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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Is this £12 toastie REALLY the best takeaway in the UK? We tried Deliveroo's most popular order to see if it's worth the hype
RAW VIDEO: RAW 3450971 MailOnline tries Deliveroo's top order to see if it's worth the hype Few meals are as universally satisfying as a good sarnie - but would you pay for £12 for one? It would appear that the answer is, overwhelmingly, yes, for many Britons - who voted a trendy toastie vendor as the Independent Restaurant of the Year UK & Ireland at the Deliveroo awards. The winners of the food delivery platform's annual accolades were announced last week, based on 160,000 customer votes and the verdict of a panel of judges; founder Will Shu, food critic Jimi Famurewa and Tilly Ramsay. Taking the crown for one of the categories was Crunch - a viral foodie spot with locations in London 's Soho and Spitalfields Market. The brioche bread pop-up shop is particularly beloved for its £12 Patty Melt, promising a filling of 'truffle beef patties, red Leicester cheese, crispy onion marmelade and black truffle mayonnaise'. I was cynical on my approach to the stall in East London, broadly feeling that the endeavour will essentially end up in me eating a glorified burger sans the soft bun. What's more, I was hesitant about the structural soundness of framing your brand around crispy slices of toast, which could so easily fall apart go soggy. Deciding to also sample a veggie options for the less carnivorously inclined, I opted to taste-test their £12 Buffalo Cauliflower sandwich, which featured 'deep-fried florets, ranch coleslaw, butter-buffalo sauce and a rich parmesan cream'. Upon first bites of both, I was quickly humbled by how incredibly well crafted a toastie could be - and deeply baffled by how anyone could achieve such witchcraft. It was about 15 minutes after me purchasing the sandwiches that I was actually able to sit down and eat them, so they were also sternly subject to 'delivery' conditions - and I was blown away by the (for lack of a better word, crunchy!) bite. Starting with the Patty Melt - a saucy endeavour that packed two juicy, well-cooked meat patties as well as other adornments - I was ready for the impact of wettened bread. Instead, the perfectly buttered brioche tasted as if it had just popped out the toaster, while still staying springy and not dry at all. The individual elements themselves all sang in harmony, never feeling too overpowering. And yet everything was tasteable, from the fragrant truffle to the sweet onion jam. It was far from a burger rip-off, but instead felt to me like what all burgers should now be doing, to deal with the consistent issue of soggy bread melting into the filling. I've paid well over £15 for over-hyped smashed, double stacked and ornately-decorated burgers in London; so £12 felt to me like a more than fair price for not just the quality of the ingredients but the craftsmanship presented. While the Patty Melt truly is a bestseller for the brand (and was the most popular dish on Deliveroo) they're also known for their creative veggie options. Tucking into my cauliflower I once again braced myself for disappointment - this time not only the bread was at risk but the frying batter could easily become too soft, covered in condiments, around an already tender vegetable. But science-defying culinary mastery won over, as I bit into a perfectly crispy concoction that had held up perfectly. What's more, unlike being a token meatless option offered at many other vendors (particularly smaller ones, like Crunch) it was not only one of a few on offer but was absolutely delicious in taste. I found myself torn between going to the Patty Melt and back to the cauliflower sarnie, finding both equally impressive. More incredulous to me as well is that the florets - which are 'marinated overnight in the same buffalo butter and a bunch of spices' - usually part of a typically bland veg on its own, were packed so full of flavour. I struggled to find a single flaw in the meal, and would happily splurge the £24 on them once again. Deliveroo last week revealed the top takeaway restaurants in the UK which along with Crunch, included high street bakery Gail's. Winners were split across five different categories including independent businesses on both national and regional levels - and a new category sponsored by darts sensation Luke Littler who uncovered the nation's best kebab. Competing against Crunch for the crown, were restaurants who'd already picked up regional awards, including a Leeds cake shop and Bristolian fast-food chain. Each were judged by the panel on brand personality, food quality and value, packaging and presentation, customer reviews and loyalty, innovation, and going the extra mile. After being crowned the International Restaurant of the Year for Greater London, Crunch went on to battle against the other regional winners before winning the national category too. The self-described 'experimental' eatery, which opened in 2022, amassed a cult following on social media, with the trendy bap makers were praised for their string of five star reviews, and by judges 'for creating a new era of game-changing sandwiches and their fearless approach to cooking'. Regional categories were won by a mixture of pizza, cake and salad outlets. In Belfast, health food restaurant and burrito bar, Seed, won the Independent Restaurant of the Year for Ireland. Serving acai bowls, superfood salads, burritos and smoothies, health conscious Seed won the hearts of the Irish. Scotland preferred pizza over salad, with the nation nominating Big Manny's Pizza as their winner. The Aberdeen-based eatery serves a range of decadent cheesy pies and is famed for their unrivalled meat specials and 18-inch pizzas, available by collection only. Bristol won on burger and chips with the city's Oowee Diner located on North Street, winning the area for its burgers, tasty dips and loaded dirty fries. Get Baked, a cake shop and bakery located in Leeds, took home the crown for Manchester and Leeds. The eatery has amassed a cult following online, in particular for its Bertha cake, a huge layered chocolate cake that was inspired by the Roald Dahl tale Matilda. Leeds was also the destination for the winner of the Luke Littler x Deliveroo Best Kebab Award, with the city's Sqew Shawarma Bar nabbing the title. The darts prodigy shortlisted ten 'Litter-approved' venues, all of which went to a public vote with Sqew Shawarma Bar, coming out top. Sqew's Khobez kebab with chicken, salad and sauce, was a notable mention. Additional awards were granted in acknowledgment of other hospitality strengths, including Deliveroo's Above and Beyond awards. Divisive high-street bakery, Gail's, was also given a Heart of the Community award across the nation, a win that will no doubt come as a surprise to those who have accused the chain of 'gentrification'. The bakery was at the heart of fierce debate last year, as locals in a number of locations, including Worthing and Wandsworth, fought back against plans to build new outlets on their high-streets. Others in the category included the Environmentally Sustainability award, given to Bujo in Dublin, the Customer Obsession award, which went to Burger Me Up in Birmingham, and the Rider Love award given to Thunderbirds, a chicken restaurant with various outlets across London. The Icon awards also showcased the talents of UK restaurant owners, with Naeem Aslam, Director of Aagrah Leeds winning the Lifetime Achievement, and Rich Myers, Founder of Get Baked scoring the Changing the Game award. The Rising Star award went to Enrico Pinna, Co-Founder of Ad Maiora, in Manchester. The Role Model award was given to Tim Vasilakis, Founder of The Athenian, which boasts multiple locations across the UK, including in London, Bristol and Sheffield. Reflecting on the overall winner of this year's Deliveroo awards, Jimi Famurewa, food critic and Deliveroo restaurant awards judge, said: 'It's an honour to be a returning judge for Deliveroo's UK & Ireland restaurant awards, and I was blown away by the passion and talent on display at the Independent Restaurant of the Year cook-off. 'Each finalist brought something unique and delicious to the table, making the final decision incredibly tough for us. 'However, Crunch from London stood out amongst the fierce competition, showcasing immense creativity, fine dining-level technique and mindblowing flavour that impressed us all.' Michael Medovnikov, Co-founder of Crunch said: 'From our humble beginnings in a Shoreditch pub to winning Independent Restaurant of the Year for UK & Ireland with Deliveroo in just a few years – it's an absolutely surreal and incredible feeling. We poured our hearts into every single sandwich we've made for our customers, so this award is for our amazing team and all the customers who've supported us from the start of this wild journey. Thank you to Deliveroo and everyone who voted for us to receive this amazing recognition!'
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Food blogger slams trendy new cafe for ‘annoying' problem
An Aussie food reviewer has lashed out at a newly opened sandwich shop in Sydney for running out of food before he could try it. Food blogger John-Ray Boukarim said that he visited the newly opened cafe, Bertas, in the Inner West suburb of Marrickville – not once, but twice – and on both occasions the eatery had run out of bread for sandwiches. Taking to TikTok to express his frustration, he explained to his 14k followers that he had planned his 'whole day' around reviewing the food for 'no gain other than boosting their business'. However, when he arrived for the second time, he was disappointed to learn that he and at least 10 other customers had missed out on trying one of their coveted sandwiches. 'Listen, tell me how the f*** you open up a business,' he began. 'You think you would have your operation under control, knowing what stock levels you would need in order to keep up with the demand, yet you still finish and run out of food an hour or two before you shut.' 'F*** off, and stop wasting my time,' the expletive-filled rant continued. 'Don't open up a business unless you know how to run it. Like seriously'. Speaking to Mr Boukarim said that the cafe should increase their bread quantities to avoid this issue in the future, and if they don't sell out by the end of the day, they should donate the rest to charity or use it the next day if possible. 'As a consumer, when a business advertises a time frame of operation, I expect those to be reasonably available throughout that period,' he said. 'For example, a sandwich shop running out of bread an hour before closing raises questions about meeting customer expectations set by their own advertised hours. Why have a business open and closing time? Rather have 'Until sold out'.' He noted that this issue is particularly frustrating when it happens repeatedly, especially on weekends. 'Customers often work Monday to Friday, so their weekends are precious,' he said. 'Imagine planning a nice Saturday lunch with the family, waiting in line, only to be told you've sold out. 'That's incredibly annoying, especially for families with kids. It's a huge waste of their limited family time.' The video quickly went viral, accumulating over 60,000 views as Aussies shared their thoughts on this issue in cafe culture. A spokesperson for Bertas told that they've been amazed by the response they've received from the community after just five weeks of opening — and they're still figuring things out. 'We work out of a compact 36 sqm space with a small tight-knit team, and have up to eight people on deck during busy times,' they said. 'Each one giving their all to serve as many sandwiches as possible, always with quality and consistency at the heart of everything we do. 'Every sandwich we serve is made fresh to order, and we make as much in-house as possible — often starting in the early hours and finishing late at night.' They explained that while demand has exceeded expectations and continues to grow week on week, they're actively working to scale quickly and sustainably. 'This means sourcing more staff, refining operations, and doing our best to ensure we can serve everyone who comes through our doors,' they said. 'We hate having to turn people away, especially as we started this place to offer a high-quality product at an accessible price. This is what starting something from scratch looks like, and we're all in.' Commenters on the video mostly sided with the cafe on this one — saying it's common for businesses in their early days to suffer teething issues. 'You should give them more grace if they're new. They're still learning,' said one customer. 'They have only been open for a few weeks and you think they should have it down pat exactly how much stock they need?' questioned another. 'Even a business that is 15 years old might have weeks they weren't expecting and can be sold out'. Others claimed he made a mistake by going so close to closing time. 'If you want good fresh food, rule of thumb never show up two hours before closing,' another noted. 'You have the right to be upset but maybe go earlier next time,' advised another. Mr Boukarim told this publication that his intention with the video was not to tarnish the reputation of the business but to provide some constructive feedback. Currently, in Australia, 60 per cent of businesses will fail within their first three years of operation, with 20 per cent failing in their first year. He believes that this sort of 'tough love' he provided in his video can help businesses adapt quickly and critically assess their offerings — leading to more success in the future and, hopefully, preventing them from shutting down.
Wall Street Journal
02-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Dave's Hot Chicken Fears Tariffs Will Raise Equipment Costs
A sandwich platter is prepared at a Dave's Hot Chicken restaurant in California. (Jane Hahn for WSJ)
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Get Grilling: Picanha sandwich
Kitchener Watch Chef Matty B shows us how to use rump cap to make a delicious Picanha sandwich.
Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Why chicken sandwich is the new hamburger in land of the Big Mac
You have to take a couple of decent-sized bites out of a Le Coupé fried chicken sandwich before the lips touch bread. The thick cut of thigh, which is brined in buttermilk for 24 hours, coated in a chilli-honey glaze and topped with sweet pickles, cabbage, kale 'slaw' and honey mustard, is served in a brioche bun that was apparently designed for a much smaller piece of meat. The result is a chicken sandwich which has been hailed by users of the reviews app Yelp as the best in California. That makes Craig Walker's creation, sold from an unassuming takeaway in central Los Angeles, an important historical artefact: here, in the state that gave the world McDonald's, is evidence of a seismic shift in American
