Halal Sunday Roast at The Great Chase

April 18, 2018May 21, 2021 by HGAT No Comments

Back when HGAT started, I would strive to visit a halal restaurant when they first opened and tell you guys all about it. Over the years, I’ve come to learn that no restaurant opening is smooth sailing and in fact, there will be a whole load of teething problems that accompanies it. Now I tend to wait a few weeks/months until it’s been a good amount of time for any issues to be ironed out before I visit. However, the occasional few will slip through and I’ll end up dining there within the first few days! This is what happened with The Great Chase.

The Great Chase opened up last year, and getting excited at the thought of having something other than a halal burger, I visited with a group of friends when it first opened. Needless to say, we did not have the best dining experience but I appreciated the thought that went into the dishes. Eight months and numerous outstanding reviews later, I decided it would be worth checking out again, especially for their halal Sunday roast.

I managed to snag the last table for the halal sunday roast, and ordered some tea whilst we waited for our hearty lunches.

halal sunday roast the great chase — ROAST BEEF [£27.00]

At £27, this halal Sunday roast does not come cheap. The plate came complete with roast beef, gravy, beef-dripping roast potatoes, carrot and swede mash, vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the sirloin cut that had been used. The beef slices had a large amount of hard fat lining the meat, which was extremely difficult to eat, and the meat was quite chewy. Whilst the carrot and swede mash stole the show of the roast, the other trimmings did not fare as well. The Yorkshire puddings needed more time in the oven, whilst the gravy was watery and needed a more concentrated meat flavour to really make it true roast gravy. A personal niggle for me were the roast potatoes. I like my potatoes to be crisp with a fluffy inside, but these were on the stodgy side (which BW liked so hey ho!).

The roast chicken, on the other hand, was extremely good. The breast was insanely juicy and succulent, with a crisp golden skin and was thoroughly enjoyable. BW had the same trimmings as me, with the exception of the Yorkshire puddings as they were not gluten free.

Chocolate mousse served alongside blood orange segments and a hazelnut crumb. This was exceptionally good; the textural contrast between the smooth chocolate mousse and the crunchy hazelnut crumb was superb, and I enjoyed the sweet and delicate tones of the blood orange segments.

The total bill for two people, including drinks and service, amounted to £66 so £33 each. I’m not sure about you guys, but for two and a half dishes, it felt a little steep. I understand that it is a large roast plus the quality of the ingredients used are very good, but it was not worth the price. A shame given the positive reception The Great Chase has received.

A quick note, one of the reasons why I love HGAT is meeting fantastic individuals (e.g. Armi from Cona) who are passionate about not just food, but everything that goes into the food. This ranges from welfare of the animals to even the quality of the ingredients they use. This isn’t about making a quick buck for them which is what I think many restaurants are about these days. Mabruk, behind The Great Chase, is one of these individuals and I admire his knowledge and drive behind his food. He is happy to take on any feedback and is always striving to do better, which is a rarity in restaurants for me.

The Great Chase website: http://www.thegreatchase.co.uk/