Purley Food Crawl

To be honest, I did not know there were so many eateries at Purley because I had only visited the big TESCOs nearby.

My first stop had to be BAXFOOD Caribbean because they had dumplings.

You can choose Jerk meat or tofu mushroom as filling so I got the tofu mushroom as not many places offer that.

Basically it was like a savoury donut sliced in half and filled with Jerk.

It was really tasty with the tofu puffs and mushrooms but I found it quite spicy.

Next stop was tea at The Next Level which is a lovely cafe.

It was bascially TESCO's finest tea that was served there.

Halal breakfast is also served with turkey rashers and chicken sausage.

Nearby was this interesting Portuguese tavern which has a good choice of sweet treats and savouries.

I decided to get the Mille Feuille which was surprisingly nice because of the egg cream filling.

For the savoury treat, I had the rissole de camarao which was exactly like a comforting findus pancake filled with creamy prawns.

Also they sell frozen limpets which probably taste nice if you know a good recipe for them.

Another Portuguese Cafe to try is O Farol which offers almost everything for a good Portuguese dinner to coffee and cake as well as a mini market where you can buy Portuguese groceries.

My first visit, I just had some green tea and a nutella doughnut which were both a great treat on an afternoon.

Also tried the limpets and squid on another evening and they were fantastic.

How can one not visit a greasy spoon, hence the visit Star Express Cafe.

The star of the show there was the potato pancake which was amazing like a potato rosti with a sticky potato filling in the middle perfect with fried egg.

Who doesn't love the pickled cabbage that you get at kebab shops especially when it is pink and pretty.

Purley Grill:

Also tried superfryer and had a battered sausage but it wasn't your typical sausage, it was mushy and tasted like a battered sausage meat.

Their chips were a bit dry.

Delicious Mexican fare in a beautiful restaurant at El Desperado Mexican Grill & Cantina

I was recommended this amazing Mexican restaurant by a friend who knows CHEAM well.

Unknowing what to expect, the restaurant was a lovely surprise.

Just opposite the bus stop was this bright and colourful Mexican restaurant with instagrammable decor.

You are greeted with beautiful colourful guitars, a rainbow array of glass jugs a vibrant ceiling with lots of things to see and latin music in the background.

The menu has a good offering of fajitas, enchiladas and burritos as well as drinks and dessert.

As I was dining alone, I went for the beef quesadilla and the ribs and wings combo.

The quesadilla was really satisfying filled with refried beans and quality minced beef chilli.

Finished off with the ribs and wings which are also recommended because the meat simply comes off the bones and the meat is marinated in a lovely smokey BBQ sauce that is tangy and punchy without being too sweet.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this place for fun night out with great food and service!

El Desperado Mexican Grill & Cantina

501 London Rd, Worcester Park, Sutton SM3 8JR

Menu: eldesperadomexican.com

Phone: 020 8337 4446

Full video:

https://youtu.be/IwSjvFwBB18

Fries at Five Guys

The reason I like Five Guys is that their fries are made from freshly cut potatoes which are then washed to get rid of the starch and then fried.

I ordered the Little Fries which aren't little, basically, it is a cup of fries with another scoop thrown in so that there is a value factor you get.

In terms of taste, they were surprisingly good, I loved the crisp exterior with the fluffy inside.

For sauces, they have ketchup, mayonnaise and Sarsons vinegar.

The mayonnaise is definitely the best with the fries.

Burger King Plant Based restaurant popup at Leicester Square

For one month only until April 10th, the Leicester square branch of Burger King will be serving a 100% plant based only menu.

Same as before, they have sourced patties from The Vegetarian Butcher.

New items are the Vegan Katsu Royale, Plant-based Katsu Chilli Whopper, Vegan Chilli Cheeeze bites and the Ben & Jerry’s Cookie on Cookie Dough Non-Dairy Ice Cream.

Items on the menu are:

Vegan Nugget Burger

Vegan Royale

Vegan Cheeeze & Bakon Royale

Vegan Cheeeze Royale

Vegan Katsu Royale

Plant-based Katsu Chilli Whopper

Plant-based Whopper

Plant-based Cheeeze Whopper

Plant-based Cheeeze & Bakon Whopper

Plant-based Whopper Jr

Plant-based Cheeeze Whopper Jr

Plant-based Hamburger

Plant-based Cheeezeburger

Plant-based Double Cheeezeburger

Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeezeburger

Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeeze XL

Plant-Based Double Whopper

Plant-based King Jr Hamburger Meal

Plant-based King Jr Cheeezeburger Meal

Vegan King Jr Nugget Meal

Vegan Fries

Vegan Nuggets

Vegan Chilli Cheeeze bites

Plant-based Onion Rings

Ben & Jerry’s Cookie on Cookie Dough Non-Dairy Ice Cream

Vegan Royale:

The Vegan Royale tasted really good as if it was a regular chicken royale and the mayonnaise was creamy and delicious.

Plant based whopper:

It looked the part but unfortunately I was disappointed with the patty itself because it was tasteless and I didn't like the texture.

Light meal at Middle Eastern Restaurant

I always visit London Road on the West side of Croydon as it offers so much international offerings ranging from Jamaican to Middle Eastern food along with interesting multi national food shops and Turkish supermarkets.

The other day, I spotted some interesting food pictures at the window for Middle Eastern Restaurant and the rice looked intriguing with noodles on top so I went in and had a look.

In the cabinet, there were skewers and skewers of meat which looked captivating.

The guy there was really friendly and explained the different dishes they offered and showed me their Okra soup.

As a curious foodie, I went back the next day and tried the rice with okra soup.

Before I was served, the guy gave me some lentil soup to try.

It was yellow in colour with a silky thick texture, I remember having this before at another restaurant but the taste of this was seriously good as it had a strong chicken taste blended with the lentils which made it smooth and comforting.

Next came the rice and soup.

The rice was pretty much how I expected it to taste however it was mildly flavoured and the noodles on top were surprisingly sweet in taste.

I think I heard him say the rice was flavoured by lamb but I am not quite sure.

The okra soup which I believe is Bamia soup had a rich tomato taste however I think the okra had been stewed for quite a while that it has lost its viscocity.

Overall, it was such a friendly place and food is worth trying.

Will return for the chicken livers.

Middle Eastern Restaurant Croydon:

55 London Rd, Croydon CR0 2TB

Lentil soup

okra soup

rice

The menu