Grill Shack salad

halloumi salad with quinoa, beetroot, tomato, red peppers, chilli and spring onion.

Summer is nearly here...

Yesterday i went to a short film competition. They served up some amazing food, and this was the highlight.

Nutty caramel meringue with vanilla cream, blackberries and coffee ice-cream. So good... i might have had FIVE portions.

To Dishoom and Back

A few years ago i went to the Covent Garden branch of Dishoom... and loved it! I've been there again - many times in fact - and the menu as well as ambiance is as faultless as ever. Whether you want a quick bite for lunch, or a proper meal in the evening, this pace has it all.

As i'm sure you already know, Dishoom also prides itself on offering a full Halal menu. All the chicken and lamb dishes are suitable, and the selection is always being updated. There is also a fantastic Vegetarian menu, although you would expect nothing less from an "authentic" Indian dining experience. This is more Mumbai Street Food, rather than red-stained chicken tikka fingers from a dodgy curry house.

Here is what real Chicken Tikka is supposed to look like...

Blogs i like

I must confess, i've been incredibly lazy with this blog. I started off so well, but for various reasons it's been hard to maintain.

The good news is that i am really keen to get started again. After the excellent return with Rodizio, i'm looking at other venues as we speak. In the meantime, i'd like to point you in the direction of two other Halal food blogs that i can highly recommend. They've brought so many great venues to my attention, and you should have a look at them yourselves.

http://www.halalgirlabouttown.com/  and http://halalled.wordpress.com/ are fun, informative and smartly designed.

Obviously keep visiting me as well :)

Handmade Burger Co.

I've heard a lot about Handmade Burger Company, and having checked out their website they make a welcome announcement regarding their Halal burgers on their FAQs page:

"Do you serve Halal food? 
Halal chicken is available upon request & all of our restaurants will have a certificate to prove this from our butcher – just ask our team. The chicken is held & prepared in accordance to Halal guidelines & is cooked on an entirely separate grill when a customer asks for Halal chicken. Our beef & lamb burgers are not Halal."

Wembley branch 

Rodizio Lebanon

I recently visited the Rodizio Lebanon in Fulham. I'd heard a lot about the plentiful meats available at the other locations, but this particular branch is quite different. It's specifically known as 'Rodizio Lebanon', and you won't find any pork on the menu. I went with a fellow meat-eating friend and we left very happy (and exceedingly full!).

The actual location is a little tricky to find. It's slightly off the main road, and you might have to park a few streets away. You could always use public transport of course, but there is something about this place that will make you want to stay a little longer than you intended... and a car is always useful on those occasions!

HOT wings

Been searching for a Hot Wings challenge for a while... and now we have one!

Red Iron Burgers... i'm coming for you. 

Halal Sushi

Having recently been turned onto to seafood, i've been tentatively tried sushi. It's surprisingly tasty, and when mixed with the right amount of ginger, soya and wasabi, it can really hit the spot.

I've been sticking to the veggie options and slowly trying some salmon, but the chicken and beef dishes have always seemed to be an unlikely dream. I was just about to headline this post as "Desperately seeking sushi", when i stumbled across this little place near Liverpool Street.

Habibi Sushi  looks like it might be the perfect place to visit. Hopefully we'll be visiting it soon with a review.

Perfect homeade burgers... or are they?

One of the benefits of eating out in fancy (expensive) places, is that you often get the urge to recreate the experiences at home. Posh burger, even those which try and label themselves as "dirty burgers" are all the rage, but halal options are rarer than some of the meat being served. So in an attempt to save money and have a halal burger experience here's my lunch.

First up, i made some standard (spicy) lamb burgers. I like these well done as i enjoy the crispy outer surface, but to keep it soft in the middle i flash-fry them.

Next up, the bread. Now i'll be honest... i ran out of burger buns. I was going to buy some posh ones, but then remembered that i was on a budget. Then i was going to buy some really cheap ones from Tescos but found some seeded ciabatta just left in the kitchen. We're not posh, these are just very often bought when the prices are reduced and you think "that'll work as bread!"

It won't. But, lightly toasted, it will serve as a great bed for a burger.

No fancy cheese this time either... just some cheap Kraft cheddar from a tin! It's actually quite nice, if a little bland at times.

artsy use of sunlight... i know, it should be on instagram

Layering up is always down to personal choice, but i'm always a greens on top kinda guy. Some sauces were added (i had the little tubs from a recent kebab shop trip in the fridge, so they went in there).

And this is the result:

Not a bad experiment actually. The bread really worked and stayed firm. The sauce was a little week, but on the second try i added some chilli and garlic and it worked a treat.

Overall: 8/10

However, Is a burger a burger if it's not served in a roll? Tune in next time to find out.

What's new in town?

If you have any hot tips, let me know. I've got my eye on a few places myself.

The tantalisingly titled 'Meat Co." looks fantastic.

"The MeatCo, located in the Westfield London, is the group’s first restaurant to open in the United Kingdom. This flagship restaurant continues to set the benchmark for design and décor trends in the steakhouse market. Leveraging off its African heritage, The Meat Co London’s innovative design and striking decor reflects an eclectic combination of colour, texture & oversized bespoke elements to create a sense of theatre for diners. This restaurant’s visually inspiring tower of New World Wine, standing 10.5 meters tall will take your breath away."

Best of all, they have the following halal meat menu:

Chateaubriand per 100g £19.00
Mediterranean Crusted Fillet 200g/300g £41.00/£52.00
Fillet Foie Gras 200g/300g £50.00/£62.00
Bone Marrow Fillet 200g/300g £45.00/£56.00
Mushroom New Yorker 200g/300g £32.50/£42.50
Wagyu Cut of The Day Market Price
Rib-eye on The Bone £45.00
T-Bone £50.00
Kangaroo £25.00

SUPER-AGED MEAT

From the four corners of the British isles, we are proud to present the very best beef in the land. dry aged up to 30 days and then wet aged to ensure succulent, tender steaks of the highest quality.

Fillet 200g/300g £38.00 / £49.00
Rib–Eye 300g/400g £33.00 / £43.00
New–Yorker 200g/300g £25.00 / £34.00
Rump 200g/300g£18.00 / £25.00

North American black angus, grain fed for 120 days and wet aged for 35+ days

New–Yorker 200g/300g £30.00 / £40.00
Rib-Eye 300g/400g £36.00 / £46.00
Fillet 200g/300g
£42.00 / £58.00

We're back with a bang!

It's been too long! With job changes and life changes along the way, the food side of things have taken a back seat. I've actually been on a detox/cleanse for most of 2013, resulting in a weight loss of around 2 stones. I'm at the stage now where i'll be able to balance meals of all types and still stay in shape. That's the plan.

No crazy fads or diets for me.

Well, except the whole "going Vegan in April" thing i'm doing with a fellow foodie