Saturday 17 January 2015

dip and flip

Dip and flip has been on our list for a while, so today we decided to go (cycling there and back as it is January).  After a little hairy cycle we made it a little windswept and cold but very excited.  We were prepared for a wait after peering in through the window alas to our delight we got a table straight away.  As per usual we had basically pre decided what we were eating before we had arrived.  I plumbed for the beef dip and flip burger whilst Sarah chose the chilli cheeseburger, and because it is January we shared a cheese and gravy fries.  We felt after our journey we deserved a beer, it was a really nice surprise to see a wide variety of craft beers.  Sarah picked Sam Brooks pump house pale ale and I chose The Flying Dog Brewery  Easy IPA.
The drinks came quickly and were both really refreshing with a great fruity burst.  Our burgers arrived shortly after and I was so glad that they hadn't scrimped on the gravy (this was my biggest concern).  The minute we cut into these burgers we knew we were onto a winner, the meat was soft, good quality and cooked how we were told it would be cooked (a rarity).  After taking a couple of snaps (as quick as possible) we tucked in, and oh my gosh.  I have not had the feeling of joy that I had today for a very long time, and in fact I have only ever had about 4 times in my life. This feeling can only be described as burger love.  My first honest, my first patty and bun, my first bleecker and now this.  I am pretty sure that Sarah agrees.  I had food everywhere but I literally could not stop eating.  The roast beef dipped in gravy was cooked to absolute perfection (nice and pink) and melted in my mouth.  These guys have also had the great idea of adding white cabbage to this piece of heaven which added a great bit of texture.  Sara's chilli cheeseburger was the perfect match of green chillis and a soft patty.  The fries didn't really get a look in until the burgers were finished, for me this only helps as the fries soak up the 3 day gravy (yes it really does take 3 days to make) and allow the cheese to melt.  Everything was seasoned to perfection in fact the whole thing was pretty damn perfect.  Our meal came to around £29 and was 100% worth it.
I really urge everybody to visit these guys even though they are hidden away in Clapham Junction...the trip is definitely worth it.
chilli cheeseburger
chilli cheeseburger cut

Thursday 15 January 2015

Free pHO (house of ho)

WEEEEEEEE'RRRRREEEEE BBBBAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKK!!! After a couple of months out of action (eating and blogging) we are now back on the band wagon.
Earlier this week I was sat trawling twitter deciding where we were going to eat first this year, when I came across a tweet from @thehouseofho.  It stated that between the 12th and 17th of jan they are giving away free pho as part of their new lunch menu.  I really love pho so got straight on the phone to book our table.
We turned up a little early (not as early as usual) and were seated straight away. The choices of pho were simple; chicken, beef, seafood or veggie. We both went for beef and chose a starter of duck rolls from the main menu.  The service was fairly slow to begin with, it took quite a while for someone to see to us at first.  Once our drinks order was placed (water and lemongrass lemonade) things moved pretty quickly.   Shortly after the drinks arrived the crisp confit duck rolls arrived.  The duck is served with perilla leaves, gizzards and sliced grapes all wrapped in rice noodle rolls.  This dish had 5 bite size pieces and was accompanied by a dish of sriracha.  All together we were very pleasantly suprised (we weren't entirely sure what we were going to get).  The duck was cooked to perfection , very soft and flavoursome.
The pho's arrived very promptly after the starters.  Served up in the way they should be with the herbs, beansprouts and chilli on the side.  The difference with this pho was that the us cooked  beef also appeared on the side plate.  We thought this was a great idea as you could add the beef (which cooked in the broth) as you went along therefore stopping it from overcooking.  The broth had a really rich, deep beefy flavour.  We have had so many very bland pho soups so it was really nice to have one with a real depth of flavour.  Add perfectly cooked noodles, the melt in the mouth beef and the crunchy spring onions, and you have an absolute winner.
House of ho are only 1 year old and I don't believe it has taken us so long to get there.  We would recommend here to anybody and can't wait to get back.