, however the prawn on toast and fish cakes were outstanding for me. All made in house and fresh. Also got some chicken wings, but I wasn’t keen on the flavours.
For the mains I got Penang Curry with Chicken £7.49 A Slow cooked curry, cooked with coconut milk, – the chicken was ridiculously soft and tender, while the curry was rich, deep in flavour and well balanced.
Pad Ma Khuer £6.99 – Aubergines with garlic, red chilli and stir fried sauce – eat your veg! This was one of my favourite dishes. Tasted so good.
Nasi Goreng £8.49 – Malaysian stir fried rice cooked with egg spring onions and mixed vegetables. – again, another really good dish I got it with prawns.
Pad Kee Mao £7.99 – Stir fried hofan noodle with chilli mixed vegetable and thai basil.
Having been to Thailand last year the food here really took me back to a happy place. Very good Thai food that I’d come back to.I also tried 2 Sushi rolls from the Japanese 🇯🇵 , a Signature Dragon roll and a soft shell crab Futomaki (both £9.99), both fell short of the mark and need some improvements so I’d stick to the Thai menu.
Drinks I got a pinna colda and blue Mocktails. All £4.99 and very good. The decor has a strong floral and contemporary oriental theme with subtle Japanese influences. Whilst the restaurant was empty when I visited the delivery side of things was non stop with delivery drivers coming and going every 2mins, so a good sign
I was invited. Food was complimentary. Thoughts my own. All food halal and no alcohol served.
Zamana, Indian Address: 36 Woodford Ave, Gants Hill, Ilford IG2 6XQ
I was invited to check out @zamanarestaurant a casual eatery that serves up Pakistani street food classics, located in Gants Hill, Ilford. With a lot of competition in the area this restaurant has a lot of really affordable items on a concise menu with starters that beginning at £4.
I asked to sample most of the non vegetarian starters as a custom platter (standard sizes are 4 peices) so I can try each item as well a few vegetarian options, but so some of whats pictured are smaller portions.
The Halloumi Pakora was a standout favourite, great texture and taste served in a fancy gold martini glass! Highly recommended. £4
The masala fries £5 and Gol gappe £4 were also better than most places I’ve had them.
I found the grilled meats (Lamb Tikka £6, lamb chops £10 and chicken tikkas £5) while having a good flavour, we’re slighty too overcooked and thus making them dry for like taste. I did like the fact that chicken thighs were used rather than the standard chicken breast (it tastes better but cooks faster) for the Chicken dishes. I passed this feedback on and this something that can be easily fixed. The Tandoori prawns at £13 were very good and tasty.
If you like your Mocktails with a strong sweet taste then you will love the ones here. Nicely made and presented well, but a bit pricey at £7.50 but they weren’t filed with loads of ice but good amount of actual drink that stayed strong all throughout the meal.
For mains I tried the lamb biryani, (£10) the lamb was soft and flavourful and the rice was light and delicate, but the addition of a lemon overpowered some mouthfuls with a strong undesirable citrus flavour.
I was recommended the sikandri lamb (£15), a slow cooked lamb shank with a light thick sauce served with rice. The lamb was ridiculously soft and tender and fell off the bone with minimal effort. The flavours were subtle but some parts were too salty, but weren’t salty the next day when I ate the left overs.. strange.
A place with potential and worth checking out as the prices are very reasonable, good drinks and attentive service as well. Good spot for groups.
My meal was complimentary. Thoughts are honest and my own.
Here is a searchable and sortable list of MOST of the places I ate out in 2021. I have not included any takeaway or dark kitchens. I have also added an overall score for each, based on the food quality/taste, value and overall experience.
There are some places I visit, where a review from me can help a restaurant gain new customers. Dishoom is a place where a review from me will have ZERO effect on their success; this place has been one of the most popular restaurants in London for nearly ten years. Every time I’ve been I’ve had a good experience. It’s been a good 3 years since my last visit so I decided to make a trip to the newly renovated restaurant in Covent Garden
First things first, if you go after 6pm with less than 4 people you need to queue up (average wait is 30mins) only groups over 4 can make a reservation.
I arrived for my 7 pm booking, (I had a booking as this was a PR/Press Invitation) I arrived 20mins late (I called ahead and told them I was running late) we were shown to our table within a few mins. There are 2 eating areas, a spacious bright upstairs and a low lit tightly packed downstairs. Unfortunately for me, I was seated downstairs, not great for taking pictures as it’s too dark, but I did bring my annoying blogger light. At first, I was given a small table for 2, but I requested a larger table as I knew there wouldn’t be enough space for the amount of food I usually order.
The decor has a very unique ambience that emulates an aesthetic from Colonial Indian times. Downstairs was very dark and the table I was seated at was too tight to others, I kept having to tuck in my chair really close to the table to allow people to squeeze past behind me.
When I visit a restaurant to review I tend to order a range of items and have a taste of each and take home any leftovers, I was told that they didn’t have any lids so takeaway might be an issue. Nevertheless, since I knew I wouldn’t be back here again I wanted to try a range of dishes. So let’s go with the food review.
For drinks
Aflatoons colada £5.50
Pineapple and coconut-cream, a little coriander, chai syrup, and lime juice. Garnished with coconut flakes. This was more of an ice slushy, I had to wait 15mins for the ice to melt before I could drink this. Once it melted i liked it.
Watermelon sharbat £3.90
Watermelon is muddled with spearmint and lime, then thrown over cubes of ice. Really liked the sharp flavours of this one
For starters we got
House chaat £6.20
Warm-cold, sweet-tangy, moreish. Golden fried sweet potato covered with cool yoghurt, pomegranate, beetroot, radish and carrot. Tamarind drizzle and green chutney.
This was my favourite dish of the evening, the textures and flavours really worked well together. I have never seen a chaat with carrots, beetroot and radish, but the contrast in temperatures with the hot sweet potatoes and cold salad with sweet tamarind made a dish that worked in complete harmony. Recommended! 9/10
Okra fries £4.90
Light, simple crispy salted battered Okra that tasted great. The portion could have been a bit bigger. 8/10
Lamb samosa £5.90
Pricey for 3 samosas, these were good but nothing different to what mum can make. She wouldn’t approve of the price, but the taste was good. 7/10
Panner roll £7.90
Grilled paneer tucked inside a crisped roll with onion, peppers and green leaves.
My 2nd favourite item was this Panner wrap, loads of great flavours here from different ingredients inside the roll. Really tasty from the first bite to the last. 9/10
Now on to the mains and the food takes a really big drop.
Spicy lamb chops £8.90
Two chops lie overnight in a special marinade of lime juice, warm dark spices, ginger and garlic. Untrimmed, for juiciness, and blackened by the grill
The chops from Dishoom have a special place in my heart, back in 2013 I had Dishoom for the first time and recall the 3 chops I ordered for £18. A lot for me back then and still is now. I still remember the taste and memory of eating these chops today. They were great. So I was expecting something similar.
But. I was truly disappointed.
I love my lamb chops, the menu says 2 but my eyes widened when I saw 3 on my plate. I was giddy inside. But that excitement was short-lived after the first bite.
These chops were tough, chewy and overcooked. There’s a layer of fat that I love on chops that most typical Indian/Pakistani/Bengali restaurants remove or trim, but they were left on here which is great. However, they weren’t cooked correctly, the fat had not been rendered down and the sinew (that’s the layer of tissue under the fat) was tough and chewy, with the right skill and cooking methods the sinew can turn soft and become fine to eat. But these chops were just awful and it was painful for me to leave them piled up unwanted. I’ve never wasted chops in my life..
The sad sight of tough and chewy chops that went to waste
Sadly the food waste continued with some more poor cooking. 4/10
Chefs special masala fish £17.50
Two fillets of sea bream marinated in Tila-foi’s masala with ginger-garlic, black pepper, lime juice, carrom seeds and red chilli. Griddled within a banana leaf and served to share. Eat with Coconut yoghurt.
The menu description made this dish sound really exciting, but this dish wasn’t great. While the fish was cooked fine, the masala used to coat the fish was not balanced correctly, there was an overpowering taste of raw spices and it just didn’t work and was not pleasant to eat.
I really tried to eat more of the fish, even removing as much of the spice mix off the flesh, but the taste was too strong and overpowering and not nice to eat. The yoghurt that came with the dish was too sweet and could pass as a dessert It had that much sugar in it.
3/10
Gunpowder potatoes £6.90
New potatoes are smoky-grilled, broken apart, tossed with butter, crushed aromatic seeds and green herbs.
I had not had these before and I was looking forward to this, but I took one bite and no, I didn’t like this. It tasted like a food experiment gone wrong, where someone just grabbed a handful of random spice seeds and threw them on some potatoes. There was no balance and again, the flavours just didn’t work. 3/10
Masala prawns £12.90
Each one charred slightly at the edges, succulent and simple, nothing to bamboozle. The menu says it is slightly charred at the edges, but what I got were some prawns that had been blacked beyond anything I’ve seen. I had to peel off the charred bitter blacked shells but it meant the prawns were dry as they were overcooked. 4.5/10
Chicken Biryani £12.90
A pot of chicken, ginger, garlic, mint, coriander and rice cooked together in the Kacchi style.
I remember the lamb biryani from Dishoom in Kings Cross being an absolute hit, that’s only available there, here it’s a chicken Biryani that I’ve had before and wanted to try again. It is made with cranberries – hard to describe this one, the rice is cooked well and the chicken tasted good but there weren’t enough layers in taste or depth of flavour for me. Very middle of the road
5/10
Mutton pepper fry £14.90
Finest mutton marinated in red chilli, ginger and garlic, then cooked with black peppercorns and whole spices.
The cooking of the mutton was excellent, very soft and tender meat, however, I wasn’t too keen on some of the flavours, there was a strong overpowering taste that I wasn’t able to identify 5/10
Garlic naan £3.70 Cheese naan £4.20
The service was very organised and structured. We were shown to our table and greeted by happy friendly staff on the way – I wasn’t happy with the table downstairs as mentioned before, not great for taking pics/vids, I didn’t want to be annoying and interrupt other dinners and use my bright light for pics and videos so I used it as little as I could.
One good thing was the service – I told my waiter (who didn’t know I was here by invitation from Dishoom) about the dishes I didn’t like, 3 main ones were Lamb chops, Masala Fish and the Gunpower Potatoes, he then told his line manager who came to speak to us and said thank you for the feedback and they were glad that I was honest and they will address it and look into what happened – The manager again didn’t know it was a complimentary/review meal said he would remove the 3 dishes I didn’t like from the bill – that’s very good service and a lesson to always give feedback when you are at the restaurant not after you have left.
Overall, I was felt disappointed with the experience here. Out of the 10 main food items, I only would recommend and order 3 again. But as I said at the start, a negative review from me will not have any effect on this place – its so popular and good spot to go, but the majority of the food I had was not up to the standards that I have come to expect from a powerhouse like Dishoom.
A list of restaurants I have been in over the years. Most of the places below either have a FULL halal food menu or part halal – please check as status can change at any time.
The score mainly factors in the Food taste and value, doesn’t really call in the service or the “vibe”. Some places I have been multiple times
You can also view the Instagram post for that restaurant if (available) in the table as well
Also, if you are true food nerd like me you can download my Google Sheets spreadsheet as well below
My experience with restaurants that have different cuisines on the menu in the past tend not to have the best food, but I was surprised with this spot just south of the river @toomaisquare. The restaurant was suggested to me by a follower. I had never heard of it, so I contacted them to see if they had halal options and they told me they have a full halal food menu and invited me down to try some food.
Despite being situated in Greenwich I managed to get from where I live in Ilford to the restaurant in under 20mins by car with free street parking after 6.30pm opposite the restaurant
The Kitchen serves up 3 types of cuisine. Indian, Thai and indo Chinese.
Here’s what I tried.
Thai Calamari £5.25 Chicken Satay £5.50 Chicken wings £5.25 Veg dim sum £5.25 Prawn dim sum £7.25 Vegetable Spring Roll £4.50 Duck Spring roll £5.99
So what’s the food good? Well yes. Yes, it was! With the starters I really enjoyed both spring rolls a lot, the filling was really tasty. The chicken Satay and peanut sauce were good as too the Calamari and dim sum.
The only dishes I didn’t like was the aloo chaat, too much yoghourt and not layered well. The Panner, as the texture wasn’t good, it wasn’t crispy on the outside and the flavours were not to my liking.
Surprisingly, my favourite dish of the evening was the lamb biryani. It was very good, flavours had depth and the lamb cooked perfectly, I highly recommend getting this (had left covers for lunch the next day, was great). The lamb shank massaman curry was also very good. The lamb was tender and soft as it should be but the flavours had depth as well.
The food took a while to come out, when I review a restaurant, it’s not like a normal meal that you might experience. My time is taken up with positing plates around the table, taking pictures, then videos and then taking notes of each dish, as I like to write reviews that are informative for you. So I want to be in out ASAP. I should have said I wanted food as soon as it’s ready, but at least everything was made fresh to order.
Staff told me that some people dine here for over 4 hours! There was a slight misunderstanding with when I wanted the food, as it took a long time to come out, and the gap between starters and mains was over one hour. So we didn’t eat much of the mains at the restaurant, just had a little sample.
All food is Halal. Alcohol served. My meal was complimentary.
Nusret Gökçe – also known as Salt Bae, is the chef who became a living meme for pouring salt in a flamboyant fashion has opened his first London restaurant.
Located in Knightsbridge at the Park Tower Hotel, It’s the first branch in the UK, he has 15-branches around the globe, in New York, Los Angeles and in salt bae’s home Turkey.
At the time of going to press I have not managed to confirm the HALAL status, there are conflicting reports, right now based on my experience, there are issues with getting Halal wagyu into the UK, so I’m not sure if its Halal, until I get confirmation by way of certificate from the main supplier(s) I am saying the food is not halal… to be honest, food covered in Gold is hardly something that falls in line with the teachings of the holly Qu’ran and sunah.
I’ve managed to find the menu online and there are some outrageous prices. There’s a GOLD menu that features food covered in gold…Theres a item in the menu for £1,350!
The Park Tower, Knightsbridge Hotel 101, SW1X 7RN.
![Toomai Square [Permanently Closed]](https://i0.wp.com/halalfoodguy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021-07-27-21.11.51-scaled-e1632416452982.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1 "Toomai Square [Permanently Closed]")
