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    Crazy Homies

    Crazy Homies has the best nachos in London. While other establishments try to pass off nacho flavoured Doritos covered in half melted cheese as the real deal, Crazy Homies actually makes their tortilla chips by hand, daily. I’ve been several times before, but I recently went on Cinco de Mayo, which I think is some kind of Mexican holiday celebrating them getting rid of the French. I use it as an excuse to eat an uncomfortable amount of nachos and tacos washed down with at least three too many margaritas.

    The first Thursday of every month at Crazy Homies is special. DJ Wheelie Bags comes in and spins classics such as La Bamba, Tequila and Ring Of Fire, whilst handing out awesome prizes.

    I got this spiderman and after two trips down the wall he looked like this. Things escalate quickly when tequila is involved.

    This Thursday was particularly special because it fell on Cinco De Mayo. A perfect storm that required the perfect outfit, which meant I had to get this skirt from Zara when I saw it that day. It was a sign! Unfortunately, as I left the house to meet friends, the zipper burst open. Some might see that as a sign to maybe NOT to eat my weight in tacos, but I just pinned that sucker up and exchanged it for a new one on my way to the restaurant. I’m no quitter.

    There are several reasons why I’m not a model, but this photo is illustrative of the main reason. It’s really hard for me to look like a normal human being if I know there is a camera nearby.

    We were a large group of seven crammed into a table that was probably meant for two, but that didn’t matter. Crazy Homies is not a white linen tablecloth kind of place. It feels dive-y, in the best way possible. If you want space, relative quiet and adequate lighting but zero vibe, go to Wahaca. Crazy Homies if for the purists. The whole place makes you feel like you smoked some pot before you came, again, in the best possible way.

    I recommend starting off with the fresh tortilla chips and sauces, AKA Totopos. The guacamole is great, but they don’t give you enough (really, you can never have enough guac) and the salsas range from mild to burn off your uvula. Get your mind out of the gutter, your uvula isn’t where you think it is. Helpful hint: watch out for the stuff that resembles BBQ sauce unless you’re a masochist.

    There are eight options for margaritas on the menu, but I’m sure if you had a concoction in mind, they’d make it for you. I had 5 anejo margs and was hung-over AF the next day. Choose your poison carefully because these things are delish.

    Because we were such a big group, we just blanket ordered the pulled pork nachos, chicken quesadillas and then every taco they had

    Eat the nachos as soon as they come. Because everything is fresh, the juices can make the tortilla chips soggy if you wait too long.

    The Mahi Mahi fish taco.

    Tacos come with two options, tacos (soft tortilla) or toastadas fried tortilla. Hard shells are my favourite but the Crazy Homies ones are fried flat which makes eating them a massive pain. Soft are the style du jour and the norm in the US as well.

    The shrimp and the chicken tacos were my favourite. The added mango on the shrimp taco make it taste light and really fresh.Crazy Homies is the closest to American style Mexican food you can get in London. Embrace the cramped quarters and quirky atmosphere, add a few margaritas and you will have a fantastic time.

    What to wear: Something you don’t mind spilling guacamole on and wear your hair down for an opportunity to wear one of the many sombreros floating around.

    Crazy Homies

    125 Westbourne Park Road

    Notting Hill, London

    W2 5QL

    020 7727 6771

    www.crazyhomies.com

     

    Crazy Homies Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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    PizzaBuzz

    Pizza is one of my favourite foods. I love it so much, that it’s what I demanded for my birthday meal last year. So, when I was invited to try out the new London pizza joint, PizzaBuzz, I was both excited and nervous. As a blogger, you always want to love the place you’re going to eat for free, but as a pizza lover, I know I’m an unforgiving b*&ch (case in point: my post on Pizza East can be seen here).


    I was very pleasantly surprised! PizzaBuzz is a millennial focused pizza brand. With their pop art walls and emphasis on the individual, it was honestly a restaurant experience like none other. The most impressive part for me was that they have simplified the ordering process. Ever get annoyed when you’re at a restaurant and they don’t come take your order for ages, or not there when you want another drink and even worse, never bring you the bill? They have an app for that. Along with a delivery option on most food service apps like Deliveroo and Jinn, they also have Flypay, an app that can bring your food right to the table without having to flag someone down.
    They are also the solution to that annoying friend you can’t go anywhere with because they are everything-intolerant. You get to make your own pizza anyway you want, including gluten free bread and you don’t have to suffer through listening to them complain that there’s nothing for them on the menu.


    The hubs and I walked in and grabbed a table with the other bloggers and then went up to create our masterpieces. I was so glad he came with me because I really couldn’t decide what I wanted and one of the best things about getting married is sharing food. I ordered the verde base (pine nut basil pesto, mozzarella and Parmesan), while the hubs had plain old margherita.

     

    Next it was toppings. Oh the toppings! You have to be careful, because although the pizzas start at a very reasonable £4.25, if you add absolutely everything (like I tried to), it can add up. I added ham, pancetta, pepperoni (yes, basically every kind of pork they had), pecorino, chestnut mushrooms and olives. But even with all of that added, my pizza only came to £14.40. To put it in perspective, I tried to build the same pizza at Domnios (small size) and it was over £20 and they didn’t even have pecorino. Hubs added chicken, veal meatballs, goats cheese, green peppers, chestnut mushrooms, red onion and courgette.

    They were both delicious! And actually fairly large. I took a third of mine home and had it the next day. There wasn’t too much sauce (my pet peeve) and because you see them make the pizza, you can ask for as little or as much as you want. It’s also ready insanely quickly because they have some kind of magic oven that can cook the pizza in 90 seconds. Yes that’s right. They can cook a pizza quicker than my microwave can do popcorn.

     

    If you aren’t into pizza, we can’t be friends but you can still eat at PizzaBuzz. They have salads and some delicious burrata. If you’re on a diet and can’t stomach eating like a rabbit, PizzaBuzz also has a 500 calorie pizza offering which isn’t just cutting the center out of a regular pizza (rolling my eyes in your direction Pizza Express). There’s almost too much to even add in this blog. Love ice cream? They have their own brand that includes almond milk, goats milk and regular old cows milk. I had the goats milk mint chocolate chip, which was surprisingly delish.

    My only suggestion to PizzaBuzz would be to add some dipping sauces. In America they have ranch dressing to dip pizza into and although may seem weird at first, it’s magical. Add that and along with the bottomless booze offer for £29.95 – yes, that is a thing and it includes bubbles – and you have a great casual night out.

    PizzaBuzz

    Alphabeta Building

    2b Worship Street

    London

    EC2A 2AH

    www.pizzabuzz.co.uk
    PizzaBuzz Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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    Dirty Burger

    Don’t go to Dirty Burger Kentish Town on a first date, unless you met through a messy eating fetish site. In that case, it’s exactly where you should go. This genius burger bar is from the same people who brought you Chicken Shop, Egg Break, Pizza East and of course, Soho House. Hot dogs next, please!

    The hidden entrance .

    We went out to this particular Dirty Burger because the hubs and I were on our way to a Method Man and Redman concert to party like it was 1999 (RIP Prince). The Kentish Town Dirty Burger is located around the corner from Chicken Shop and Pizza East. Perfect opportunity to eat yourself into an early grave.

    They don’t even have a menu at Dirty Burger, just writing on the wall, which I like. One less thing to take up room in your eating space. There were only 4 burgers to choose from (Props to them for calling the veggie burger the dirty cop out). I had the plain cheeseburger because I wasn’t convinced the bacon would be crispy. The burger is messy enough without taking a bite and having the entire piece of bacon come out.


    Top Tip: Keep the paper wrapping on to save getting sauce all over your lap.


    The service was a little slow, but you can’t rush perfection. You order at the counter and they call your number when it’s ready. Your meal comes on a well-used tray and you can perch on a bench. The non-alcoholic drinks are self serve in an unmarked fridge. It took us a little while to figure it out, but eventually we found it under the sign warning us we were being watched on CCTV.

    Dirty Burger is one of the better burgers I have ever had, not just in London. The bun is soft, burger juicy and cheese melty. We added the onion rings, which may have been a little too battered, but still delicious.

    If you’re craving a burger, this is the place to go. If you don’t feel like leaving the comfort of your own house to shove a Dirty Burger down your throat, they are on Deliveroo!

    What to wear: something you don’t mind getting burger sauce all over.

    Who you’ll see: Deliveroo drivers and people inhaling meat.

    Dirty Burger

    Kentish Town

    79 Highgate Road
    London
    NW5 1TL

    Dirty Burger Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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    Jackson + Rye

    Jackson + Rye is great American style diner in the heart of Soho.  Now, having been someone who actually lived in America, this is not what an American diner is like in any way shape or form.  But I do appreciate their effort and to be honest, Jackson + Rye is nicer than most diners in America.  I’ve been there a few times before for a weekday lunch (actually with Harry Style’s sister.  She looks exactly like him… or really, he looks exactly like her.)
    Anyway, this time I went for a Saturday brunch and was pleasantly surprised with how friendly and efficient the staff was.  We had a film to be at and let them know at the beginning and they kept that in mind the entire time and the food came out promptly.  Unfortunately, there was major construction going on next door, so it was almost impossible to hold a conversation, but that wasn’t the fault of Jackson + Rye.
    I had the Avocados Eggs benedict and had no idea what to expect.  What came was really good and perfect for anyone on a low carb, high fat diet.  Poached eggs sat on top of the avocado along with (the requested) crispy bacon.  It also came with potatoes and bread, but it was so filling I hardly touched them.  Side note, the coffee was great as well.
    They get fairly busy, so I recommend a reservation or try for one of the few walk-in seats available, which was what we did at around 10am.
    56 Wardour Street, London W1
    0207437 8338


    Jackson + Rye Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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    The Diner

    My boyfriend and I had been looking forward to The Diner since Black and Blue shut down.  We were hoping a great new restaurant would open and prayed it was one that didn’t only cater towards tourists, like most restaurants on Gloucester Road.  It got to the point that when we saw the sign go up, my boyfriend went and asked the builders outside when it would open.
    Then it finally did, and hungover one Saturday we were ready.. only to find it closed.  Apparently it hadn’t opened properly yet.  Take 2, the boy had golf and my head hurt from a long night before at Brompton Club and Bodos Schloss.  So I ventured out on my own.
                              
    First visit:
    The staff were very nice and sat me at a table near the window.  I didn’t really notice the decor or the atmosphere because I was in a corner.  But, at the same time that worked for me, as I didn’t feel like being stared at while I inhaled my brunch alone.  I obviously ordered the Eggs Benedict and toyed with the possibility of also ordering a corn dog, because I love me some corn dog, but thought that was a bit much.
    They were super quick to take my OJ order and brought that straight away but unfortunately took their time coming back to take my food order, so eventually I flagged someone down.  She took it, and my food arrived fairly promptly but unfortunately they didn’t bring cutlery.  So I waited for that as well.  It was pretty delicious but the bacon was a bit chewy for my tastes and the hollandaise was a little too buttery and not quite tangy enough.  Also, be careful with the pepper.  It’s super fine and in a container with large holes so I basically ended up dumping it all over my meal.  I’m a big fan of pepper, but it kind of ruined things for me.
    Visit 2:
    The very next day my boyfriend wanted to go, so there we found ourselves again.  We were sat at at a middle booth so I could admire what they did for decor.  My favourite part are the walls which look like they were put together from old gymnasium floors, love it!

    I ordered the Eggs Benedict again, but this time asked for extra crispy bacon, which I got and I highly recommend they serve the dish like that as a staple.  The hollandaise was also better this time, with the right amount of tang.  I also used the pepper more cautiously so all in all, this was a much better Benedict.  It was £7.

    I wanted a root beer, but was told that the kitchen staff drank the last of it the night before and were in very big trouble.  Can’t hold it against them though, root beer is pretty awesome.  My boyfriend ordered a cherry coke instead and I drank half of it.  It was yummy.

    We also ordered the wings which were a bit of a disappointment.  They were kind of breaded and deep friend and not spicy.  They should work on those, and until they do, I wouldn’t order them.

    My boyfriend ordered the Grab burger which was USDA beef.  Don’t order any of those burgers on the menu because he said they tasted like a frozen patty.  I imagine the other hamburgers are better as it says on the menu that they are hand ground scottish beef which are made daily.  Next time we will probably go for that option.  He also said the bun was too bready which looking at it I’d have to agree with.

    One thing I found distracting was one of the waitresses was wearing booty shorts and a backless t-shirt. She was basically naked and it felt awkward because it was 2 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon and there were children in the restaurant.  It would have been more appropriate if it were Saturday night.  Her outfit just seemed weird and I feel like staff’s clothing shouldn’t be the stand out thing you remember from a restaurant.

    Overall, this is probably one of the better dining choices on that part of Gloucester road (but keeping in mind, it’s competition are a steakhouse and italian place geared towards tourists and a Burger King).  I am pretty keen to try other things on the menu, they had a toasted cornbread with eggs that sounded delicious, and of course the hot dogs.

    Another suggestion would be to change the shakes a little.  I was going to order the oreo one until I read the description and it doesn’t look like there are actually oreos in it, but nutella and chocolate instead.  I don’t like nutella.  They should make a regular oreo shake and I would eat it every day.

    In total we ordered:  Margarita (pretty small), Cherry Coke, Orange Juice, Grab Burger, Wings and an Eggs Benedict and it was £35.  Service isn’t included which is kind of nice as I find it annoying when restaurants add it automatically.   We left £5.70 tip which is more than the usual 12.5% added.  Other restaurants, take note.

    I would recommend a try if you are in the area, but I wouldn’t necessarily venture out to eat there.  They have other locations around London as well.

    To book:

    Web: www.goodlifediner.com

    Address: 105 Gloucester Road, SW7
     
    Phone: 02072447666

    The Diner on Urbanspoon

    The Diner on Urbanspoon

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