Forget the speakeasy, this is #meateasy

It's been blogged to death so I'll keep this short and sweet. Go to #meateasy for one of the best burgers you are going to encounter in your life.

That was easy wasnt it?

After weeks of planning, date changing and anticipation I finally made it to New Cross's most talked about dining destination.

Onion rings = good
Chilli fries = delightful
Chicken wings = Oh my god, amazing. If anyone knows what they're marinated in, do tell. Pretty please.




But it was the dead hippy burger that provided the highlight of my evening - two juicy medium-rare mustard-fried patties just enough salad, cheese and sauce. Bowled over as I was by Hawksmoor last week, #meateasy might have pipped it to the post...




It was heaving when we got there at 7pm. I mean tube - shoulder to shoulder, nose to nose heaving but the bartenders helped while away the wait with an array of jam-jar ensconced cocktails. Also quite amusing were the number of people taking up the chilli burger and fries challenge. Although in the end, we were so hungry, watching someone else stuff their face made us a bit cranky.

You are given a ticket when you enter, and can order when your number is called. By some stroke of luck, the person we grabbed the table from had a spare ticket - so we got our starters after an hour but our tickets werent called until more than two hours after we got there. Not recommended if you are in a rush.

The only minor criticism was the system of waitresses shouting out your number combined with the loud-ish music, sometimes it was difficult to hear which numbers/ names they were saying even though they all had very healthy pairs of lungs on them.

And that's it. Go to #meateasy before it disappears next month... you'll regret it if you dont.

Lunchtime Pastime: Hawskmoor Seven Dials

Until last week, I had a dirty little secret. I lived in London, ate meat and hadn’t been to Hawksmoor. It’s funny how a small detail can take over your life* - everywhere you turn, fingers point, mouths snigger and you are left with a debilitating shame that no ordinary steakhouse restaurant can get rid of.

But I can hold my head up high.

For I have partaken of the Piggy Burger.



And it was good.

In fact, it was brilliant. A pure example of burgerly delight to be precise. A juicy aged patty paired with pulled pork, smothered in barbeque sauce and topped up with your choice of Ogleshield cheddar or Colston Basset Stilton (I plumped for Stilton, couldn’t resist).

Forget what you’ve learnt about burgers in the past. The tiny flat and oddly sweet bun we too often encounter is replaced with a soft, springy one perfect for soaking up the juiciness that will erupt from your burger.

The patty itself reads as a memoir of a Longhorn cow that sacrificed itself for a greater cause, especially when it is snuggled up with delicious chunks of pulled pork, barbeque sauce and Stilton.

Bites of London was similarly impressed with her Kimchi burger. So much so that I predict a return visit soon so I can get my hands on one of those, along with a few of Hawksmoor’s legendary cocktails.

So no, I’m no longer ashamed – i can stand up and say that I have been to Hawksmoor. I have eaten the piggy burger. And it was good. And filling. You should be able to say the same....

Can Meateasy compete tomorrow? We shall see...

*well not exactly take over. More like irritate repeatedly.

Waiting rating: Top notch – speedy, attentive and friendly.
Scoffing potential: Conquered the piggy burger, then time for Kimchi burger and then.... the steaks
Wallet buddy: Lunch can be had with a drink for under £20. Dinner more expensive.
The crowd: Lots of business lunches and the Hawksmoor cult followers
1 Langley St.
London.
WC2H 9JG

Tel: 020 7856 2154

Spending time in Cali.... Los Angeles Edition

OK. I am officially rubbish. Goodness knows how many dishes I’ve cooked and thought well, wouldn’t that be perfect for the blog. And how many times I’ve been out and thought oh I’ll just take a photo for the blog. But somehow. The blog has managed to stay in stasis for a few weeks.

But my recent trip to America was just too good to miss out on sharing with you fine folks.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve maybe been a bit snooty about people who go to America on holiday all the time – I mean where is the challenge in going to a country where they speak the same language? Pooh pooh to that. Well I take it back.

So let’s get down to business. The food. Well the first thing is that there was absolutely tonnes of it. If I talked through every dish I had while I was out there, we would be here for bleedin’ ever. So this is going to be a shortish run-through of the things that found a special place in my heart...

Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles

Ever heard the Notorious B.I.G song ‘Goin’ Back to Cali’. Well, I’ll tell ya, it’s a treat. I believe the lyrics go a something like this:

Frequently floss hoes at Roscoe's
If I wanna squirt her, take her to Fatburger
Spend about a week on Venice Beach
Sippin Crist-o, with some freaks from Frisco

Well ladies and gentlemen, this is Roscoe’s... And while I’m not down with the flossing of hoes (dont even want to think about what that means) I can say hand on heart that Biggie made a damned good call on this place.


The name of the restaurant says it all, chicken and waffles are the main attraction here. That is a plate of southern fried chicken, huge fluffy waffles drowned in a vat of maple syrup. Sceptical? I was but can see the appeal of this gorgeous little heart-attack on a plate. If you’re going at the weekend be prepared to queue.

I’m saving Fatburger for next time. Speaking of burgers...

Bob’s Original Double Deck Hamburger
Bob was a big boy. He ate lots of his own burgers, probably washed down with quite a few of his milkshakes too. Bob's is one of the original diners

They are very nice. For me though, half the excitement was checking out the vintage cars gathered in the parking lot for their weekly meet. Swing by on a Friday evening and hang out with the drivers who are a massive fount of (slightly obsessive) information about their Beach Boy-styled cars! Then chow down on a big juicy burger.

Melisse
After lounging around in my sandals and summer dresses, Melisse cropped up a refreshing breath of formality. Chef Josiah Citrin serves up a gorgeous amalgamation of haute-French cuisine at this Los Angeles institution. We were almost more impressed by the service than by the food and the food was excellent. Watching the waiters however, was like watching a well-rehearsed and much practiced ballet. Dishes were served with a flourish and worked their way through a catalogue of the most delectable ingredients....a trio of foie gras, artichoke soup, wagyu beef.

Asia de Cuba
Asian and Cuban food? Asia de Cuba pulls off what could be a disaster of flavours with excellent style. It’s no wonder that this is one of the Sunset Boulevard hotspots... That and the rather cute waiter....



Santa Barbara Wineries – Kalyra & Fess Parker
I couldn’t go to California without heading out to some wineries. So when Rachel had the brilliant idea of visiting some of the wineries from Sideways in Santa Barbara County, I was enthusiastic to say in the least. We started off with Kalyra, a small winery in Santa Ynez headed up my Aussie-born winemaker Mike Brown.

I’m not going to pretend to be an expert but the Sangiovese caught my tastebuds’ attention ...

We moved on to the larger, more industrial Fess Parker winery a fifteen minute drive away where the pours were on the generous side. Hence the notice...

I find it hard to get excited about wine in the same way that I do about food but the woman behind the bar was incredible and her passion was infectious. So Rachel and I got a bit tiddly and passed out in the car back to LA. The end. I did pick up a Riesling that I’ll be cracking out at the Christmas Supper Club in a few days. I loved it at the time, but the subsequent hangover obliterated the reasons why... will keep you updated.