Eat 17

It was Tom's birthday recently so I took him to Eat 17, a restaurant in the depths of East London (see what they did there?) that does the best chicken burgers in the city, maybe even the world.

The nearest station is Homerton Overground and from there it's about a ten minute walk, so it's a bit out of the way but I promise that it's worth it.

First of all, the restaurant has a Spar beneath it.

But it isn't your typical Spar (i.e. only stocks fish fingers and out of date biscuits), this is a kind of deli Spar that is full of products made from natural ingredients, freshly baked goods and foodstuffs that you've never even dreamed of.

Eat 17 are the people behind bacon jam (sounds mad but actually tastes great on everything), and they have shelves of the stuff...

And this.

The only tiny criticism that I have of the restaurant is that its dessert menu is a bit small and uninspiring, so...um...

In one bag a salted caramel, peanut butter and banana brownie (try and contain yourselves), and in the other a cookie dough one (try harder).

Having stocked up on essentials, we went upstairs to the restaurant.

And found this beautiful room. The walk from the station isn't exactly scenic and you end up wondering just what you're going to find. This is the last thing I expected.

Apparently it used to be a snooker hall. It's an impressive space and they've paid a lot of attention to the decor, right down to the smallest details.

I need that lamp.

Anyway, I ordered something from their extensive gin menu, Tom got a crafty pale ale, and we perused the menu - but only for form's sake. We already knew what we were having...

We were here for the chicken burgers.

I wouldn't normally go for chicken because, you know, beef, but we'd read about how good these are and had to try them for ourselves.

The stories are true. They are incredible.

Impossibly flavoursome, all the different elements come together to create a perfect whole. The bun was soft and fluffy but somehow didn't fall apart. The chicken was crisp and crunchy on the outside, but tender and juicy inside. What made it though was all the extras, mild and creamy coleslaw studded with the shock of jalapenos, tangy spiced tomato chutney, a generous squidge of mayonnaise. And the chips. A huge pile of proper chips, dusted with salt and smoked paprika.

The portion was so big that we (regrettably) didn't need any starters or sides (still managed to fit in our brownies though, don't worry). And even with a couple of drinks each it only came to £40! Such a surprise given the elegant setting, it felt so special that I expected it to cost a lot more.

I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu, although it will take some strength not to just order the chicken burger again. And there's a branch in Walthamstow too.

So yeah, who needs beef?

(Kidding! I didn't mean it beef, please forgive me!)