HGAT Brunch Series – Drunch
Seeing as I’ve been eating out a lot for this particular brunch series, I could suddenly feel my pants getting a little too snug and I panicked! I needed a healthy alternative from all the yummy burgers, fried eggs, and delicious sweets I had been consuming in the last few weeks. So when I came across Drunch, I was loving the menu that was jam packed with grilled chicken, superfood salads, and freshly squeezed juices. But then it also happened to have burgers, steaks, and mac & cheese so, you know, I guess semi-healthy.
So Drunch is located on a side street just off Oxford street and seems to be a popular destination for families, tourists, and friends. It’s a small and cosy restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating so for those who fancy a shisha, this would be the perfect place on a hot summers day or a bitter cold evening! Their menu is so vast that even with the three of us, it was difficult to cover even a quarter of the items they offered, and it just means I’ll have to keep revisiting to cover absolutely everything!
Let’s get to the meal.
Antioxidant Supreme [£3.50], Hot Chocolate[£3.00, and Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice [£3.25]
The hot chocolate had just the right amount of sweetness with a pretty foam design on the top. Drunch make their juices fresh in house. The orange juice was sweet and didn’t contain any bits (perfect for those who don’t like bits), and the antioxidant supreme was a delicious concoction of strawberries, mangoes, and blueberries.
Drunch Weekend Roast [£18.00]
This is something you don’t usually see in restaurants that offer halal food so I took the opportunity to change things up a bit and ordered it. What arrived was a large shoulder of lamb so beautifully cooked that it literally flaked away into shreds. The outer layer of the shoulder had a very slight crunch and the flavouring was simple with just a touch of rosemary so that you could also taste the quality of the lamb itself. The Yorkshire pudding was huge and infused with thyme however the taste was lost as it was quite greasy. As for the vegetables, the soft carrots and the semi hard swede was covered in a thin layer of meaty gravy.
Drunch Alternative Breakfast [£12.00]
Look at that plate packed with goodies! You have a choice of what types of eggs you want with the meal so I opted for the classic fried eggs. The merguez sausages made a massive change to the usual beef or chicken sausages, and packed an underlying spice in every juicy bite. However, the turkey rashers, although served in a generous portion, had a non-genuine taste to them – almost an overbearing synthetic turkey flavour – which is a shame because they were cooked to a nice and slight crisp.The hashbrown could have been cooked a little longer to get that crunch. The mushroom and tomato were simply grilled.
Buttermilk Pancakes [£8.00]
Not your usual super fluffy pancakes – these were slightly heavier and made from a mixture of flours such as white and wholemeal flours. It was then generously dusted in icing sugar, and topped with sweet strawberries and blueberries. There was a slight hint of chocolate but the subtlety is what made the dish. It was sweet but not overtly so you could enjoy it either plain or doused in a healthy amount of maple syrup.
Chicken Milanese [£12.00]
A lightly seasoned thin chicken breast that was covered in a crunchy breadcrumb layer and simply served with salad and thin crunchy fries. The salad was refreshing and tangy with the creamy feta cheese and the sharp red onions. They had served this dish with both a nice creamy garlic mayo, and a surprisingly spicy yet yummy sweet chilli sauce
The final bill amounted to £68.71 for three people including 15% service charge, so £22.90 per person. A semi-decent price considering the location and the quality of some of their food, such as my mouth-watering lamb shoulder, however may seem a little extordinate at times especially when charging £18.00 for the roast! The service was a little slow but all the food was made fresh to order. The staff were kind and patient especially with the restaurant being completely packed with customers.
Drunch is definitely a restaurant that I would revisit again just to try their other offerings such as their famous hamburger, or their crispy duck with pak choi, or even one or their delicious sounding salads (I know! Imagine HG eating a salad?!).
We’re almost towards the end of the brunch series with just one more day to go, so I hope you’re all starting to get your competition entries in before it closes on Tuesday! The competition details are outlined below.
Halal status verified by restaurant.
As I will be visiting five brunch places, the lucky winner will get an opportunity to win a £50 prepaid meal to take their other half, best friend, mum etc, at one of the five and whichever one of the five you like most!
All you have to do is answer this super simple question and you will be entered into the draw!
So are you all ready?
In the UK, what name is used for the strips of bread used to dip into half-boiled eggs?
Leave your answer, name, and email address in the comment section below and I will pick one lucky winner at random. As well as leaving a comment, liking this post on the facebook page, retweeting this link on twitter with #HGAT, or posting this page on instagram tagged @halal_girl or #HGAT, will get you an extra entry! The competition closes on Tuesday 2ndDecember at 5pm and the winner will be announced on December 7th!
Be sure to share with your friends on facebook, twitter and Instagram!
Good luck!
Terms and Conditions
Please let me know when you would like to dine at the restaurant of your choice out of the 5 so I am able to book this meal for you. The pre-paid value of £50 can be used for any item from the brunch menu and will be taken off the final total. It is non-transferable and cannot be substituted for cash.
