Guest Post: Five Places Mariam ate in London ☕
A halal friendly guide.
Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, Mariam, who is a researcher by day, nighttime purveyor of K-pop memes, takes us on a tourist’s guide of London. For regular Sophie content, check out past posts here, and for photos accompanying this week’s guide, follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.
One of the cool things about visiting London as a New Yorker and a practicing Muslim, is that: when many hear the word "halal," they're not just referring to chicken and rice from the cart on the corner. These were all places I ate at that either served halal meat, or were fully halal for some part of the day (Halal meaning, the animals you get meat from are slaughtered in a certain way, and absolutely no pork products nor alcohol is included in the preparation of the food). Interestingly in some cases, I didn't know these places had halal options, or had a fully halal menu until I went and sat down.
Afternoon tea at Jean Georges at the Connaught hotel
The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London, W1K 2AL
This was my first proper meal in London, after a sleepless overnight, transatlantic flight, and before my friends who were joining me on this trip had arrived. I was seriously questioning whether I wanted to fork over ￡70 over afternoon tea, but this turned out to be one of the most memorable meals I've had as a solo traveler. The waiter confirmed that their afternoon tea menu was totally halal. You could also order an unlimited number of teas, request as many sandwiches as you like, and bring home any pastries from the pastry tower that you don't finish. Before the tea, they first served a glass of this fancy sparkling grape juice that was wonderfully tart and not too sweet.
The sandwiches were surprisingly flavorful; the turkey sandwich was the most flavorful sandwich of the bunch, with light truffle mayo that didn't taste like mayo. The dessert tower was a wonderful spectacle: warm scones with elaborate pastries and a little chocolate fondue cup at the top. The fondue was a little too bitter but the pistachio & raspberry cake had a subtle but lively nutty flavor, and the plum & almond tartlet was tart but had so many different and lovely flavors in a small package, with a small lavender leaf on top. I could live off the scones with clotted cream and their raspberry jam.
14 N Audley St, London W1K 6WE
This fish and chip shop won't necessarily give you the "authentic" experience of taking out a cone of fish and chips, but the wonderful thing about it if you eat halal is that here you can request your fish to be fried in alcohol-free batter.You can pick what type of fish you want fried: cod (a firmer texture) or haddock (a flakier texture that falls apart easily). You could even order "scraps", the batter bits in the fryer, for free. I got the cod, in alcohol-free batter, which came with tartar sauce and a generous helping of chips (fries are chips, and chips are crisps in British English), with a ginger beer on the side.The batter was thick yet satisfyingly crispy, and didn't overpower the freshness of the cod within it. It was difficult to eat it slowly and savor it rather than scarf it down at once. The chips were nice and crispy too, though by the time I had finished my cod, my stomach was starting to get mad at me for eating so much fried food. Nonetheless, an incredibly tasty and satisfying fish and chips meal.
4 Derry St, London W8 5SE
Dishoom is a UK institution, with several locations in London, as well as locations in Manchester and Edinburgh. Though their breakfast menu does include bacon, their all day menu is totally halal. I could write a whole chapter on the food Dishoom offers but here are the highlights: Do not under any circumstances skip on the house black daal: so savory and full of flavor, and get plenty of naan to eat with it. And don't miss the gunpowder potatoes, which is seasoned with lemon and chili, and makes for a zesty and spicy snack. I also went for breakfast several times: the date and banana porridge was something I kept coming back to breakfast for. The egg naan roll might trump the classic NYC egg and cheese sandwich, with its runny yolks, tomato jam, and fluffy naan.
62 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0BU
Anyone who knows me knows I love Korean snack food like ddeokbokki and kimbap. I never had a chance to try a Korean-style corn dog because they're often made with pork. This little shop in Covent Garden has a halal chicken corn dog. It was wonderfully crispy on the outside, with subtly sweet breading. I ordered it with ddeokbokki, which was spicy and perfectly chewy. When you dip the corn dog in the gochujang that the ddeokbokki comes with, it makes for a great comfort meal in cold weather.
83-89 Fieldgate St, London E1 1JU
Tayyab's is a Punjabi neighborhood staple in Whitechapel that my friend Moiz recommended. A few friends and I only came for a quick meal but it's easily one of the most memorable of the week. We shared a platter of the sizzling dry meat, their signature dish, along with the karahi tarka daal and lots of naan. The dry meat, in spite of its name, was tender lamb that had a harmony of flavors with chili, ginger, garlic, lime. They had an amazing selection of savory chutneys, and even a mango chutney at the table. Go with a big group and order a lot, when you do come here.
Enjoy lots!
Mariam
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