Honest Burger (Brixton Village Market) - Special Burger: Beef, Stilton, Smoked Bacon, Wild Garlic and Mushroom Fricassee, Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps and Bull’s Blood Leaf - £10.50

Yes it’s another burger place! But this one is south of the river. But yes its taking quality ingredients and care and skill to make a “proper” burger. But anyhoo…

Honest is a small joint in Brixton’s very lovely  market “Brixton Village” that focuses on using quality British produce to create quality British burgers, and they do!

The sides are also great. We tried the fennel and carrot slaw, which was delicious and each burgers comes with a portion of rosemary fries as standard, which is currently somewhat unheard of!

The special burger did sound like bells and whistles, but I wanted to try it. It was tasty and rich with all the great flavours and adventures a good burger should take you on. The last fashion burger I had was Lucky Chip at the Sebright, which to be honest, was SO overly salted that I didn’t enjoy it. This bap of joy was ideally seasoned and had all the right notes ringing through. I didn’t get enough of the Artichoke crisps, but these are middle class problems that I will try to over come in my own way. If you are around Brixton Village Market I thoroughly recommend searching out this place and treating yourself. The standard burger is only £8.50 with fries and will leave you incredibly satisfied. I’m still chasing the dragon of Lucky Chip in Netil Market (THE best burger in London in my own opinion), but this place is up there. Well worth the trip.

8.5/10

Robbie

P.S. Thats a Gin and Tonic in the picture above. 

Katsouries Deli - Pork and Stuffing Sandwich - £4.90

Rule number 1 when you get to a City you’re not super familiar with. Get a recommend off a local. (transcript of text conversation merely 30 min. prior to this amazing sandwich.)  

Tickle: What U upto tonight? 
Morgan: I’m in manc, what was the deli you said I should go to? Is it near the station?
Tickle: It’s on Dean st. (massive shopping road) called Katzories (can’t spell it) you have to go there. 
Morgan: Amazing sandwich! 

8/10 

Morgan  

Future of Food (18 Hewett Street, Protein, Shoreditch) - Information and worms

In conjunction with OnPlateStillHungry.com and 18 Hewett Street, (Protein) show Something I Ate, a talk occurred, deep in the belly of the gallery. 

Speaking was Sam Bompass of Bompass and Parr, Sam Henderson of the brilliant FARM:shop, and Jon Fraser of the RCA and his project Ento. The subject was the future of food and what could happen with the inevitable food crisis that looms before us all. To go into deep details regarding the talk would be just too much for me right now. But in short, the future isn’t bright, but it’s also not fucked. If we confront the problems head on, if we realise that maybe there are more people beyond Benidorm and if we start to convince these fat fat children of ours that maybe, just maybe, being adventurous and broad minded with your foods might mean that you won’t starve due to a lack of BBQ flavoured Monster Munch and Findus Crispy Mutant in the scorched earth future we have laid out. That said, food won’t change that much. We have been eating similar dishes for centuries with out realising it. Burgers, stews and sandwiches weren’t all dreamt up by Steve Jobs. Its what we welcome into our minds that will help us maintain our bulging population. 

Jon Fraser spoke about this. A culinary Tin Tin he was, his project Ento focuses on a viable way of introducing insects into our diets. Not as grim as it sounds! Some species take on the flavourings of their feed, so imagine if you fed your bugs lemon gras, or rosemary! Other types (once cooked) begin to taste like pistachio nuts and others of shrimp. The protein return of insects is also one of the main reasons Fraser is doing this. From 10kg of feed a cow will return 1kg of protein, insects return 9kg! In a world in need of a viable replacement for farmable foods, maybe this is a genuine option. We tried some at the end of the talk, Mopani Worms and BBQ work crisps. The crisps tasted like BBQ Wotsits and honestly weren’t bad at all! The Mopani however tasted like dog biscuits. Not the best start. However Fraser did point out that these weren’t his choice of wee beasty, and for a truer example you should go for crickets, grasshoppers and caterpillars. It was definitely the most interesting discussion of the night, ranging from RRP’s to recipes to whether grasshoppers were best as mince or goujon. The other speakers broadened minds with insight into the influence of science fiction into contemporary food, how these ideas from whirlwind futures are actually helping people tackle the potential flaws of our consumption today! Sam Henderson also showed us how self sufficiency and home growing projects will be one way you can take control of you own situation. We can only recommend you take a trip down to FARM:shop on Dalston Lane and really check the amazing work they are doing. Sam Bompass went down a different route and gave everyone a taste of his own interpretation of the Douglas Adams space cocktail the “Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster” which was supposed to be the drink equivalent of a mugging, or getting your head smashed in with a golden brick wrapped in lemon. Served in a silver goblet, we were each aloud what a single straw could hold (about half a shot). This was honestly quite enough as after just this minor tasting, my brain felt like it had been covered in Bovril and handed over to a pack of hungry and horny blood hounds. If this was after a little drip, imagine it consumed on a larger scale! 

All in all it was a great talk, full of interest and intrigued. 3 people discussing elements from the same field, but a different planet.  Thanks to the lucky 3 winners of our competition for coming along. Hopefully we’ll be doing more stuff like this in the near future.

Maybe without the worms though.

Robbie

Hocking’s Ice Cream, Westward Ho!

Westward Ho! is one of North Devon’s surf hotspots and also a place to go if you like cliffs, sea, fish and chips and ice cream. Because there isn’t much more to it than that. It’s basically just a pile of beach huts, a tear-drenched arcade and a huge, rocky, sprawling beach, which makes it a perfect getaway (my family has a flat there), especially when living in London means I tend to frequently need the kind of holiday where the only interaction with other human beings is radio 4, Come Dine With Me or the chippie lady asking whether I want salt and vinegar. Speaking of which, the Golden Fry down there is a perfect fish and chip shop. Feast on that stuff and you’ll turn your nose up at rip-off gastropub versions ever after - this is how it should be (not just being romantic, promise guys). 

This time round though, I wanted to bang the drum for Hocking’s ice cream. This is produced less than a mile away by a small company and it’s probably the most popular local product, and any dingus can see why. When I first tried this, fresh from the smart, “olden days” van (none of your zooms or fabs) served as a 99 flake topped with clotted cream (almost as much as there was ice cream) I finally understood why so many supermarkets and big companies make that “cornish” style stuff: this is what they are trying (and failing) to do. Not that I’m a snob about the fun, bright yellow stuff, but this is another level. Tons of flavour, perfect soft texture and some sort of secret X factor that you can’t place but means after your first cone you think mostly about your next until you can actually get it (that’d been up to 2 years for me this time round..I was very ready). TWE veteran Robbie knows this neck of the woods well and I’m sure he can back me up. I actually think this might be the best ice cream (for my tastes) I’ve ever had, and it warms my heart somehow that I can only find it in a place full of sullen old people and wayward chavs. That’s why I’m kind of glad it isn’t available round here. But then again..

10/10

Geoff

Hangover Food - Home - Baked Beans, Fish Finger, Cheese and Fried egg.

When a hangover rears it’s ugly and unfavourable head, my body calls out for something hot, stodgy, comfortable, sating and with a crispy garnish. The answer to this need can be found at most cost cutters and comes in the orangey form of an indulgent bowl of overcooked Baked Beans, preferably a whole tin per person. A Fish Finger Raft of Salvation is then launched into the bean ocean having been oven grilled, with a grated cheese confetti and a fried egg lid like the proverbial recovery duvet. 

By the time I reach the bottom of this creation I feel relatively human again. If the hangover is a real stinker then I will drive a Magnum Double Caramel through its heart.

8/10 (9/10 with Magnum)

David

Corner Room - Bethnal Green - Squid in Buttermilk and Asparagus, Onglet Steak with Celariac and Pine, Rhubarb with Buttermilk Sorbet, White Chocolate ice-cream and French Meringue, Leche Frita with Sultanas and Mango - £88 (with wine and tip)

I want to make this review quick and to the point. The Corner Room is situated in the Town Hall Hotel, where the renowned Vijante restaurant is run by the eminent Nuno Mendez. Its upstairs on the first floor, somewhat tucked away into a small but beautifully decorated room that has just 11 tables. The point of the Corner Room is to get the same quality of the main restaurant, but in a more comfortable and intimate environment at a sliver of the price. The lunch time deal is 3 courses for only £21!

First course is squid in buttermilk with asparagus. It was completely delicious. The body of the beast was cut into thin almost pasta like strips and served swathed in the rich and creamy buttermilk sauce , on top sat the slightly crisp tentacles and shavings of both white and green asparagus, along with griddled shards scattered through out. It was needless to say just insanely good. Smooth and morish, with light mixes of texture from the soft and melty squid to the perfectly made and crisped asparagus. Just enough as well, never becoming over powering of sickly. A huge difference from my usual experience of squid at the local Vietnamese power houses on Kingsland. This was a triumph and I never felt myself feeling those oh so familiar pangs of food envy when I looked at the plates being feverishly devoured around the room.

The main course of onglet steak with celeriac and pine came next, cooked medium rare by decision of the house. The pine was fine and crunchy hiding small scattered mushrooms here and there, with the beautifully silken steak propped atop discs of the woody celeriac. This cut of steaks is obviously one of the finest around and my last experience of it was at Hix in Soho last year, which was one of the finest dining experiences of my life. So this had a way to go. But the 2 are almost incomparable, not in a negative way mind, at all! This steak was expertly cooked and cut, creating manageable portions that aided your restraint when filling your fork. This dish was created in a manner that demanded to be eaten slowly, with care and attention given to each element of the meal. The textures and flavours ran amongst each other knocking doors and throwing rocks on the once quiet street that was your mouth. All you could do was sit back and enjoy, it was a culinary joyride which flowed and changed direction with abruption and excitement. Killer.

Dessert was the last chance for this to drop the ball. Something I’ve experienced in the past (Young Turks at The Ten Bells). But its arguable that this could of been one of the best dishes. The Rhubarb with crumble and sorbet and ice-cream and meringue and all that jazz, was truly from space. The meringue flashed with a blowtorch still carried some heat and against the differing levels of texture from the crumbles and creams created a myriad of combinations all pitched perfectly against the delightful rhubarb. The leche frita was also great, although the Mrs wasn’t a huge fan. The deep fried custard frita was warm and comforting, perhaps for some a little too claggy, but not me. I love some clag. The sultanas added the sweet pop and the sauce created a sweet and rich liquor against the crunch of the frita and its gooey insides. A fitting end to such a good meal. 

Other notes that are worth pointing out are that the staff were perfect and on hand when needed but never put up a cold front or too much banter. Well trained and of perfect balance I suppose is the best way to describe it. Also, bread arrived immediately with room temperature salted butter. The bread was devine and featured slices from a standard loaf along with that of a walnut and fruit loaf. When extinguished is was instantly replaced anew. 

You can’t book tables for The Corner Room for the evening service, but you can for lunch. The reports say that if you expect to go for dinner, be ready to queue for at least 45 - 90 minutes as standard. However if you fancy the lunch (and at £21 for the 3 course why not!?) you should get in there, service is 12pm - 4pm. I won’t spin on now about how much I enjoyed The Corner Room, you’ve read this far, you get it. Just go.

Rating: 9.6/10

Robbie

St John’s Pub - (Archway) Mini Salami Bar Snack - 75p each  

It isn’t often I venture north of Highbury & Islington but Saturday just gone I was taken to a brilliant pub called St John’s in Archway. I instantly fell in love with this place, the layout is fantastic. A medium sized eating hall with a massive bar that takes up 30% off the room that everyone can sit around. The bar staff are very accommodating and look as if they have been kitted out head to toe in goods from Labour and Wait. The beers on offer we not overly special which was a surprise but I was happy to settled for a Leffe Blond…. however one thing that was special was the choice of homemade bar snacks (the reason my drinking buddy took me here) I spotted the mini salami slouching in a tumbler next to a big arrogant jar of olives and promptly ordered a couple. My God these were delicious, crispy, slightly juicy, very salty shafts of joy. I can’t wait to head back to this place as their menu looked fantastic.

Pub Rating 8/10

Tickle

Mother Flipper - Brockley Market- Chilli Flipper- £5.50

Everyone and their Granny has an opinion on burgers these days. Why not though, eh? Everyone loves a good burger and Praise Be! decent burgers are ten-a-penny these days. Great burgers, though, are a rarer beast altogether.  Now, far be it from me to claim to be a leading authority on the subject but if you want a great burger I suggest getting up on a Saturday morning and making your way to Brockley Market for one of Mother Flipper’s little beauties. 

They have three choices. Yer humble cheese burger, a chill version and a double cheeseburger with candied bacon. This no-frills approach to the menu lets the flavour of their delicious 28 day aged chuck steak patties whistle a meaty tune. The burgers are cooked medium with a good squirt of mustard and ketchup, a few ribbons of lettuce and red onion (always fresh and crispy), a doubloon of gherkin and some melted American cheese slices. They do that thing with the big metal mixing bowl over the burgers when they cook to make the cheese extra gooey. This all makes for a RIDICULOUSLY juicy burger. Seriously. Pick up some extra napkins as you will definitely need them.

All three burgers are excellent but the winner for me is the Chilli Flipper. Their own chilli sauce is tasty but, occasionally, they have Holy Fuck hot sauce made by the Rib Man of Brick Lane and King’s Cross fame. This combination is almost too much for me to bear. The best burger with the best hot sauce in town, I would wager.

There, I said it. I can’t claim to have tried them all but I AM going to claim that Mother Flipper do the best burger in London. Go and get one and I can say I told you so.

Rating: 9/10

Martin

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Byron Hoxton - Byron Chilli Queen Burger - £8.75

Byron Burger has been covered on this blog a fair bit over the last year so no need to really go into much detail regarding the London dominating burger chain. Byron has a mixed following from the Things We’ve Eaten family, I however am a fan and have often made the effort to check out their event orientated special burgers. For example a few months back they dropped the Uncle Sam, an all American cheese burger that was great. To coincide with Liz’s birthday in July they have made the Chilli Queen Burger (a collaboration with Fred Smith from the Admiral Codrinton of Chelsea), how this represents the Royals I do not know, one thing I do know though is this is one spicy burger. The patty is drenched in hot chipolte mayo not too dissimilar to Nando’s piri piri sauce only way way hotter than their hottest offering. There is little warning on the menu that this burger is so spicy and the amount of sauce did result in quite a sloppy messy feed. It does however come in a glazed bun that is delicious and really similar to the ones found at Meat Liquor/Lucky Chip etc. To any burger lovers out there I would recommend this special, they have upped the prices over the last year or so to just under a tenner for most of the burgers and once you’ve ordered fries and a couple of guest ales you’ll be lucky to leave spending less than £20.

6.5/10

Tickle

Win tickets to The Future Of Food: How We Will Be Eating In 2050

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According to the United Nation by 2050 our global population will reach over nine billion. That’s a lot of people. And a lot of mouths to feed.

On Tuesday 15th May, Protein is hosting a forum event that will aim to give you a glimpse at how the problem might be solved – from entomophagy and aquaponic urban farming, to super GM crops and lab-grown meat.

We’re inviting three experts, including experimental culinary artist and occasional jellymonger Sam Bompas, Sam Henderson, co-founder of Dalston based aquaponic and urban sustainability project FARM:, and the team behind Ento, an RCA project looking at how insects can be introduced into the Western diet, to explore and discuss how we might be eating in the next few decades.

So come down to 18 Hewett Street on Tuesday next week and find out if you’ll be adding insect muesli or in-vitro steak to your shopping trolley in 2050.

(Fo) Future of Food

Tuesday 15th May

7-9pm

Work treat from Korea - Hodo Kwaja

My Korean work buddies are stone cold superheroes, not least because they are always bringing in tasty stuff I’ve never tried before and sharing it around. Usually I’m spoilt with spicy noodles, home-made hand rolls or Kimbap (buttered rice rolled in crispy seaweed) but this time around I was presented with this little oddity, which took me minutes to realise what it was and whether it was edible.

Hodo Kwaja are mini cakes shaped like a walnut. A kind of waffley, light sponge, cooked in a mould with a whole walnut inside and some sweet red bean paste. Sounds crazed yes? But ultimately good as hell. Really soft and fluffy, bit of a crunch from the walnut, bit of creaminess, perfect combo. The sweet bean paste in the centre was like thick caramel/condensed milk/cheesecake in texture and taste, sweet and smooth but not heavy or sickly. I ended up having about 6 of these. Cheers guys.

9/10

Geoff

All around - Copenhagen - Various stuff.

Lets start with saying this “SORRY WE ARE SO SLACK”, its been an age since we regularly posted some stuff on here. Lets not blame the rain, or the drought, the double dip recessions or various celebrity deaths. Its us being busy bastards and lazy toads. However, this second half of the year can usher in a new more regular and more fruitful era of Things We’ve Eaten. Allow me to step up with my recent trip to Copenhagen…

Unnamed Bakery - Nørrebro - Strawberry Danish - 20Dkr

Can’t go to Denmark and not have a Danish. Right? This was from some small, non chain but not exciting bakery on our way out of Nørrebro. It was okay. Not fantastic. But it was so damned jammy, and flakey. It was better than most things you can buy in a standard UK bakers, but still for a Danish ‘danish’, i’d expect more. Maybe my standards were high, but if you went to Bologna and had Spag Bol, and it was average, you’d be a bit miffed right. Any way, this isn’t about this cake… moving on!

5.8/10 

Granola - Værnedamsvej, Frederiksberg - Sweet Breakfast Platter - 140Dkr

“THE” breakfast place in Copenhagen is Granola, no doubt about it. Owned by a chap who also owns the smallest hotel in the world (just one tiny bedroom), this place is considered and attractive in its design. Wooden panels, vintage metal chairs and distressed tabels. Its an East Londoners wet dansk dream. But its justified. 

The service was top notch and the selection was great. I went for the sweet breakfast platter which featured: Strawberry compote granola with drained yogurt and fresh fruit, cinnamon toast, oranges, pears, a pancake, hazelnut and chocolate roulade and strawberry jam. I also had an apple juice and a coffee, both were tasty and well prepared. 

The food was great. All quality, served promptly. The high light being the granola itself. Although I did suffer from dish jealousy when confronted with my partners order of the Savoury Breakfast Platter. But what I did have was genuinely enjoyable and better than most breakfasts. A touch pricey perhaps, but I could see where the money went, so can’t complain. If you’re ever out there, go there.

8.2/10

Van outside Tivoli - City Centre - Dansk Hotdog - 25Dkr

Here in London we have Bagels, in Copenhagen its Hotdogs. Unlike the standard dog we get here, these are served up with a sprinkling of deep fried onions, fresh onions and the thinly sliced gherkins on the top. Along with sweet mustard and ketchup, these hit the spot, consistently and affordably. Tasty as hell and dirtier to, this was fine dining for anyone. Imagine this over here outside your favourite watering hole, they stay open until 3 - 4am! IMAGINE! Sure this is similar to the dog Morgan had 2 reviews previously, but this is the real Danish deal. Fucking ace.

9.1/10

Mother - Høkerboderne, Meat Packing District - Gorgonzola and Soft Salami Sourdough Pizza - 110Dkr

The meat packing district is cooler than you. 

There’s plenty to see (at the weekend) and there are loads of good places to eat (namely Paté Paté). We went for a more affordable option with Mother, which is a great place full of bustle and atmosphere. Run by a real italien who looks like Charlie Borman, the sourdough base is lighter and easier to digest. My choice topped with rich gorgonzola, buffalo mozza and wonderful soft salami (sausage meat served without skin, so therefore soft) which melted into the tomato base, was brilliant. A great pizza. My dining partner had lived in Treviso for about a year and stated that its the best pizza they’de eaten outside of Italy. High praise indeed.

We didn’t book a table, but it did get damned busy, so if you do go its probably a good idea to book ahead. Friendly (and some incredibly hot) staff as well.

8.9/10

Unnamed Cafe (opposite Cafe Luna and Eiffel Bar) - Christianshavn - Lunch Platter - 149Dkr

This was the final day of our trip and so we headed into Christianshavn to meet our dear bearded dane Jesper for lunch. This little cafe was a strange one, but served great food. The lunch time platter featured: Curried herring, Pork terrine, Seared beef, Green beans with wilted shallots and tarragon butter, Cheese with candied hazelnuts and finally a chocolate roulade with dry frozen raspberries. (Also tons of rye bread, not pictured)

The high light was the either the cheeses or the terrine, both were rich and creamy obviously made with quality ingredients and served with care. The blue cheese especially stood out as the best thing on the slate. I don’t like eating off of slate, it has the scraping tone that cuts right through me. The beef was a touch burnt, but only a touch, however it managed to leave an after taste of carbon, which was a shame. But I did enjoy it. The herring (a danish staple) was mild and soft and went beautifully with the rye bread. The roulade was a nice end, being incredibly powerful, but never too rowdy with the tangy raspberries peaking out every now and then. All in all a very good meal. 

We headed into Christiania after saying our goodbyes. An ex army barracks which (once abandoned) became a hippy settlement and declared itself separate from Danmark and its laws. Needless to say that the law did move in and say “naughty, VERY NAUGHTY!”, but the hippies stayed and still sell bricks of resin blunts the size of a dogs leg down the aptly named “Pusher Street”. The shanty towns and ad hoc buildings have a somewhat whimsical feel to them. Beautifully made and featuring various bric-a-brac to hold them together. It all sounds very lovely and exciting, and it is! But don’t think it’ll be a life changing discovery of the lost kingdom. Its more like Glastonbury with better drainage and less rich girls.  

7.9/10

Important non photographed shout outs go to:

Mikkeller, wonderful beers that cost beyond the earth but taste like they should.
Aarhus, the city we stayed in before Copenhagen which was quiet but brilliant. We tried an Ice Cream made from chocolate mousse whilst we were there and it honestly changed my life.
Dyrehaven, a fantastic and small restaurant in Copenhagen. We ate slow cooked pork leg with potatoes and greens. But to be honest I was so damned drunk that I can’t fully remember the details. It was definitely incredibly tasty tho and well worth a look.
Baby Bites, don’t be put off by the name, these were basically danish corn dogs. Baked not fried. Sold in 7Elevens around the country. So good good we went back for seconds, but were again so incredibly drunk blah blah blah… 

Anyway… go. Its good.

More reviews soon. We promise.

Hot love! x

Robbie

THIS WEATHER CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF. 

Meat Market - Black Palace Burger, Ripper Dog, Poppers, Milkshake (White) - £20

This is a hard one not to love, it combines the two things thingsweveeaten loves the most, quality food and junk food - oh and meat, we love meat. Went for the Black Palace burger, which I’m guessing is a british counterpart to the White Castle burger… quality fodder but the winner was the Ripper dog, danish sausage wrapped in bacon, deep fried and slathered with the appropriate toppings, I’ve had something similar at Crif Dogs in NY but this far surpassed that one in the fact that it didn’t feel as filthy as it should have, you could taste that the sausage had happy pigs involved in its construction. Milkshake options are kept simple, White or Brown (w/ Booze if so inclined). The delightfully hectic environment of the kitchen is complimented by the hectic (but good) dance music blasting out the speakers and the hectic sight of punters buying plastic rubbish and crystal ornaments in the Jubilee Market. 

Get there quick before it becomes as busy as it’s swankier alma mater, Meat Liquor.
 

9/10

Morgan