If you are one of the dozens of people that follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I am partial to food from Chilli Dog Dog’s. I occasionally post pictures of their food, which, if you are not familiar with their back catalogue, mostly amounts to buns containing protein and other stuff that tastes nice. These food porn images have led to a bit of an on-line bromance with Simon, the cordial chap that slaves behind a grill in the backyard of The Prince of Wales so that I can get fatter. He humours me, which is an achievement in itself. Outside of Twitter our relationship extends to me being a drunk and him working in a beer garden that I often drink in. I am a big fan of his cooking, so when those nice fellows at Deliveroo suggested that I have a dinner on them, there was only one place I was going to fill my boots at.
I keep on returning to Chilli Dog because the standard is consistently high. In a market saturated with burgers and hotdogs he takes prime ingredients’ and doesn’t mess with them – a concept that I wish would catch on. Given the nature of this blog I should be out trying others and probably wishing that I hadn’t, but I don’t because I am fastidious and difficult with the food that I eat. I am also intrinsically lazy, so praise to Deliveroo for saving me the hassle of changing out of my pj’s and getting my dinner to me within forty minutes. Even if the man on the scooter had to handle over the goods to a rotund ageing man in a dressing gown.
The food which arrived may have had the precision knocked out of it a little by the short ride up the road, but it was hot and packed with all the flavour that I have come to expect. A cheese and bacon burger was the star; the texture tightly packed, the beef flavour massive from the coarse meat of an animal that had been properly aged since its offing. Thick, cured bacon gave smokey notes which were eventually wiped away by the pickles. Everything served a purpose. It wipes the floor with any other burger locally and you’ll be hard pushed to find a better one in the city. A Mexicana Dog has toppings of guacamole, cheese sauce, sour cream and jalapenos. It’s not conventional, though it works because the sausage is of extraordinary quality from Lashford’s. The pork flavour inside the crisp skin is ramped up enough to handle enough to handle everything that is thrown at it. It’s messy, but then the best things in life are.
Side dishes from here are usually bypassed in my attempts for a quick nosh between beers, though this time we try a variety to turn it into a main meal. Out of the additional carb’s we order only nacho’s disappoint by being far too salty, even for my taste buds. Chips have crispy exterior and fluffy centres thanks to several cooking processes, whilst a mac and cheese has pasta with just enough bite. What holds them all together is molten nacho sauce, thick like custard and cheesier than four bar stools containing the members of Westlife, for which I would love the recipe for.
It was a different proposition for the second Deliveroo of the evening. I was aware of Heavenly Desserts in the sense that I had seen the constant queue of people that I was never going to wait in: I simply don’t like sweet things enough to stand around and wait in line with strangers for them. What arrived twenty minutes from order on my doorstep would be my first experience of them; quality was generally high, though everything was very sweet. A chocolate cheesecake was intense on the cocoa flavour and light in texture, the accompanying Belgian chocolate ice cream equally indulgent. It’s a chocoholics dream (which I hasten to add, that I am not) and a relative steal at £4.90. For the same price a waffle, a wheel trim in size and appearance, felt less value. The sweet batter was a little heavy, the sugar levels in the white chocolate sauce relentless, even more so with the addition of whipped cream that was packaged separate.
The highlight of the Heavenly Dessert order was a special that was a play on Ferrero Rocher. Chunks of waffle, intermingled with crisp chocolate pieces and chopped hazelnuts, nutella and cream, topped with a massive scoop of hazelnut ice cream. If the waffle was one-dimensional this was a riot of texture and temperatures, with familiar flavours cleverly pronounced.
A final quick word on Deliveroo, because they covered my dinner and therefore deserve it. The on-line ordering is simple, the delivery process efficient and hassle-free. It is never going to replace my obsession with dining out, but it does continue to give me options of eating at great places on the nights when I want the comfort of my own home. In instances such as Heavenly Desserts its a no-brainer: Why queue for thirty minutes in a store when you can have your sugar rush delivered to your front door in twenty? And with Chilli Dog Dog’s, well you should regardless, because its bloody brilliant. Go on, treat yourself. You deserve it.
Chilli Dog Dog’s 9/10
Heavenly Desserts 7/10
Deliveroo picked up the bill on this occasion, though I’ve since ordered (again) on my own accord. Mostly because I appreciate nice food and so do they. Go check them out at www.deliveroo.co.uk
