The Grand Union, Kennington

I was feeling a little fragile last Saturday after yet another visit to the fabulous Soho drinking den that is LAB. So fragile, in fact, that only a hair of the dog would do. And something greasy. Really greasy.

 

Thankfully the burger gods answered my prayers, throwing down a pub mere moments from my humble abode, the blackboard outside screaming of “The Best Burgers in London”. I am pretty sure this wasn’t the result of any actual survey. It probably isn’t even an actual quote. They just made it up, I reckon. But how could I judge, if I had not tried one?   Then I tried one. Here it is. Look at it. It looks quite magical, does it not?

 

 

Let’s forget, for a moment, that the presentation is an almost embarrassingly blatant copy of new Covent Garden burger emporium Shake Shack, and take it for what it is. A quite nice burger. Two burgers, in fact, sandwiched together like a beautiful Oreo made of meat.

 

As a hat the burgers wore a gloopy blob of American cheese. You know, that wondrous orange paste that tastes mostly of nothing, and definitely not of cheese. The shoddy slop that only ever appears in fast food burgers, where we celebrate wholeheartedly its marvellous shitness. Imagine ordering a cheese sandwich and getting this crap. You’d hurl it back into your server’s face no doubt, overcome with fury. But in burgers we tolerate this cheese-pretender. That is its place.

 

I ordered my burger sans-bun because they serve no gluten free buns here. They call this a naked burger, I believe. Poor naked burgers. It’s enough to break your heart.

 

Gluten Free Naked Burger

 

Now let me tell you of the chips, these marvellous crinkled fries of scrumptiousness. Look! You get an entire BASKET. You can absolutely fill your boots and probably your bag too. I was given almost THREE HUNDRED* chips. And they taste LOVELY. Not as lovely as Honest Burgers chips, but QUITE LOVELY.

 

 

*woefully inaccurate estimate

 

The Verdict: Exquisite hangover food, practically perfect in every way. Also the Kennington Grand Union has a roof terrace. Everyone loves a roof terrace. Not the best burgers in London, though. Soz.

 

Gluten Free: No gluten free buns available, but you can get naked burgers.   7/10

 

Free From Find: Perkier Foods

I’m a big fan of the recent influx of gluten free companies flogging their free from delights on our supermarket shelves, but one I hadn’t tried (until now) was Perkier foods.

 

The brand is totally recognisable with bright packaging and plenty of talk of snafflers, and it’s all gluten free, wheat free and free from artificial colours or flavours. So when a scrumptious little food parcel from Perkier arrived on my doorstep I was more than happy to do a little taste testing for them…

 

 

Perkier make breakfast cereals, porridge pots and loads of naughty treats like rocky road and tiffin bars. I loved the porridge pots – it’s pretty tricky to find gluten free breakfasts when one’s out and about, so if you’re on the hunt the Perkier pots are well worth a try.

 

 

I loved the apple, cinnamon and raisin variety personally, but the golden syrup’s not bad either. Can’t have too much sweetness of a morning, can you?

 

My absolute favourite Perkier food item though has to go to the tiffin bars, which also come in little bite-size pieces for sharing with friends. Or for eating on your own in a dark room whilst watching nonsense tely such as “My Big Boob Hell”, which, incidentally, is a very interesting documentary full of facts. Not at all likely to rot your mind and turn your brain to marbles. Not at all.

 

 

Perkier snacks are definitely good, I had to fight the gluten-lovers for them. So they must be good. Eat some, you’ll see.

 

10/10

 

Gluten Free: Yes, yep, yes indeed.

 

perkier.co.uk

Gluten Free Pizzas at Rossopomodoro, Covent Garden

I’m not usually one for the chain restaurants – especially in London when there are so many independents to choose from, but I made an exception for Rossopomodoro last week. And I’m pretty glad I did.

 

 

Rossopomodoro has six London branches and one Birmingham outpost, and they’re all about authentic Neapolitan cuisine. So much so that all ingredients are imported from Naples – even the flour they use in their pizza bases!

 

 

 

My main reason for going was their newly launched gluten free pizzas, so off I trotted to the rather hectic Covent Garden branch to give them a try.

 

 

We began the meal with Prosciuttina (£3.95) – cubed parma ham marinated in oregano, chilli, garlic and Sorrento olive oil. The perfect pre-pizza nibble.

 

Prosciuttina

 

For the main event I went with the gluten free Capricciosa (£11.45) – tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, artichokes and black olives. I’ve tried many a gluten free pizza in my time but none have ever impressed me as much as this one did – thin, crispy and totally addictive, I surprised myself by almost wolfing down the entire thing…

 

Capricciosa

 

 

Boy opted for the Santagata Calzone (£10.95) – mozzarella, Neapolitan salami and buffalo ricotta cheese topped with tomato sauce, which received rave reviews too.

 

Santagata Calzone

 

 

The Verdict: The service wasn’t faultless, and the atmosphere could’ve been a *little* more relaxing, but  if you’re looking for a great gluten free pizza in London town I’ve got one word for you… Rossopomodoro.

 

9/10 

 

Gluten Free: Rossopomodoro offer pizzas with no gluten containing ingredients (NGCI). They do state, though, that they can’t guarantee a 100% flour-free environment, so no pizzas can be guaranteed to be free from gluten traces. Full details here.

 

Valentine’s Day at Gaucho, Chancery Lane

So Valentine’s Day happened on Friday, a thoroughly brilliant yet incredibly controversial day in which boys are required to spend oodles of money on chocolates, roses and other delightful gifts for girls, to prove that they love them and aren’t just with them for their shiny hair.

Street Feasting at Hawker House

I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but on Friday night I found myself at one of those clapped-out warehouses I love to complain about. It was situated, rather alarmingly, on a Bethnal Green backstreet. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Hawker House.

Breakfast at The Wolseley, Piccadilly

Breakfast at The Wolseley is just one of those things you’ve got to do. Really, it’s that good.

The Wolseley is not your ordinary restaurant, more a luxurious watering hole for London’s rich and famous. The place is renowned for its breakfasts, which range from the totally acceptable morning type stuff (granola, vienoisserie, full english etc.) to outlandish creations for the unforgivably wealthy – they serve a caviar omelette, I kid you not.

STK at ME Hotel, Covent Garden

I have a confession to make. I have fallen from the Dryathlon wagon. The end was in sight, and yet still so far. I was offered a Champagne cocktail. It all went wrong.

Recipe: Beetroot Gravadlax

Gravadlax is one of life’s little luxuries, and because of that it is disgustingly expensive. But making your own is easier than you might think…

Vietnamese Cuisine at Pho, Shoreditch

Pho bills itself as London’s ‘first specialist Vietnamese street-food restaurant’, a brazen lie that’d shame Shia LaBoeuf himself. But they are amongst the first of London’s restaurants to make Vietnamese food truly accessible, which is definitely a good thing.

Gluten Free Burgers at Gourmet Burger Kitchen

I fell in love with Gourmet Burger Kitchen at an early age. I loved the fact that almost all burgers on the menu seemed totally excessive. I loved that they were all served with sticks in, lest they toppled over in a meaty mess. I loved that toppings included such madcap ideas as AVOCADO and PINEAPPLE. I just loved it.