[REVIEW] Fish Tacos / Luardo’s / Brockley Market, London

The only other London burrito slingers to our knowledge that serve a fish taco are Wahaca.

Much as I love Wahaca, they have a tendency of being a bit snooty toward Californian Mexican fare, then putting it on their menu and botching it.

The Luardo’s version is far closer to tacos we’ve had in SoCal. The Coley is nicely cooked but the liberal amount of lime juice, mango, coriander and wonderful creamy guacamole brings a little piece of the west coast to a wet car park in Brockley. Without any local point of comparison then, we can say quite conclusively that these are the best fish tacos in London.

Sadly, the fish taco is only available on Saturday lunchtimes at the moment, and not during their more popular Whitecross Market or Eat Street residencies. This is because it’s nowhere near as popular as their standard meaty burrito options, which is a massive shame.

Fish tacos are a great differentiator for Luardo’s now that the London burrito scene has become so shamelessly identikit. Let’s hope they roll them out more regularly. And that people buy them. Please buy them. Supply and demand and all that.

• Simon.

And one more from @eatstreet.

The off-menu Big Pole from family fave Big Apple Hot Dogs.

Monumental.

What do you get when you slow cook ribs, pull the meat off the bones and put it in a bun?

Awesome is what you get, son.

Courtesy of the @theribman at @EatStreet.

[REVIEW] Lucky Chip / London / London’s Second Great Burger Van

Guess what.

You don’t have to schlep down to Peckham to find a burger truck anymore. There’s one deeply ensconced in Hipsterville now and it’s called Lucky Chip. Obviously there will be comparisons made to the daddy of the burger food truck, the Meatwagon, and with some justification. Their cheese burger does look strikingly similar: the same composition of ingredients and same mustard/ketchup lattice dispersion on the bun. And, both are really tasty burgers. Yeah, It could be that they are copycats, or it could be that both places know what it takes to make a great cheeseburger.

What sets the Chip apart are their signature efforts. These guys are not burger purists. In any way. Named after some of acting’s elite, these have been crafted by experimenting with ingredients which combine winningly.

The Sheen is a pimped bacon cheeseburger given an extra creaminess and garlicky tang, aided by Philadelphia and some homemade aioli. The Selleck, my personal favourite, is like a flavourgasm: the mouth is bombarded by the pickle crunch of beetroot infused onion rings, the grilled sweetness of pineapple and the tangy smoke of the barbecue sauce - each hitting like sucker punches. And it’s all IN A BURGER. That shit is good. The fries are ace too. They look like sweet potato, but they are just normal spuds, deeply fried with skins left on.

They are tasty.

• Rob.
• Lucky Chip are at Netil Market in London Fields pretty regularly. Check their Twitter for details.