BYRON BURGER CLUB NIGHT - THE JUICY LUCY

I haven’t wanted to be part of a club as badly as the Byron Burger Club, since I went on the waiting list for the Spice Girls fan club back in 1997. Thankfully the wait to join Byron’s club was instant and it’s already been far more rewarding (damn you SPICE GIRLS). The first dividend I received as a fully-fledged member of the crew was an invite to their second club- night, this time in honour of the Minneapolis legend: The Juicy Lucy.

So the tale goes two diners on the same street in the US state claim to have invented and perfected the Juicy Lucy, a two pattie burger with molten cheese between the meat (I saw this on an episode of Man v Food so it must be true) and now Fred Smith and his Byron buddies have decided to create their own version in honour of the legend!

My friend Lex and I visited the Spitalfields Byron to put the UK counterpart to the test - the restaurant was decked out in Juicy Lucy balloons and banners with each diner having their own Juicy Lucy Bib on the table. Once seated, the feast began with a towering Juicy Lucy and bacon cheese fries being delivered to our seats.

She was a vision. I made the some-what fatal mistake of cutting my Lucy in half – there was no way I would have been able to fit it all in my mouth – and what ensued was a delicious river of molten cheese oozing out on my hands/face/lap – thank god for the bib. The fries themselves were a revelation – crinkle-cuts with cheese and bacon….creamy, fluffy deliciousness.

Next up was the banana cream pie – banoffee pie is my ultimate dessert so I was especially looking forward to this! It was a dream – the base was a little bit hard to break through but after all the calories I had consumed I was almost thankful of a little extra hard work!

All of this was washed my down with Byron larger + lime – fast becoming my summer drink de jour – and all for £20. I can’t wait for the next one!

HONEST BURGERS - PORTOBELLO ROAD

Word on the street is Honest Burgers do some of the best burgers in London, so when i found out that they had a branch near Portobello Road Market, I had to make it my mission to get down there and put these Chinese whispers to the test.

I went along with one of my oldest pals, Emma and we actually almost walked right past it. It's nestled on the left hand side of the street as you make your way along the market - it was bustling inside and luckily when we got inside a booth were just clearing off so we got our own little place to sit. 

The menu is split up by chicken/beef/vegetable plus they have specials which are written out on the blackboards adorning the walls. 

Emma and I both went for the Honest burger - patty with red onion relish, smoked bacon, mature cheddar, pickled cucumber and lettuce, which comes with signature rosemary fries.Washed down with ginger beer and homemade lemonade.....

So the verdict - did the Honest live up to all the hype? Yes. Yes it did. It's not quite my best burger in London - that title is proudly held by the folks over at Patty & Bun but it's a very close second. The patty is nice and juicy and the bun is robust enough to stay together right until the last bite. 

The chips definitely get a special nod - plus its becoming increasingly rare for restaurants to include chips alongside the meal instead of charging you extra so that's always a good thing. I highly recommend going to the Notting Hill branch so you can wander around Portobello afterwards...

SCRUMSHUS GRANOLA

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I Love Breakfast. Whether it comes in the form of eggs & bacon, porridge or croissants, breakfast time is my favourite meal of the day. At the weekend, I like to make my morning meals a leisurely affair but sadly as I have a job (sigh!) my breakfast is usually wolfed down in front of my computer so luckily I’ve found the perfect granola to make it that little more enjoyable.

Scrumshus, created by London mum and mortgage broker, Fay Miller, is packed full of crunchy clusters of jumbo oats, coconut, almonds, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, raisins and hazelnuts. It’s so tasty it’s even what they serve at the Ritz and Claridges don’t you know! i love nutty granola so this perfect for me as it's got lots of nuts to give it a good bite and it's packed with juicy fruit too!

Plus all of you that are worried about all the recent who-ha with sugar will be pleased to know that unlike most granolas, Scrumshus is sweetened only with naturally occurring sugars from  honey and maple syrup. Once you've poured your milk on top, the syrup slowly infuses in the milk to leave it deliciously sweet!

The presentation is gorgeous too – each comes in its own 500g jar to keep it fresh and once you’re finished with it, you can use it as a handy store jar in your kitchen. I’ve now filled mine with dried pasta!

Scrumshus Granola is available from Ocado, Selfridges, Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market priced at £4.99 a jar.

SIMPLY FISH, BOXPARK REVIEW

As a self-proclaimed carnivore, it's only on a very rare occasion that i will order anything other than meat when I eat out at restaurants. I've always liked fish but it never really gets my appetite going in the same way as a bit of steak, so when I was invited to review a fish-only restaurant, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for our fishy friends to take center-stage and change my mind.

 

My best friend A and I set sail across London to Simply Fish, based in Shoreditch's trendy Boxpark. Located up on the roof terrace, Simply Fish serves drinks out of a bar in the front window while music plays to the crowd gathered on the terrace outside - it's the perfect place  to enjoy a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon and we couldn't have picked a better weekend!

 We opted to sit inside and the lovely Nico greeted us to explain the concept and talk us through the menu. The idea really is as simple as the name suggests - you chose a fish, cooking method, sauce and accompaintments - meaning you can create a completely bespoke dish. Whilst it might seem a bit daunting if you have no idea about fish/flavour combinations - the friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand with recommendations to keep you on track!  

First up A ordered the pomegranate and peanut salad to start whilst I went for the Chili Salt Squid. I can't recommend this dish enough...it comes served up on a wooden board with a wedge of lime and a saucer of soya and coconut dressing. The lovely Nico explained that you squeeze the lime, pour on the sauce and then mix it all up to eat....I diligently followed his instruction and fell in love with the result! The squid was cooked perfectly - not rubbery in the slightest - and all the juices mixed together to give you a spicy and really flavorful sauce. I would have licked the bowl clean had I been alone...!

For the main course, both A and I opted to order off the DIY menu. I went for the baked seabass with a thai coconut sauce plus Pak Choi and steamed jasmine rice, whilst A went for tempura battered prawns with a sweet chilli sauce, sweet potato wedges and a mixed side salad. 

My sea bass was delicious! It was delicately cooked and flaked away perfectly in the thai coconut sauced which had a nice clean heat – somewhere similar to a thai curry. I have to admit that I didn't miss meat being on the menu in the slightest so will certainly be giving fish a chance in future and I'd highly recommend Simply Fish - not only for the delicious food but also for the lovely staff and atmosphere which they've created. They have a second branch over in Camden and to celebrate their second birthday, they have launched a home delivery service allowing you to order their delicious menu straight to your doorstep. You can check out the wesbite here: http://www.simplyfish.com/