The Christmas Burger at Burger and Beyond

The Christmas Burger is a Woodland Turkey & Sage patty and a Norfolk free range pork meat patty with double American cheese and deep fried double breaded brie.
This was a one off as I don't really eat burgers over 8 quid unless it is something really fancy.
I knew I was going to like it because the pork patty was like a sausage patty.
The best bit is the two wedges of fried brie, punchy cranberry sauce and bright slaw which complement it nicely.
The turkey patty was a bit dry but that was expected with the nature of turkey.
Overall it wasn't bad but probably a bit too salty.
Staff were understaffed at the London Bridge branch only went because it was convenient otherwise would have visited Soho.
Plates were on the small side and the sitting area was cramped.
The Christmas menu is not reflected on their website nor is their social media responsive when you comment.

After visiting the London Bridge branch of Burger and Beyond, decided to go back for the Prawn roll with Caviar but it was sold out so went to the Soho branch a few days later.

Again, they were understaffed and clueless.

Splurged out on this prawn roll but didn't expect it to be that dinky!

It was nice but I can get bigger and better one at Harrods while the lobster prawn roll at M&S is also a pretty good deal yet delicious!

Prawn roll at the Soho branch:

TOUM - Lebanese French Rotisserie

Roast chicken, fries and toum!
Who doesn't like a good roast chicken with fries.
I tried Toum as soon as I could when I found out about them.
I knew I was going to like their fries especially because they are like shoe string fries and fried once from raw.
Toum is Lebanese specializing in roast chicken and fries as their signature with toum sauce.
What I like about this restaurant is the French touch so on the menu there is steak frites, escargot etc.
Toum is a delicious garlic dip like mayonnaise.
I am not sure how it is meant to be but the first time I tried at this another restaurant it was super emulsified and light as a cloud.
Anyway visited during lunch so sat at the bar where I was fortunate to see all the magic.
Also saw the steak frites which looks just as good as Swixx Buttxx if not better with green Paris butter sauce.
The chicken was ok but a little disappointing as it didn't come from the rotisserie but from the metal cabinet drawer all chopped up.
The chicken isn't bad but there was no skin so the surface was a bit dry but the breast part somehow fared better.
The fries were to my liking like the ones in France while the toum sauce was thick and garlicky with a spicy kick quite different to this other place.
These are the best fries in my opinion compared to other steak frites places and hope they stay like that.
The Bill..I wasn't quite impressed with the still water as it looked like tap water in an unbranded ceramic bottle.
Will be back for the steak.
Currently, they have just opened for a week so are in teething stages.

SCOFF! The only scone that you eat with a knife and fork at The Savoy

SCOFF! The only scone that you eat with a knife and fork.

There will be no debate as you won't be putting any cream or jam on it.

Enter SCOFF, specializing in scones at The Savoy so how could I not visit!

These are no ordinary scones as they are dressed up and ready to eat.

You get to choose from Chocolate coconut, Mango, Strawberries and Cream, Tiramisu, Salted Caramel Popcorn

The texture of the scone base was interesting because it was somewhat different to a scone, it was more like a dense thick cake that has been baked in a small cake mold ring which gives it uniform shape base.

I think it isn't 100% scone mixture but probably mixed with some cake but the texture reminds me of something that I can't think of at the moment.

The colour of the base is slightly darker which seems to suggest it was baked on a pan like a cake.

It was a really hard choice but the strawberries and cream is probably the best while the others are really fancy.

After a long thought I got the tiramisu which had this sheet of coffee jelly on top.

Overall it was really nice but I found it rather sweet.

Will be back to try the strawberry.

Malaysian Ikan bakar at an unsuspecting Thai Cafe

Traditional Ikan bakar is fish smothered with a spicy sambal and then wrapped in banana leaf to cook.

I discovered Thai Cup, an unsuspecting Thai eatery owned by a Malaysian serves Ikan Bakar.

Not only do they do Skate but they have other options like clams, squid, egg etc with optional petai beans and winged beans so there is something for everyone.

As well as the bbq, they also have Laksa etc.

Tried the Ikan Bakar with skate where you can choose traditional sambal but as a non spicy eater I got the prawn paste.

Overall, it was really nice however I felt that the prawn paste was just garlicky and lacked prawn taste.

It took a while to arrive and it was quite watery so I am guessing it was defrosted before cooking.

The disposable cutlery and floppy paper bowls for the noodles were annoying.

Also tried the pandan coconut drink but the coconut was more prominent than the pandan.

Other than that, everything else is fine but I wasn't comfy with the security camera at customer level among the orange napkins.

Surprisingly good Asian noodles at a Deli in London

Chapters Deli is a cosy hole in wall eatery in Bishopgate offering hot food like pasta, baked potatoes and sandwiches.

Expect to find the usual eg coronation chicken/focaccia etc but you also find paella and black bean noodles!!!
The black bean noodles seem really popular as everyone was having it so why not try them.
It comes with escalope/katsu chicken which I didn't want.
I even saw someone order that and had parmesan on top!!
Anyway, just as expected, it was so damn satisfying.
The noodles had a lovely black bean smell which delivered in taste along with the onions and bell peppers.
It tastes so much nicer than Chinese because they are not stir fried and don't have a horrible metallic smell nor are they oily.
Will definitely return for the paella but this place gets quite busy which you can avoid by going late.

Let's not neglect the humble baked potato at Spud Bros

It is now 2024 and sadly many beloved staples have gone out of fashion, one of them is the humble baked potato especially in London.

Spudulike went into administration in 2019 while a modern concept The Potato project which started in 2015 managed to keep running until 2018.

The only place you can find them are at greasy spoons which relatively isn't cheap but Thankfully they are still offered.

I am so Thankful for the social media trend that it has revived the humble baked potato even if it means a three month popup in London which hopefully will make people fall in love again.

The menu at Spud Bros has all the basics like butter, cheese, baked beans, chilli con carne, curry and tuna mayo.

There are TRAM specials with the popular pairings like cheese and beans, cheese and chilli etc with crispy onion toppings and their signature sauces.

For me a good jacket potato is delicious on its own with some salt and butter if it is well as baked.

What I mean is the potato is soft and fluffy that it does not require much force when the jacket is pressed the potato will fluff up or when you use a fork to prep it for the fillings.

It's been a while so I wanted a simple baked potato so just had some cheese and butter as fillings.

Overall, it was nice but the feeling was different because the potatoes were cut in half laid flat with the cheese topped on.

The potato was not quite fluffy as expected and had resistance on the wooden fork which you can really feel since it was a disposable one.

In terms of texture I am not sure if it is related to the type of potato or the way it was baked.

Other than that, I would still recommend it.

Lush chips at Fresh Fry in Coulsdon

I love trying different chippies so this one has been on my list but it is takeaway only so one day I finally gave them a visit and had them open and ate nearby. The chips were lush, they were all uniform in colour and these were definitely memorable because they are cut like steak chips which are wider with a rectangle cross section area. Each chip was delicious and it was glossy but not oily which makes them to my liking as they are moist yet have a crisp exterior. The fact that it has this lovely smooth gloss exterior gives it that ability to take salt and vinegar well. Each chip was delicious, bursting with sticky fluffy potato followed by that moreish salt and vinegar kick.
I liked the way the chip exterior is soft and does not give resistance to the chippy fork. This is how chips should be and they were so tasty that they don't really need other condiments but a really sharp ketchup would be nice. As I got to the bottom of the cone, there were some crispy bits, the edges of the potato which were equally as delicious so all in all nothing was wasted because some chips shops are quite random you can get lots of scraps/dry bits etc. Overall I was pleased with my chips. The fish was also good, it was moist and flakey but the batter was too oily that it all came through on the wrap, other than that they were amazing. The batter was on the bitter side but that my problem because I have the PTC gene which makes me sensitive to the slightest bitter taste. Will definitely be returning. #ssgfishnchips