Best Wings: Once you go BBQ you never go back

With our best wings campaign in full swing we decided to fly over to Wingmans “Authentic Wingery” who have been on the #MDVF radar for some time.

Boasting “UK & EU Award winning Streetfood” on their #instapage after being crowned the 3 x consecutive double winner of The People’s Choice award at @LondonWingFest for 2016, 2017 & 2018 and the People’s Choice award at the 2017 European Street Food Awards in Berlin they seem to be a firm favourite with the public.

Rated by a few websites as having the best wings, and with a good variety of different wing types (sauces) to choose from, we had to wing our way down there to see what everybody’s been clucking on about.

SPEEDIE: I jumped on the Jubilee Line from east to north weezy (Kilburn, NW6) to the infamous Wingmans Wingery. This place has been recommended to me by a number of people so let’s hope it lives up to the hype.

After a short deliberation with one of the waiters on which flavour wings we should choose, we opted for Buffalo, Sweet and Smokey BBQ, Jamaican Me Crazy and the Seoulja Boi options. You get 6 hefty wings for £8.

I started off with the Jamaican Me Crazy wings as I wanted to test the heat levels. I optimistically took 2 of those and quickly realised that was a bad move. These were proper spicy, super hot! My mouth was on fire! I said to Rain, “You can take this one back! No way am I eating a second.” He laughed as he was casually taking in the peppery flavours.

Next up was the Seoulja Boi wings. I had one and I was instantly impressed. It had a unique taste. The only way I can describe it was a cross between a bbq and buffalo wing without the tangy, vinegar taste. This was so good I saved my second one until the end.

Moving on I had the buffalo wings. These were nothing to shout about. The standard tabasco, vinegar taste. I rushed through them so I could extinguish the bitter taste. Tracks and records still win the best buffalo wings award in my view.

On to the BBQ… straight off the bat? These BBQ wings are the BEST I’VE TASTED! The glaze, the seasame, the chicken! It was at this point Speedie adopted gloves! MAN!

Finally I had the bbq wings. These were extremely saucy. I made sure I used the gloves that wingman’s provide to save me getting messy but still ended up with sauce on my top and jeans. These were good but they didn’t stand out from other bbq wings I’ve had at other restaurants. Seoulja boi wings wins it for me. They were my favourite.

After eating 8 wings and the rosemary fries I was full. I washed it down with their signature cocktail the “Mandem Juice”. This drink was serious (JME voice). All I could taste was Wray & Nephew white rum. I liked it a lot!

RAIN: Round the corner from me so I can’t complain, and I was on time. Walking into the venue it just looked like an average bar, the only thing that suggested food was the big logo on the wall “Wingmans”. Anyhow let’s get onto the reason why we were here!

Chicken wings, there were numerous flavours but we being the mandem opted for 4 of the 7 flavours available. This was mainly due to the fact we were couple Man Dem down. Had it been the full team I think we would’ve tried all 7. Sorry but a quick rant about the name, Jamaican me crazy – I hate the name with a passion, to me the name sounds like someone singing a Bob Marley song at #karaoke – poison to the ears! Other than that, I personally was excited, mouth watering. Oh, we ordered rosemary fries and sweet potato fries as sides.

First up the Jamaican wings (I can’t bring my self to say the name), these for me were awesome! They had a kick to them, the scotch bonnet peppers perfectly fused with the other flavours, odd flavours, I think I tasted lemon and cinnamon. The actual chicken was nice, big wings, high quality, definitely something I’d go back for regardless of what the others may think… they’re both lightweights anyway!

Second was the Buffalo, Speedie and Tongo both run from these, I mean buffalo wings are a classic! Like a staple, how can they not like them. If I’m honest there isn’t much to say here, the flavours were as expected, tangy with a kick, I’m sure if these were served at the Super Bowl the masses would love them, for me though the buffalo flavour gets a little over bearing after the second wing. My advice would be to eat these with a pint of water, that will help with the rich flavour this sauce puts out.

Finally in combo, the Seoulja Boi and BBQ. First the Seoulja Boi, an odd selection of ingredients, roast seasame, pineapple, pickled daikon to name a few. As I write this I’m still trying to work out what I tasted and trying to compare it to something. I could taste all the elements that made the sauce and in my mind it shouldn’t work, but my gosh it did! Complimented by the crispy chicken skin, and the high grade chicken, for at least 5 seconds I couldn’t hear Tongo or Speedie talking, their mouths were moving but all I could focus on was the taste. From me to you, get down there, try these and let me know your thoughts!

On to the BBQ… straight off the bat? These BBQ wings are the BEST I’VE TASTED! The glaze, the seasame, the chicken! It was at this point Speedie adopted gloves! MAN! That’s like eating popcorn with chop sticks! Why?! His excuse “they are too saucy” I say, matron! (Carry On films, ahhh forget it!) Whoever made this sauce, you are a genius! And the covering of it on the wing, amazing! Flavours out of this world! I would return just for the BBQ wings and nothing else, well, actually and the Mandem cocktail as well! Let me explain…

It was a school night and being sensible, it was only supposed to be coke all round, well, maybe a pint of apple juice, until our waiter who had to drink milk after eating the Jamaican (still can’t say it) hot wings said we have a cocktail called “Man Dem”!! Wait! What?! I looked at Speedie and he had that Newcastle look in his eye (ask him when you see him), even Tongo’s face was a picture! We ordered two! I don’t remember what was in it all I know is it had Wray & Nephew, Malibu and it was red! The Wray was the only rum we tasted, lol but generally it was a sweet tasting cocktail and yes, it was strong! Two of these and you might start dancing on a table, 1 will definitely have you smiling at everyone that walks past you! Expensive? Maybe, but I can safely say they did not skimp on the alcohol used.

But! The wings! In my opinion, this place is definitely a contender for best wings in London and I will be back!

TONGO: Of the four flavours we ordered I didn’t even try the Buffalo. I don’t like them and don’t get this Buffalo wings / sauce craze that has been sweeping the nation… I just don’t get the hype. The only exception has been the Buffalo wings at @tracksrecordsuk – they were a different breed. #salute

With that, I started with the Jamaican Me Crazy flavour. Now I don’t like pepper and on the menu these boasted to be “(EXTRA HOT)” and made with Jamaica’s infamous scotch bonnet peppers! The waiter (who is of Indian descent – and no I am not racially profiling, we actually asked him!) who said he is used to hot and spicy food said these were REALLY hot. However, I still decided to take one for the team (literally) and try one. I can honestly say it wasn’t that hot and I can’t really take pepper, they had a kick, yes, but wasn’t that hot for me. Maybe my pepper tolerance is rising, who knows but I would even have had a second wing if it wasn’t for the strong lime like tangy flavour they had. That part of the flavour spoilt them for me and put me off.

My next trial was the Seoulja Boi wings. The description on the menu made them sound like they were going to be tasty. When they arrived they were a delight to look at. They looked so good! But, as they say, looks are deceiving and for me, these were a let down. They initially had a nice flavour then the strong lime aftertaste kicked in and spoilt it. To me they basically tasted like Buffalo wings without the kick, and we already know how I feel about those! The taste was too similar in my opinion so it’s a no from me.

To get rid of the taste I started on my sweet potato fries… MY WORD!! These were the ting! Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside with that good colouring that looks like one of those red, orangey sunsets! Lightly drizzled with maple syrup and topped off with a caramelised Pecan Salt these were a dream! I think I have just found my new favourite sweet potato fries!

Anyway, back to the wings… Sweet and Smokey BBQ. Saved the best till last and all that! I knew they would be my favourite before I even tasted them and I was not wrong. I took a big bite and didn’t even care about all the sauce over my hands or face, that’s what the roll of kitchen towel is for. The sauce by the way was a very nice, flavoursome BBQ sauce, the title says it all definitely sweet and smokey, just how a BBQ sauce should be in my opinion. I enjoyed the wing so much I instantly reached for 2 more, making 3 for myself and there was only 6 of these bad boys altogether! Oh well, them man can eat the other wings innit.

In my opinion this place is average. I say this because I only “liked” 1 of the wing flavours so for me generally it’s dead. I was more excited about my sweet potato fries than 2 of the wing flavours I had! When we spoke Speedie⁩ said he wouldn’t go out of his way to go back there, I agree but I would try it again as there are other flavours plus burgers there to try and I know, if worse comes to worst there is something on the menu that I do like.

SERVICE: Now the Man Dem have visited, it is understandable how Wingmans have won a number of people’s choice awards. They have some interesting flavours of wings and we didn’t even get to taste all of them! There were some mixed opinions on the night but the clear favourite of the establishment were definitely the BBQ. (They really were something to talk about!)

The chicken quality for all their wings was good with lots of meat to rip off the drums & flats.

Wingmans is kind of tucked away, you wouldn’t expect such a place to be concealed in the depths of Kilburn. It is almost like a bar that has the option to order food even though they take over the phone table reservations and provide waitered service.

Despite there being a little hiccup at the beginning when we were being seated, the service was good, swift. Generally, the staff are knowledgeable. Our waiter knew his stuff… kinda! Lol His take on hot / spicy leaves something to be desired but other than that he provided us a good service all round.

Overall: We would recommend this place as a starting point on a night out before going to a rave or a place when to meet friends for a bite to eat and a drink as the cocktails are something! (have a designated driver or @uber at the ready as they are not watered down by any means!)

There is lots of choice in food, meaning we will have to revisit to finish the menu! MDVF will be back!

SCORE: 4 out of 6 man dems

http://www.wingmans.co.uk/

Pepper Man’s Revolution

During the weekly MDVF whatsapp group catch up, Absurd Bird was mentioned for the @ManDemVFood team to visit! Immediately in BOLD capital letters ‘The Manager’ said, “Long, we ain’t going!”, the rest of the team were shocked at his swift and abrupt response. We all asked “Why?”, but as he was ‘typing…’ ‘Pepper Man’ quickly posted in an attempt to overthrow management… “It’s booked, and I’ve paid a deposit” (Which was a lie but sometimes needs must!) The rest of the #mandem were excited… well, except ‘The Vegan ‘. All we’re getting from him are random angry emojis! The team were confused… “What’s wrong with you, talk up!” said ‘The Manager’. ‘The Vegan  ‘ responded: “It’s not fair! You man posting all these menus with pure meat on them and i’m here tryna do this Vegan ting… do you know how hard it is and you lot ain’t helping!” – If you ever saw the lol’s and teasing that ensued after that!!

Read on to find out if Absurd was worthy of Pepper Man’s rebellious act, or did he get thrown into the gallows. Is ‘The Vegan ‘ still a Vegan or did he turn up and eat meat?

FOOD:
STARTER: The man dem decided to go for the #wings, which started a debated about what flavours to choose. After a quick consultation with our waitress we decided on “Wild Wing Flavour of the Month” aka BBQ Moonshine, Crispy Fried Buttermilk and Smoked Garlic Parmesan & Lemon (Sweet Tooth was wholeheartedly against this option but got out voted… he wasn’t happy!  ).

The wings came late, and at different intervals which was annoying.

The buttermilk wings arrived first. They were plain as white paper, no art, no creativity. Just fried in batter than actual seasoned chicken, it was like biting into a small pack of homepride flour! What does it take to add a little more seasoning to the flour before frying, or, low and behold seasoning the chicken before frying!!!!! They were basically wings dipped in buttermilk batter n fried crisp, no flavour, no seasoning, nothing PLAIN!… We’re still trying to work out if there was even a little salt & pepper on them!

To show you how plain they were, we were given a free extra portion of the buttermilk wings, due to the delays waiting for the other flavours and we didnt even finish them. Usually we are fighting over the last wing and end up playing ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’.

Finally the Smoked Garlic Parmesan & Lemon arrived. They were lightly fried, and then covered in the garlic and parmesan coatin. These wings had a strong cheese flavour, with a kick of sourness from the lemon. ‘Sweet Tooth’ screamed “Yuck! Who thought of this combination? I mean I’ve never agreed that cheese goes with chicken in the first place and this just heightens my belief. Chicken & cheese DOES NOT GO!”. Meanwhile the rest of the team disagreed “Nah man cheese goes with everything!” . General consensus was this batch of wings was passable, but didn’t leave us wanting more. The cheese was a little over bearing.

The pick of the litter, sorry, we mean bunch and the saviour of our Absurd starter experience, were the BBQ Moonshine wings. Fried crispy wings smothered in the Absurd Moonshine sauce (basically the Absurd version of #JackDaniels BBQ sauce) and topped with sesame seeds. Not the most intense taste and not as good as @TGIFridays sauce but still a pleasant flavour. We actually got to taste the chicken and it’s quality. Definitely the best of the bunch.

MAINS:
THE VEGAN : As I am in the process of giving up meat, when we go out I usually get the veggie option (obviously) but I have been having withdrawal symptoms, and when I saw the menu my mouth started dribbling, memories of the good old meat days came flooding back into my taste buds. So I thought what the heck, “YOLO”… Absurd could be worth a cheat day.

For my mains I got a barbecue pulled chicken burger and since I hadn’t eaten chicken in a while I was excited, a little gassed even… like a kid who had been grounded for 2 months that was finally given the green light to play out.

First bite of the burger did not fulfill the excitement I felt. Instead I was deflated to an unenthused, I’m hungry and this will fill the gap feel . No excitement, this is not how I remember the ‘good old meat days. I have personally made better chicken burgers and I’m not even a chef, I’m an electrician! . For me, #meatmission is still the No. 1 chicken burger around! Absurd was a waste of cheat day!

PEPPER MAN: This time I didn’t want to take any risks. I was hungry and I wanted something I knew I would like and would satisfy my growling stomach. I chose the crispy fried chicken burger which comes with fries. To wash it down I requested a rekorderlig (strawberry & lime obviously).

The food took slightly longer than I would have liked and when my main came I was praying that this was going to convince me that it was just the wings that were bad. I took my first bite and half of the contents of the burger fell out the other side. I put it all back together and gave it another try.

The burger was not amazing. I wouldn’t go as far as saying horrible or disgusting but definitely not something I would go back for. I would much prefer A #KFC chicken fillet burger. This burger didn’t have the finger licking flavours you would want from a burger. It was a dry, tasteless chicken breast and coleslaw in a bun. The chicken was very crunchy so maybe it was over fried (is that even a thing?) Overall, I wouldn’t go back to this place as nothing did it for me.

CHEESE LOVER: I haven’t had a slider since visiting @sliderbar_ldn at @streetfeastldn and @AbsurdBirdUK had a mixture of dirty buns and sliders. Both the same size but the dirty bun was those white soft Japanese Buns often associated to eating #DimSum. I was in a dilemma, the fillings that were attracting my attention were all dirty buns , but I have never had Japanese food before! This was the most difficult decision of my food blogging life! After much deliberation and a google of fillings I went for 3 dirty buns…

1. Marinated grilled chicken dirty bun with honey mustard mayo and pickled Asian slaw. Loved it, and this Japanese bun has opened up my palate to trying out more Asian food other than pad Thai lol. The fillings complimented the chicken so well, could the other dirty buns match up?

2. Pulled Chicken dirty bun with shredded spring onion, cucumber and sesame seeds. The flavours didn’t have as much impact on me as number 1, but admittedly it was a hard act to follow.

3. Fried chicken dirty bun with sriracha mayo, picked cucumber and pickled onion. Now was number 3 going to leave me regretting not ordering 3 marinated chicken dirty buns (number 1) or would it come through and blow the competition away?

Well, let me just say this… I had no clue what ‘sriracha’ is, but I do now! I need to have this sauce on everything, I hope @costco stock it . This was the tastiest miniature burger I have ever tasted, the flavours had me drooling for more, wishing it was a full size burger. Definitely coming back for this!

THE MANAGER: For some reason I was excited about this one, even though I vowed never to return to an Absurd bird location due to the service I received from the Soho branch on a solo trip, but hey, the #mandemvfood talked me round, and we compromised after the overthrow attempt. Pepper Man your revolt has been noted, and will be sent to the gallows if Absurd wastes my time again.

For the main I had the Nashville Hot Chicken Burger, yeah I’m not Pepper Man but I like a likkle heat. To accompany the burger I had the Jalapeño Mac and Cheese, with a portion of sweet potato fries.

Sooooo, the burger, man o man, to say it was good would be an understatement, the chicken was well cooked / fried. I can’t say it was perfect, as perfect would be a burger cooked and served by Alicia Keys while she played the piano singing “fallin” to me, but it was good!

You could taste the chicken as well as the light seasoning that it had been cooked with, also the spicy elements of the garnish, not overly hot so if you expect to be blown away, that won’t happen. The down side to the burger was the fact that it did not (to my knowledge) have a brioche bun, and for me if you want to be in the Premier Burger League category, brioche bun is a must have, the same as salt and vinegar, rum and ting, chicken and jerk these things go hand in hand. My question is; “Whose idea was it NOT to have a brioche bun? Huh?” I’ll wait!

The Mac n Cheese was pleasant, very flavoursome, however not the best I have tasted. That crown, at the moment, belongs to the guys over at @dirtybones, but let’s not digress, The Macaroni was a tad over cooked but that’s me being picky, it’s something I would have again but not in a hurry. As for the Sweet Potato fries, well again, not the best I’ve had. Sweet potato fries are one of those things in my eyes you can’t get wrong and one of those things that no matter how full I am I will finish them, with that, I didn’t finish these, why I hear you ask! I’m not sure… something was missing I guess maybe they weren’t hot enough, or crispy enough but they just weren’t up to the standard I am used to.

SWEET TOOTH: For my main, after much temptation from the Grilled Chicken n Chicken & Waffles, I finally decided on the 3 Dirty Buns or Sliders for £10.50 option. Sliders are basically mini burgers, made with mini brioche rolls in this case. Cheese Lover described Dirty Buns earlier

I chose the Fried Chicken Slider (with bacon jam and pimento cheese), Marinated Grilled Chicken Dirty Bun (with honey mustard mayo and pickled Asian slaw) and Fried Chicken Dirty Bun (with Sriracha mayo, pickled cucumber and pickled onion). Each had their own distinct taste and were delicious.

The Marinated Grilled Chicken Dirty Bun was a pleasant surprise as I’m not usually a fan of honey mustard mayo but this along with the Asian slaw complimented the delicately cooked grilled chicken perfectly then placed in a dirty bun rather than the mini brioche roll was definitely the right decision… genius!

The Fried Chicken Slider was a piece of fried chicken breast in batter with a jam that reminded me of a thick sweet chilli sauce and gave that same texture sensation when you tasted it but with a salty sweet taste instead. The combination of textures with the soft bun, crunch and tenderness of the chicken, salt / sweet of the jam n slight kick from the pimento cheese made for a party of flavours in my mouth… Excellent!

The Fried Chicken Dirty Bun was the same chicken as the slider version. Sriracha mayo for those that don’t know is Sriracha sauce (a chilli paste, vinegar and garlic sauce) mixed with mayo therefore taming the ‘heat’ and making for a deliciously flavoured dressing. Not being a fan of traditional mayo I was dubious but decided the Sriracha (even though I had no idea what it was at the time) would make it taste different so worth a try. What a gamble!! The slider was VERY nice. The combination of the chicken’s textures along with this great Sriracha sauce, the pickled cucumber and onion made for a delightful piquant mouthful with every bite… Amazing!

If I had to put them in order of favourite I would say, Fried Chicken Slider, Fried Chicken Dirty Bun then Marinated Grilled Chicken Dirty Bun. All 3 were delicious and I wish they were full sized burgers even though I know I couldn’t manage to eat them all if they were! Definitely try these if you visit.

DESSERT:
Being the sweet tooth of the group (it is in the name after all lol) Sweet Tooth craved dessert, especially because milkshakes were off the menu due to a faulty machine. However, with a little help from the waitress he persuaded the #ManDem to get involved in “The Dipsy”. Described on the menu as “The ultimate tear’ n share! Warm and fluffy brioche, baked-to-order and served with creme anglaise, caramel & chocolate dipping sauce” – sounds great, right… Like who could resist that?? Wrong! It was mediocre at best. Not really very sweet and the sauces were nothing special, although the caramel gets a special mention as it was the nicest of the 3 sauces. The dessert overall was a disappointment and didn’t fill the void of the lack of milkshake. The man dem weren’t best pleased with the extra expense.

SERVICE: Service in this establishment seemed very hit and miss. For example, we were seated almost immediately but then were given our starters at lengthy differing intervals. The waitress was pleasant, professional and knew her menu, but still got the odd thing wrong. She got the timing of the mac n cheese wrong, it came with the starters. This was replaced with a new batch with the mains with no hesitation which was outstanding service. According to the staff the service problems were down to them having a short notice party of 50 in the downstairs segment of the restaurant but we can’t help but wonder… Should that really affect service in the rest of the establishment?

OVERALL: Absurd seems to be a bit like #marmite either you love it or you hate it. There are definitely some stand out items on the menu, but hard to say if they are potent enough to entice you to go back in a hurry. As nice as some of the dishes are, you can take or leave a visit. Not to be too harsh on them, maybe the service issue and the party of 50 played a part but it’s also a lot to do with the fact that not many dishes gave us that wow factor and were generally substandard. Not bad for a social evening out as a group, where alcohol and banter takes your attention away from the food, but be warned… you might have to wait a bit!

SCORE: 3 out of 6 mandems

https://www.absurdbird.com/

If you know, you know!

So we have decided to reveal our #MDVF nicknames so you can identify our individual reviews. Watch out for our mini bio’s in upcoming reviews.

Firstly, introducing “The Photographer”. He likes the finer things in life and knows them undercover eating spots. The type of spots you don’t share the name of on social media and instead just hashtag #ifyouknowyouknow

The Photographer is the one who was banging on about Meat Mission being the best burger in London from two years ago. Props where props are due, the #MeatMission burger was fab.

So when The Photographer mentioned @DirtyBonesLondon the rest of the Man Dem didn’t even ask what the cuisine was. The table was booked and in a flash we found ourselves in Shoreditch, in a building many of us have passed on countless occasions not knowing that The Photographer was a frequent attender.

FOOD:
First off, the starters. There were a few things the #mandem wanted to try so we just ordered all of them, well most of what was available anyway. We chose the hot wings, (which the waitress warned were “hot!”), the salt & pepper squid, and the unusual cheeseburger dumplings.

When the hot wings arrived our initial thoughts were “The waitress must be gassing they can’t be that hot”, how wrong we were… They’re actually made in a dirty bones secret sauce and jheeze, they were hot. They should be called “matches” or something like that! None of the mandem could eat more than one. They still had lots of flavour but the fire was too much. However, if you like spicy food then we would definitely recommend it.

The salt & pepper squid were great. Simples. They were light, crispy and not too chewy. We would definitely order them again.

Now for the cheeseburger dumplings. The Man Dem have never heard of these before so we were curious. When the dish arrived the dumplings were different to what we expected but good different. They resembled the type of dumplings you get at a dim sum restaurant. Balls of smooth silky steamed pastry that enwrapped beef mince infused with cheese.

On to the mains and individual Man Dems thoughts on their meal.

CHEESE LOVER: Tough menu to choose from but I went for the fried chicken on waffles and of course Macaroni and CHEESE!The Chicken was finger licking, not too oily, this was the best Fried chicken I have had from similar style restaurants. The chicken actually had flavour after biting through the skin, compared to other restaurants who seem to forget the inside of the Chicken needs flavour too!

The fried Chicken was sat on a warm waffle with splashes of maple syrup, I was in my element.

However something was missing?  How could I have neglected a whole dish of macaroni and cheese, enough to feed two MDVF members, maybe not The Vegan, he is a big guy!

Now my other half is Bajan (from Barbados) so I know my macaroni from my cheese. Not expecting Dirty Bones to match home style cooking I carved up the dish and took a bite. The macaroni and cheese was so good and not far from how a Bajan would cook it, I almost asked for some sweet bread for dessert thinking I was at my mother in laws. Who taught this Dirty Bones chef how to cook?

PEPPERMAN: I opted for the crispy fried chicken (1/2 pile) which was 4 pieces of juicy fried chicken pieces. I was presented with a generous portion which consisted of 1 leg and 3 breasts. I was extremely pleased as those are my favourite parts of the chicken. When you order the chicken it comes with a choice of 3 dips, BBQ, sweet chilli and mayo. I requested the sweet chilli. I cannot fault the taste at all. It was crispy as the name said and had real flavour. When dipped with the sweet chilli sauce it just made me shout out “erh” ( #Giggs voice ) It was great tasting chicken.

For dessert I chose smashed mince pie. It’s a mince pie with white chocolate ice cream. It comes with coconut shavings but I don’t like coconut so I said “leave it yea!” ( #LethalBizzle voice ) When it came I tucked in straight away. The ice cream was simply divine. I’ve never had ice cream so smooth and so true to the taste. When coupled with the luke warm pie it was literally a eruption of textures in my mouth. I wished I had ordered another one.

THE MANAGER: Sooo, the Mac n Cheese burger is what got my attention straight away, the Mandem were like “you’re in a chicken restaurant” I was like “If I weren’t meant to have it, it wouldn’t be on the menu, let me live” and with that it was ordered alongside the Lamb fries.

Visually the thing was a work of art, taste was mouth watering and all sorts. The burger had a slight lean exposing the colourful but sexy macncheese filling, with the pulled pork and beef patties peeping from behind the brioche bun like a parent waiting Christmas deliveries from Royal Mail! In a word, this burger was awesometasticamazeballs (it’s in the Cambridge dictionary). The first bite took me back, it had me thinking about thanksgiving in Atlanta, Barbecues at Glastonbury and an array of other emotions that would only be fitting of 50 shades of grey. The Macaroni Cheese was perfect, perfectly cooked pasta, flavoursome cheese sauce which almost acted as a layer of cheese. The pulled pork was subtle, almost not there but you could taste it, suggesting that the taste was not overwhelming but complementary.

Then, the Lamb fries! Possibly the best thing I have tasted (in regards to fries) since reviewing food establishments. I wasn’t sure what to expect but wow! Perfectly fried potato, with a smooth sauce which soaked through to the bottom of the fries, then laced with chunks of premium lamb which could easily be taken away and served on its own as a starter, but to link with the fries and the sauce! Whoever invented this needs to receive the nobel prize for food! The combination was faultless! And I would recommend them both to EVERYONE!

SWEET TOOTH: Being the #sweettooth of the #mandem of course I was only ever going to order the photographer’s recommendation of the chicken & waffles. I can’t lie, for a brief millisecond I was tempted by the crispy fried chicken and the baby back ribs but instinct (and possibly a need for a sugar rush lol) brought me back to my senses lol I knew what I wanted before some of the mandem had even looked at the menu! Although I skimmed that part of the menu I wasn’t even interested in the starters… just bring me my food init! #pleaseandthanks

The rest of the squad deliberated on the starters and I grudgingly agreed on the choices. Although I must admit the salt & pepper squid was nice though. If I come back here that’s my starter sorted.

Anyway, my main arrived and that was that… talking done! 1st mouthful… OH… MY… WORD!!! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!! You may recall in our previous review of #ChickenLiquor we were talking about chicken being seasoned… well here it is! The chicken was VERY well seasoned and bursting with flavour. Imagine my dismay that it even went through to the bone! The chicken pieces were succulent and fleshy, and 2 good sized pieces per portion. Both pieces were propped on top of two light n fluffy waffles with a small but profoundly generous pot of maple syrup! It was like Mary Poppins’ handbag… how did it all fit in there? The dish was excellent, I cannot fault it. It’s a “must have” if you visit this establishment.
Now for my ‘milk & cookies’ which is actually a dessert made of warm soft baked chocolate ganache cookie accompanied by a shot glass of milk gelato. Warm cookie and ice cream, how can you go wrong? Answer: You can’t! The cookie had just enough ‘goo’ n chocolate that it wasn’t too sweet or sickly… I could happily have eaten it on it’s own. The gelato was smooth n creamy, and actually tasted like milk ice cream and was enough to pair with every mouthful of cookie… just how it should be! Sugar fix satisfied!

SERVICE:
On arrival, the place was almost packed and it was  only a Monday! However, we were met by a pleasant young lady who showed us to our makeshift table (two round tables pushed close to accommodate us) immediately. Our waitress took a while to come over but once with us was very knowledgeable of the products and helped with menu recommendations. And we have to admit she was bang on about the hot wings! The staff have the right mix of professionalism, politeness and banter. The manager even came and poured one of the mandem’s lemonade as if he was serving wine! Haha

OVERALL:
#DirtyBones has a buzzing atmosphere with an eclectic mix of music playing in the background.
Genuinely a well rounded establishment, it can cater for large groups and has several spots for an intimate couple setting. They even present you with a comments notebook for customers to write in when they receive their bill, which is a nice touch. The restaurant also turns into a hip hop and RnB party on a Friday and Saturday night so go check it out!

6 mandems out of 6

http://dirty-bones.com/

“Homemade… this is a restaurant mate!”

Still reeling from the disappointment that was @Chickensours (read review), the man dem were desperate to find a fried chicken restaurant where the chef seasons the actual chicken, not just the outer skin coating.

If you read our Meat Liquor review you will remember the chicken wings receiving rave reviews, amongst the best we have tasted and on a par with the wings at @clutchchicken (read review).  

So when we found out Meat Liquor had a sister restaurant called Chicken Liquor in #Brixton, the man dem topped up our #Oystercards and ventured over the river to that place they call #south for the first time.

WOW! Brixton has changed. An ensemble of indoor food markets with vendors serving up food from across the globe. Trendies casually walking along the once notorious Atlantic Road and Coldharbour Lane. Whilst on one corner opposite @popBrixton a group of original Brixtonians were blasting a #StoneLove soundclash from the boot of a car sipping on Dragon Stout, rebelling against the #gentrification unfolding in front of them.

Hold on, is this a #Lonelyplanet travel guide or is this supposed to be a #londonfoodblog ? Back to the fried chicken and the man dems search for seasoned chicken. Don’t let the man dem venture all this way on #LondonUnderground for some bland unseasoned chicken. If we do not taste seasoning the man dem will happily takeover the kitchen, call in one of the original Brixtonians outside #Brixtonpop string up the sound system and run some Stone Love whilst we season the chicken, cook the chicken, sell the chicken and take all the money including the waiters tips! 

Did the man dem have to take over the Meat Liquor kitchen? Or did the chef season the chicken?

FOOD:

For starters we had the option of wings or boneless bites and a selection of 4 flavours to choose from: Korean, Buffalo, Chicken Shop and Thai. We decided on wings and tried to persuade the waiter to let us sample a mixed selection of all the flavours, but no luck so we settled on Korean, Buffalo and Chicken Shop. The chicken was tender and of an excellent quality. The Buffalo wings were average, lacking on the buffalo’ness (so to speak), sauce could have been more tangy, but we’ve had worse. The Chicken Shop wings were a take on your normal fried wings, good flavour and tastier when you dipped them in the bbq sauce. By far the favourite were the Korean wings, with its zingy, piquant kind of taste of which went down well with the mandem.

As becoming the norm with our reviews of late, individual reviews of each mandem’s meal are accounted below.

Man Dem 1: The way I was hungry I had to go for the biggest thing on the menu aka the Tower Block aka a tower burger to you and me. I was expecting a humongous burger, so big you worry if you can finish it, comes with a stick thing in the middle to hold it together, you have to cut in half and hope the restaurant do doggy bags. Surprisingly, on arrival the size of the burger never phased me, whereas I was shook by the same burger I had at MeatLiquor. The burger itself was visually appealing, humble and neat. The first bite… lovely! The fused flavours of the excellent quality chicken, melted cheese, minimal onions, spoonful of ‘slaw’, the crunchy coated potato of the hash brown, just the right amount of tasty dressing that was just enough to add the finishing touch but not too much to make the bun soggy, and the final kick of the jalapeños left me smiling and chomping away. I never had to struggle eating the burger, the meat was soft and juicy and left my belly in a happy place. This was an excellent burger, however, Meat Liquor’s version is still number one.

Man Dem 2: Looking at the menu a few things jumped out at me, but what sang to me was the Chicken Parma, (maybe it was my Italian roots) which was Serrano Ham (yeah i know… why call it Parma if the ham is Serrano?? I don’t get it either), mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (tomato ragu) with a light dusting of Parmesan cheese! Obviously with a crisp fried chicken fillet somewhere in there! Conceptually it looks and sounds good, but in reality I don’t think it works. The marinara sauce for one makes the burger bun soggy, maybe some like that but not me, burger sauce all running through my fingers. The Serrano ham was tasty but the flavour was lost in the burger. To get a real taste I had to take the ham out of the actual burger, and finally the Mozzarella cheese! Hmmmmmm, was it actually Mozzarella? The jury is out on that one, but if you are adventurous or like Italian flavours, it’s worth a punt, but personally I’d never order that again, I should have had the Hippie burger.

Man Dem 3: Having had the #deadhippie #burger at a previous visit to #Meatliquour it was only right I had the Chicken Liquor version aka the Hippie Chick Burger, I mean it would be rude not to… right?!? It was inevitable… written in the stars… I had no choice!! This made the anticipation while waiting for my food to arrive seem like FOREVER… when it was only actually no more than 10mins max!! Readers… I must say it was worth every excruciating second!!! Not too big so you couldn’t get your hands round it or that you couldn’t take a proper bite but not too small that you think where’s the rest?!?! First bite… a big chomping mouthful!! #nolongting A plethora of flavours… warm soft brioche bun, succulent flavoursome chicken fillet that was so tender if there was a bone it would be falling off, crisp lettuce, the hint of the minced onions, the zing of the pickles and of course the hippie sauce, basically a take on the #BigMac sauce you get at @McDonalds and me being me, topped off with some ketchup. Great decision… the burger was delightful and is definitely this mandem’s recommendation if you decide to saunter this way for a meal!!

Man Dem 4: The Dirty Chicken and Cheese burger was me, if you have read previous burger reviews from us, you will recognize me as the cheeseburger addict. My second bite was supposed to be the main event after the initial rabbit bite. Why did I find myself chewing as if I was eating sugarcane, literally having to rip the chicken apart. I asked the other Man Dem if their chicken was also tough only to hear man show off about how tender their chicken, demonstrating by easily tearing apart with their fingers.

Maybe it was just my imagination, so I took another bite and again the chicken was tough, like uncooked…wtf!

Frustrating because the first initial bite was promising, with a soft bun and  succulent chicken. I so was looking forward to sampling the full flavour, this was just the warm up. What a disappointment!

Lucky I had a late lunch and plenty of Korean chicken wings!

The mandem all had the fries as their sides which were the thin, crispy, fluffy on the inside type and well salted. The portions were larger than expected so ordering one each was a mistake… none of the mandem finished theirs. We would advise getting one portion between two unless you’re really hungry or LOVE fries!

SERVICE:

A table was booked 6 days before the actual visit (yes, the man dem are super organised). On arrival we expected our table to be ready, no issues, but low and behold when we presented ourselves to the front of house staff she stated that there was no booking! Now, Chicken Liquor do not send text or e mail confirmations so there was no way to challenge this, but we assure you the booking was made! After having to wait 30 mins we were showed to a table, now please bare in mind the average height of the man dem is 5ft 11, with a average weight of 14 stone! We were placed on a table which was hardly big enough for four toddlers having lunch for a birthday, upset and hugely disappointed we asked to be moved (another 15 minute way).

Have you heard that Bob Marley song – Them Belly Full? Well there is a line in that song that says “A hungry mob is a angry Mob” now looking round at the man dem I knew that was the theme tune of the moment!

Finally, we were sat at a table which had space for us to actually move. The ordering process was going smoothly until one of the man dem asked “Do you have homemade lemonade?” Not an unreasonable request, many restaurants serve what they call ‘homemade lemonade’, but the waiter actually laughed and replied “Homemade… this is a restaurant mate!” What a cheeky comment, not funny cheeky, but more patronizing cheeky like “Did you just insult my intelligence bruv?” …this isn’t the level of service we expect! 

The food arrived and from that point onwards the service was just above average, not warm nor welcoming, the food makes up for the level of service! It’s like restaurants nowadays don’t care about the service they provide, considering we are paying customers, they need to fix up, look sharp! MDVF suggest Chicken Liquor brushes up on it’s service or send staff to spend a night shadowing the meat Liquor staff to learn a thing or two. Oh and Chicken Liquor need to introduce a better booking system to avoid errors.

OVERALL:

ChickenLiquor is definitely a hotspot at the moment judging from the way it was buzzing. It is more of a quick in quick out restaurant rather than chill and chat type of place. It is perfect for getting a bite to eat with a group of friends before moving on to a bar or show in the local area. Be warned, the way it was busy on a Wednesday you might have trouble getting a table on a Friday or Saturday, even if you pre-book because of their unreliable booking system, or be prepared for a long wait.

MDVF would not recommend Chicken Liquor for a romantic meal as the setting is not intimate. 

Good solid food, reasonably priced and a fine selection of cocktails. You can’t really go wrong for a place to eat with your squad.

4 mandems out of 6

http://wishbonebrixton.co.uk/

The Cat That Got The Cream

Ever scrolled through your @instagram page and realised to the outside world aka your followers, it looks like all you do is rave and take selfies in the gym? 

Well, the @mandemvfood lads were having a ‘digital strategy’ meeting, corporate jargon for; how many times a day should we post pictures on #Instagram 

Whilst checking our ‘engagement analytics’ basically how many people have liked our pictures at different times of the day, we realised that if you haven’t been able to tell from our page so far ( @mandemvfood ) we are carnivores with sweet tooths! We eat a lot of #burgers, #steaks, #turkishfood, #friedchicken and #desserts…

Now, #MDVF do not want to be stereotyped as only reviewing the cuisines mentioned above, we needed to get out there eat other types of food. So we got the props department to build a spin the wheel thingy like the one on #xfactor  and spun the wheel. What did we end up eating?

Pizza! A few of our followers have mentioned that @pizzaeast in trendy #shoreditch opposite #boxpark serves up a terrific pizza, so of course the #mandem had to find out if this was true or not.

FOOD: We all sat at the table and picked up our menus… The silence was real! No one had a clue what the pizza toppings were. Man had to get out phones to google each ingredient. It turns out most of the ingredients we didn’t know were just different varieties of ham. If you’re not a pork eater then maybe coming here for pizza isn’t the best choice for you.

For starters we ordered the meatballs and of course some garlic bread. Like who has pizza without garlic bread? We tucked into the meatballs first which came as a 3 and were on the large side. They were smothered in a tomato sauce and topped with a little melted cheese which added to the flavour. They were a decent start to our meal.

As the pizzas were individual servings the man dem have given their own accounts of the different pizza ordered.

Man Dem 1: I opted for the salami, tomato, mozzarella & chilli flakes pizza. When it came I was like “yea this looks alright” I tucked in straight away, it was only after the 3rd bite when the fire of the chilli flakes kicked in. I’ve never drank so much water in such a short space of time in my life. Every bite I took needed a glass of water, the pizza was spicy! Somehow I managed to finish the pizza and it was filling. Was it the best pizza i’ve ever tasted? No, but it wasn’t bad either. For me it missed the wow factor which I was expecting after hearing such positive comments about Pizza East. 

Man Dem 2: After much deliberation over the menu I still didn’t know what most of the ingredients were so i played it safe and stuck to choosing ingredients I knew. I ordered the  ‘spicy sausage, mozzarella, broccoli and cream’ pizza. But erm wait a minute… “cream”… wha ya mean “cream”? Cue the waiter… “can you explain this pizza to me please bruv?!” Yes it was cream, as in cream you pour over your dessert or put in your coffee and that was in place of the usual tomato base! Hold on, I am supposed to be playing it safe here… “yeah change it for a tomato base please bruv!!” #phew

I was dubious about the broccoli as a pizza topping and was in two minds about whether to take it off the order, even asking for it to be removed but changing my mind last minute instructing the waiter to leave it on. I thought I might as well try to keep some originality of this pizza given that I had already changed the base. MISTAKE!!! If you are not that adventurous like me, trust your instincts. Broccoli on pizza does not go according to my taste buds! Other than the broccoli I found the pizza to be quite tasty. However overall the pizza was nothing special, average! It can’t touch #pizzaexpress for taste and dare i say it even #dominos is better!! #gulp

The dessert, now that’s a different story! As mentioned earlier we love everything sweet! Being one of the more sweet toothed Man Dem in the group I had to at look at the dessert menu! Two items jumped out at me… the ‘cinnamon doughnuts’ and the ‘apple & blackberry crostata with mascarpone gelato’ aka apple & blackberry lattice pie with mascarpone ice cream. Man had to have the pie and the rest of the mandem succumbed to the pressure  and also ordered doughnuts for the table.

The crostata was delightful! Made with light flaky pastry which had a crunchy sugar layer under the base of it ( nice touch #pizzaeast ) and proper chunks of apple with whole blackberries rather than the mashed up berry mess you would usually get on this flavour of pie. Excellently flavoured… sweet but not sickly sweet with an undertone of that fruity tang that is always nice in a fruit pie and then sparingly dusted with icing sugar. The gelato was smooth and creamy tasting like an ice cream version of a cheesecake topping with a hint of vanilla flavour. A very nice dessert! Compliments to the chef on that one!

The flavour of the cinnamon doughnuts was just right. However they were extremely light and fluffy making them too airy. So much so that once you bit into one you came across an air pocket where you would be expecting to bite into more dough. The chocolate dipping sauce complimented the doughnuts well.

Man Dem 3: So… I opted for the Veal meatball pizza, like Man Dem’s 2 pizza this also had a cream base. Rather than run from the cream like Man Dem 2 did just because it was a bit different, I jumped in studs first with a two footed tackle and took everything with me, cream base and all. 

The toppings away from the veal were basic, a cured ham, a mix of herbs and generous portions of what looked like cooked Parma ham, I was informed that is was actually prosciutto. Quite simply this pizza worked! Surprisingly the flavours complimented each other. I would have loved to say ‘perfectly’ but for my taste the ham, or prosciutto was a little too salty. However, for the price, could I have gotten better from Papa Johns? Hmmmmm, well that was the discussion we were having while waiting for one of the man dems drink which failed to appear, which leads us on to the service.

SERVICE: Those of us that were on time were swiftly ushered to our seat, however, the late arrival had a little trouble actually speaking to someone to find out where the Man Dem’s table was situated. Was that because they were busy? Who knows! But we will say the service was of an acceptable standard, despite our waiter coming across like a rabbit caught in headlights, confusion over drinks was the main thing. Also maybe we are just getting old but the volume of the music at times was a little overbearing but by the same token made for a nice vibe and party atmosphere.

OVERALL: If you are into the trendy scene Pizza East is the spot, it definitely felt like a place to be seen. This is an ideal setting for a group of friends to dine before hitting the local bars, in fact the music whilst eating puts you in the party mood.

However, if you are not trying to keep up with the trendies and just fancy a good ole pizza you can find tastier pizzas elsewhere even takeaway!

3 mandems out of 6

http://www.pizzaeast.com/

The Blind Date

You know that friend who is a serial dater, has every dating app and after every date has always met “the one”, and encourages you to give dating a try.

Eventually you are worn down, your love life isn’t exactly booming, you don’t fancy being seen on Take Me Out or Love Island and what is the worst that can happen eh? If the date is a disaster you can always block the person on social media.

So said friend arranges a double date with the latest “the one” and her supposedly ‘good looking’ friend. You ask to see a picture but your friend responds with “don’t worry, her friend is spicy! (slang for good looking) you will not be disappointed, better than the other women you have in your DMs!”

Fast forward to date night, but exchange the word ‘dating’ to ‘fried chicken’. Said friend has recommended you to go to @chicknsours because the chicken is “spicy, you will not be disappointed, better than the other fried chicken places you have reviewed”@clutchchicken and @cluck_you

Did Chicken Sours turn out to be ‘the one’, the new fried chicken spot for ManDemVFood? Or did Chick ‘n’ Sours get blocked, never to be contacted again!

FOOD:
We sat down at the table and looked around to see what others were eating (as you do) to get a bit of inspiration of what to choose. After a little deliberation we opted for the “bun”, (simple name for an extra large burger) as our main, but what to have for starters?

To start we ordered two portions of wings, #naked (take your mind out of the gutter, it is wings without any coating) and sticky, and we have to say it was an all round thumbs up from the Man Dem. Only one thumbs though, wings were nothing special. The naked wings were flavoursome and crispy, however there was a niggling feeling that the prep of the wings involved soaking in water which obviously gives a distinct after taste. The sticky
wings were just that, coated in a savoury saucy which reminded us of sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese shop. We can’t complain, all the wings were boxed off! (finished – if you’re not sure what boxed means). In closing the wings were ok, but not up to the level of places such as @bird_restaurant and @reddogsaloon but a nice start into the mains which were yet to come.

Right, the mains… Let me tell you when this ting (the burger) came to the table, we couldn’t believe our eyes… it was huge!!! One of the #mandem tried to play hero and eat theirs in one go like it was a McDonald’s Big Mac #fail The smarter of us cut the burger in half to the size of a normal burger. Now it can eat! The excitement of tasting this highly recommended monster reached epic levels…ONLY TO BE CRUSHED like a fizzy drink can once you’ve finished with it. It was terrible! What a disappointment!!

The chicken itself wasn’t bad once you scraped off all of the crunchy slaw and gochujang mayo. They did the burger no justice at all. We guess that’s why they’re called #chicknsours, it had a sour after taste that only the sweet rum punch could wash away. We were instructed by the waitress to order only 2 portions of fries as it would be enough for 4 man. When they arrived we all instantly said to the waitress, “another 2 portions of fries please!” No way were they big enough to share.

What a waste the extra order was. The fries were super salty, and to make it worse they charge you £1.50 for a pot of sauce that is approximately the size of a tea light candle holder! 2-3 dips with your chips and it’s done. Ease up!! A bottle of ketchup cost £2, Has #brexit increased the price of sauce? Joke ting!

Due to one of the mandem changing minds last minute we also ordered a side portion of fried chicken called “House Fry”. You can’t come to a chicken restaurant and not order fried chicken, right? As we do, we engaged in banter with the waitress, to see if she knows her stuff on the menu, also to find out what she would recommend. When we stated we were going to order the fried chicken her face said “I wouldn’t if I were you”, ignoring the signs we did anyway.

When the chicken arrived, (a leg and a thigh) it looked promising. The coating looked crispy and the chicken portion size was right up our alley, but let’s be frank as you know MDVF always are, the coating was bland, the chicken even though of a decent grade was either soaked in salty water as additional seasoning or the chef simply used too much salt. We at Man Dem V Food are not trying to watch our figures as we could  compete in the #Olympics but we know when something has way too much salt in it. Disappointed is an understatement!

ATMOSPHERE:
A very bubbly atmosphere, trendy, cosmopolitan vibe, a mix of people, background music at a level that you can have a conversation. We wouldn’t say romantic, but with the good selection of cocktails available on the menu, maybe somewhere you could go on a first date. The waitress was very bubbly and honest which is a good quality, but there is a something didn’t feel right about not getting a VAT receipt, doesn’t that matter? They said the tills broke down. Maybe we need to stop thinking we are Jessica fletcher and stick to food reviews!

OVERALL:
Due to all the hype about the place, and the difficulty we had trying to book a table for months, we were wholly disappointed. In comparison to restaurants such as Bird, Stax Diner, Clutch etc this is definitely below par food wise. Restaurants like Chicken Sours need to understand that as much as we buy processed food from Tesco and Asda, many of us still have very sensitive taste pallets which detect over seasoned products or simply salty food.

We didn’t eat anything to suggest the food was a wow! But a positive would be the tasty cocktails, strong and fruity. Our recommendation would be the house rum punch.

In closing, as mentioned before the price for a dip is extortionate, £1.50 for a squirt of ketchup, or mayo that isn’t even hand made! #leaveit We almost feel like we were robbed!

SCORE:
Chick ‘n’ Sours for us scored  2 out of 6 mandems and it would have been lower if the service provided by the waitress was poor!

The Next Idris Elba or a Butlins Redcoat?

So if you asked #MDVF where to go for the best #burger in #London you will get 6 different answers and start another heated debate. Man get emotional if you diss his favourite burger joint, “#Bigmac is better than #Byron” almost caused a ruckus, had to hold man back!

One of the team has been banging on about #MeatLiquor for years, proper gassed liked #Liverpool fans every time #Couthino scores 1 goal every 6 games “He is world class”. The thing is, It’s not just any of the few branches of this establishment that are dotted around, the MDVF member is going on about a specific branch in the heart of central #London. Man is saying it will be the best burger ever, no other burger places can test blah, blah, blah. Alright man, cha! We get your point!

You know like how a parent carries on after watching their child in the school nativity play “Tyler was the best reindeer ever! He is the next #Idris!” That kinda talk…

Well, allegedly Meat Liquor is the don dadda of #burgers, toppa top! But did it live up to the hype? Did the kid become the next Idris or a #Butlins Redcoat? Are we going to have to go @sliderbar_ldn (read review It is not the size that matters…) or @fiveguysuk (read review Sniper shots…this is a burger war!) again, or is this really the best burger place in town… The man dem will have to try different burgers and give their verdict on this heated debate!

Food:
As we wanted to try as much of the menu as possible below are the individual accounts of the man dem’s experience of the different burgers they ordered.

1: Chicken Cheeseburger: I went for the chicken cheese burger with no cheese. (Chicken and cheese doesn’t make sense!). The burger came and I was like “ok, I’m pleasantly surprised”. The chicken was very generous in size and was topped with the #brioche bun. One bite and I was instantly impressed! “Mmmm… That is a tasty burger” I said to myself in the Samuel L Jackson voice from pulp fiction. It was #delicious. What ever sauce they use on the burger was truly amazing. It really goes well. “Nobody talk to me. I’m eating!” I didn’t stop for air, it was that good!! I kept going until it was gone. If I’m being honest, it was probably the best chicken burger I have ever had! EVER!!!

2: Chilli Cheeseburger: Apparently very hot, I opted for the green #chilli #cheeseburger. What can I say, it ticked all the boxes, the burger meat or “#pattie” if you want to be technical was cooked to perfection, the cheese was not that American almost GM tasting cheese that they use in #McDonalds but a flavoursome variation. The green chillies were crisp and had enough flavour to remind me that too many of those bad boys could cause a nightmare later on in the day (if you know what I mean 😭). Finally, the Jalapeño peppers (yes there were two types of chilli!) were a perfect compliment. I would recommend this to anyone who isn’t scared of a little heat and likes to actually taste flavours in their burger.

3: Cheeseburger: After all the chat it was finally time to sample this supposed ‘don dada’ of burgers. As always I demolished the chips first and saved the cheeseburger until last. Ready to be unwrapped like that one Christmas present you have been instructed to open last.The cheeseburger on first bite had no wow, no better than a @Byronhamburgers . However, with every bite the taste just got better. Tasty sauce, quality beef, soft brioche bun. Not the best, but on a par with the best.

4: Dead Hippie Burger: So… Man ordered a “dead hippie” init… Sounds like man ah cannibal, right?! Nah man, it’s only a burger!! Wait… Lemme start again it’s not “only a burger” it’s a nice burger!! Two french mustard meat patties along with #lettuce #pickle #onions #cheese (I don’t do cheeseburgers so ordered no cheese!) and dead hippie sauce!! The sauce though!! #propertings not sure what’s in it but it’s noiiccee!! Definitely recommended!!

For starters we all ordered the braai #wings, and the traditional buffalo wings. Now the Braai wings are proper wings, the whole wing, all 3 parts served not just one of the joints. Nice flavour with a little #spicy kick but for some of the man dem that only do a little spicy, they weren’t hot enough to need a jug full of water afterwards, or milk to cool their mouth down! The bingo wings were fine, we can’t rave about them, they weren’t wow! But they weren’t bad, a decent portion size, but they were just ok.

After the food one of the mandem wanted to satisfy his sugar craving so asked for the dessert menu… what a disappointment!! Two dead options, man might have to go @creamscafeuk or something but then the waitress said “we do have our part timer dessert option, something called #filthpie!!” What… man loves a bit of filth, what is it? #oreos #marshmallow #chocolate #coconut all infused together served warm with ice cream!! It was all kinds ah delicious… Sweet tooth satisfied!! If you’re a dessert person don’t visit Meat Mission without having it!!

Service:
It can’t be faulted, the Waitress (Sorry we didn’t catch your name) was attentive, knew what to recommend and knew specific details of each food item, the one thing she didn’t know she swiftly scuttled off and was back in a jiffy with the answer. The food came promptly and the entire order was correct.

Atmosphere:
This is an odd one, it’s a cross between a scene from #saw, a #nightclub and a cult place of worship. With that, the low lights and side bar made for an amazing atmosphere, lively, jam-packed, we’d say a place where you would go with the #mandem, or the #girls, or both if you know what we mean but this is definitely not a place for a romantic meal for two, unless your date doesn’t mind using his or her hands, and not being able to hear you that well as the music is a tad loud.
Overall:
This gets high marks, very little we can fault it on, from a food perspective it was on point. The signature dish #deadhippie is one that every burger fan MUST try but whether it’s the best in the market, who knows?!? It’s like someone saying #rum not from #Jamaica isn’t the real ting! (Send your complaint via messenger). The atmosphere was on fire and the overall experience was a pleasure. With the prices being competitive to what other burger chains are charging, is it a contender for best burger? It’s definitely up there, but this debate will continue to cause differences in opinion within the #MDVF camp.

Score: 5 out of 6 mandems

http://meatliquor.com/

It is not the size that matters…

The succulent taste of the jerk chicken from @wmcj_ldn had my belly feeling nice!! But I wanted more so I wandered off from the rest of the #mandem to see what other delights @streetfeastldn had to offer. With minimal hesitation I found my top up! I opted for what I thought would be a subtle compliment to my earlier munch from @sliderbar_ldn. Just as the name suggests #Sliders, mini slider in fact.

Each #miniburger is cooked while you wait so you know you are always getting freshly made food. They only do 3 types of burger, which is a bit of a bummer. They are: Classic cheese burger, cheese & bacon burger, and jalapeño cheese burger. They’re £4 each or 3 for £10. Obviously, I chose the 3 for a tenner option cos you know I had to try all 3 types!! #dontjudgeme OH MY GOSH! What a tasty #burger!!

It was truly amazing!! It felt like there was an old skool garage rave going off in my mouth… 2 step of flavour, 1 finger dance of sauce and a deep bassline of meat… Oiii ooooiiii!!!

For such a tiny specimen, it packs some really intense flavour and even now whilst writing this, my mouth is salvating as I reminisce of the juicy taste. There’s nothing more to say about these burgers. They are the business and if you haven’t tried them be sure to get some asap! #Simples!

http://www.sliderbar.co.uk/

Can White Men Jerk?

Jerk, let’s not beat around the bush. It’s from #Jamaica, it’s a staple, one of those things that unless you are a #Rasta or #Vegan you would have tasted. The questions that need to be asked would be 1. “Is it #authentic?”, 2. “Is it cooked on a jerk pan?”, 3. “Can white men #jerk #chicken?!?” Wait, what! Yes, we said it “Can white men jerk chicken?!?”

Nooooo, before you start complaining to our sponsors, we are not having a dig! White Men Can’t Jerk ( @wmcj_ldn ) is what they call themselves, a street food vendor, event caterer and private catering company; tell you what, the name definitely got our attention but does the gimmick in the name live up to the reality?

To ensure we sampled the best we ordered a starter called #itsawingting simply put, fresh and crispy chicken wings, not jerked but in their own chilli garnish. First word, after the first bite was #WOW The freshness of the chicken, the quality of the chicken, the taste of the #southernfried coating was perfect, spot on, amazing taste, one of those taste sensations you don’t want to end, nearly ended up with the man dem having to do #rockpaperscissors for the last one, and to think next up was the signature jerk chicken!

Now to the reason for the visit? The #jerkchicken Firstly, let’s answer those questions. 1) It is definitely authentic as they cook the chicken on a proper #jerkpan, so flame cooked chicken, none of this pre-cooked rubbish you get from other vendors in London. 2) the Jerk seasoning is a recipe that the owner had learnt while living in Jamaica, with a few extras added to make it a seasoning unique to #WhiteMenCantJerk, I wonder what #usainbolt would make of that?

The chicken grade was a good
quality, as good as the wings, we were impressed that the chicken was prime and deboned, yes! NO BONES! Some may say that’s a bad thing but personally it worked for us, deal with the meat, leave the #bones alone!

The mix of their Jerk seasoning was on point, in all honesty we couldn’t taste anything unique in the seasoning but that didn’t mean it took away from the amazing flavours we experienced, to the point that one of the #mandem who isn’t a fan of jerk chicken (we know, mad man) loved it and wanted more! This answering the 3rd and final question, as guys from #Caribbean backgrounds, tasting jerk chicken in Jamaica, UK, and other places that have jerk pans these white men can MOST definitely jerk!! So make sure you check them out at http://streetfeast.com/where/dalston-yard… You will NOT be disappointed!!

http://www.whitemencantjerk.com/

Get your coat, you’ve pulled!

Reds True BBQ is like meeting a model in a nightclub, this model is pretty, you feel excited, thinking you have bagged a new gorgeous girlfriend. The conversation starts and it hits you like a hammer to a nail…the model is just a pretty face with a bland personality.

This is what happened when the Man Dem visited #RedsTrueBBQ we were
amazed by the venue decor, the super friendly waiters, so friendly that when we were being told which menu items were sold out we made a joke out of it (something about we might as well go home now…she laughed, so it was funny at the time!)

FOOD:
#MDVF ordered the #BBQ feast to share. This included #Ribs,
#pulledpork #BBQchicken #lambbrisket #lambchops. Sides #cheeseontoast #Sweetcorn #chickenwings #macandcheese #cornonthecob
Food arrived in a dustbin lid, different but added to the experience. But things went downhill after the first bite.

Bland! The meat needed some flavour. The actual quality of the meat was superb, but the taste was lacking some va va voom.

SERVICE:
Attentive on most occasions. Some dude knocked over one of the man dem’s #homemadelemondae (tasted fab), before it got ugly a waitress came sweeping over like #tinkerbell and offered another drink for free. Only thing is, it took 15 mins to arrive! The man’s throat was dry like sandpaper. Our main waitress Courtney from #Vancouver not #Texas was dope. She knew the extensive menu and provided answers to all questions fired at her.

OVERALL:
The bill came to £25 each. Not bad for the amount of food we had, especially in trendy #Mayfair sorry #Shoreditch… It was a pity the lack of flavour let Reds True BBQ down. Everything else is top notch. Good music too.
@RedsTrueBBQ has potential. If they can add some flavour to their cooking, we can see this place being packed with groups of friends, after work hangouts or a couple on a hot date (preferably not a model).

SCORE:
3 mandems out of 6

http://www.truebarbecue.com/shoreditch/