Wimbledon - Travels for Taste

Paired with a great beer, I think, a juicy burger hits the spot and nothing comes close to this divine
combination. But enough about beer already, how about burger and wine pairings? Ben’s Canteen
seems to have that sorted.

A local favourite, the Bens Canteen branch on Earsfield high street, is a trendy burger joint which has a great selection of wine to go with their Aussie style burgers. To sample the burgers, I decided to visit this new local hot spot. Located a stone’s throw from the train station, Ben’s Canteen has a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Large bay windows and a long wooden table right by the entrance beg you to sit down and enjoy a bottle of red while your order is prepared.

Though their epic scotch egg seemed quite tempting, we choose the pulled pork nachos to share. Packed full of flavour, the slow cooked pork was fall-off -the bone succulent – melt in your mouth meaty goodness. Coupled with melted cheese, the crunchy nachos are the ultimate treat in comfort eating. If like me, you can’t resist a gin and tonic then do try one of their innovative combinations – eight in all to be precise. My favourite – the Gin Mare strangely pairs well with the nacho starter.

For mains, we tried the trio of mini burgers, a fabulous combination of the cheese burger, the Hawaiian and my personal favourite – the Hot, crispy fried chicken burger. The regular cheese burger doesn’t disappoint with a fresh taste and satisfying combination of American cheese, pickles and juicy beef. What more could you want in a cheese burger? Though if I was to go back for a guilty treat – which I am sure I will, the Hawaain is what I would pick –
pulled pork and a pineapple fritter with red cabbage slaw tops the charts in terms of crunchy meaty goodness.

The hot crispy fried chicken burger satiates cravings for spice and flavour. Soft chicken breast encased in a moreish buttermilk batter with kimchi and spring onions finished off with a fiery Korean hot sauce before being slapped between fresh buns. Absolutely divine!

I like how they have kept the burger menu simple because each of the burgers we tried was fabulous. For all those hours, before visiting, that I spent browsing Instagram and drooling over photos of tempting burgers, salivating over melted cheese oozing from a meaty burger and dreaming of dripping egg yolks in buns, Ben’s Canteen did not disappoint. Not only did I get my burger fix and how, but also I absolutely loved washing them down with a great variety of wines. Given a choice, I would always pick a good Malbec but the Pinot Noir has also proven to be a reliable companion to the Hawaiian pulled pork burger.

Earsfield High Street has a spattering of some great local cafes and restaurants that serve everything from artisan coffee to Nepalese momos. Ben’s Canteen fits right in. No surprise then that, in past year or so, since it opened its doors, this has already become a popular joint amongst locals – they seem to cater to all tastes – everything from brunch time cocktails and bottomless bubbles to gooey cheese burgers AND everything in between (Brixton sourdough toast – here I come!)

It’s not just the great wine pairings that draw in the crowds at Ben’s, they also have a tempting brunch
menu and some really great cocktails. They are dog-friendly and local. In my book, they tick all the boxes.

*With thanks to Bens Canteen for an invite. All opinions expressed are as always my own. No monetary compensation was provided for a positive review.

Hot Off the Grill! – Hot Pink Healthy Grill, Wimbledon – review – New kid on the Block

Whoa! Did I just read the words Healthy and Grill together? Or was it just my rumbling tummy playing tricks on my mind?

It was out of sheer curiosity to find out what this new place on Wimbledon High street was that we dared step in, Back in September last year the place had hardly opened about a week ago and my ma-in-law was visiting. She was most thrilled to know that there was even a healthy eating out option available after the onslaught of pub food, Italian dinners, and a host of other places I have dragged her to 🙂

The interiors are very welcoming with the huge armchairs that you can sink into but they were taken – obvious as they are next to a miniature bookshelf – ideal seating I’d say!

Image Credit: Hot Pink

And the many odds and ends as artifacts scattered around seem to add to the character of the place apart from the POP pink colour which is their general colour scheme.

The menu is quite neat too, the concept is to pick a main, choose one of the sides and a sauce served on the side, and to tempt you further with the promise of only 150 calories there is a skinny custard too! Perfect if you are watching your weight, looking at a healthy eating out option 0r simply being good and not negating all those hours in the gym or worse still spent running out in this fabulous weather aye?!

I was quite pleased to see a side of sweet potato wedges as well – just what the world has been waiting for I say! And if your guilty conscience is on a perpetual vacation like mine is then their award-winning chocolate brownie is what you should be ordering – pronto!

We shared some grilled chicken wings with a Hot Pink Sauce, quite scrummy and juicy.

So ma was really good and ordered a Grilled Salmon and Caesar salad (not the very best I’ve had I must admit ….) while the hubster went for chicken skewers and a side of roasted veg and I got myself a Cumberland sausage with the sweet potato wedges.

I made the mistake of ordering some Hot Pink Cola which is pretty weird to taste, maybe next time I will try one of their skinny slushes or the Hot Pink Lager made using just barley, hops, and water humm.

So let us see on a really hungry evening you could spend anywhere between £16 to £20 (whole sea bass in garlic and herb sauce with brown rice and lentils side for £13 with a brownie for dessert £5 and a fizzy £2.5) per head for a healthier than usual 3-course meal and a drink, not bad eh?

Need more reasons – umm lemme see – Breakfast can look like that :