Honest Burgers, Reading - Something New at the Reading location {restaurant review}

Honest Burgers hasn't been in Reading for very long, but it's one of the few places in town that I re-visit over and over again. The menu is basic, but I use that term in a good way not in the slang way it is used by the youth of today. Because I have found that the best places to eat are the ones that do a few things really well.

Saying that though the menu has something for everyone, vegetarians and vegans included. Every month they have a special burger that celebrates locally sourced ingredients and keeps the menu interesting.

The other thing they do that helps keep things interesting is that each Honest Burgers has one burger that you can only get at that location. Each one of those burgers usually reflects the area of the location of the restaurant. And that is why I am writing today.

Reading's signature burger has changed.

It has changed to, are you ready for this...... a Jerk Chicken Burger - free-range jerk chicken thigh, smoked bacon, double American cheese, Calypso Fusion jerk sauce, mango slaw and lettuce

Yesterday I took my girls into town to see a movie and then to dinner at Honest Burgers where I tried this Jerk Chicken Burger. I gotta say it was one of the best chicken burgers I have tried in recent times. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the spices perfectly balanced, in my opinion it had just the right amount of heat.

The burger was created by one of the team members in Reading. She worked as a prep chef and made her way up and is now an essential part of their management team. She came to to join the Reading team through a program called Working Chance; the UK's only recruitment consultancy for women leaving the criminal justice and care system.

The Jerk burger uses her family's jerk rub and sauce and a portion of the sale of every burger sold goes to the charity Working Chance as a way to say thank you to them and to help them continue the amazing work they are doing.

If this burger isn't enough for you to visit Honest Burger, I should mention their rosemary salted chips, they are the best and their cocktails are some of my favorite! But not only that as I mentioned above there is something for everyone including veggies and vegans.

In January they launched their vegan burger, which uses a Beyond Meat patty and I tried it when I took part of Veganuary and I have to say I really enjoyed it - I wrote about it in my blog post Top 5 Vegan Recipes & Products and it's still available!

It also has a kids menu that reflects kids tastes. The burgers are sliders and were the perfect size for little people. My eldest daughter loves pickles, like her mom does, and when ordering her veggie burger asked for lots of pickles. Their pickles are made there and so we were brought a bowl with some to try and we were fighting over them! Just another way that they show their dedication to great ingredients.

There are several locations check out their website to find one near you and if you are local to Reading it's located - 1-5 King St, Reading RG1 2HB 

My original review post can be found here.

* I was invited to visit Honest Burgers, I was not compensated in a monetary way for my review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy page above for more information.

Top 5 Vegan Recipes and Products {veganuary - five on Friday}

Veganuary may be over, but there are a few recipes and products I have added to my weekly shop or recipes I have added to my repertoire also one place I will visit again for their vegan menu.

Not in any particular order:

1. Falafels & Hummus wraps: I was making this recipe for years before I decided to try being vegan and it is still a go to lunch option. Falafels with hummus and spinach, shredded carrots, and either mint sauce or sweet chilli depending on the falafels.

2. Vegan burger from Honest Burgers - are made with Beyond Burger patties, they are the first restaurant in the UK to have these vegan burgers and let me tell you they are good!! I know it might be a bit weird to go to a burger place to get a vegan burger, but the rosemary salted chips are the best so it's always a win-win!

3. Banana bread recipe from bosh! - I have written a separate post for this so check it out here!

image belongs to violife

4. Violife original flavour block: vegan cheese - Cheese was my biggest fear,  I was afraid how it would taste and worried about the texture . Cheese how can vegan cheese hold up against regular cheese? But this one did and I am still using it for recipes and sandwiches.

5. tofu with spicy peanut sauce - this recipe I actually made in February but it was so good even my children liked this one and both ate it right up! Best part is that it goes in the slow cooker and can be left to it's own devices as you sort the rest of your life out.

recipe:
675g extra firm tofu
2 tbsp veggie oil
85g smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
dash of lime juice
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, choppped
1-2 red chillis, depending how hot you want it
350g baby spinach
chopped fresh coriander
brown rice to serve

Cut the tofu into thin squares or rectangles or whatever shapes you want and pat dry to remove any excess moisture before frying in a pan over a medium-high heat flipping until browned on both sides.
While the tofu is doing its thing mix everything except the spinach and coriander in the slow cooker and when the tofu is ready mix it all together and leave on low from 2-4 hours depending on your slow cooker. 15 minutes before serving add the spinach and cook the rice, if using 10 minute rice, and serve with rice and coriander as a garnish.

*note I only used one chilli as my kids don't like it too spicy, but if you like it spicy use another one!
**note two I chop up the coriander stalks and mix them in with the sauce

There were so many other things I tried and tested in my month of being vegan a few honourable mentions are the Goodfella's Vegan Pizza found in the frozen section and also found in the frozen section Ben and Jerry's vegan ice cream and last but not least the Heck vegan sausages.

Being vegan was definitely an experience and it has taught me a lot and as already stated changed a lot in how I do my food shopping and cook!

Honest Burgers - Reading, Berkshire {restaurant review}

In 2010 there were two guys in Brixton, London in a tent cutting their potatoes by hand, flipping burgers made with meat they delivered to themselves because the butchers wouldn't and bringing passion to their dream. It was the start of something amazing and as it's not that often I get to London I am super excited that they opened a restaurant in Reading, Berkshire.

Last week my friends and I went out for our monthly meal and were lucky enough to try out Honest Burger. First impressions are everything and as we stepped in the vibe was chilled and rustic, the definition of a cool place to hang out. The staff were welcoming, knowledgeable, and energetic. However, the real test was going to be the food.

The menu is not very long and this, to me, shows confidence and trust in what they are producing. I was excited and sad that I couldn't eat more then one burger in a night. See even though the menu isn't extensive I wanted to try everything on the menu, but as the saying goes when in Rome......

Naturally, I had to try the Reading Special - which is made, like all their burgers, of the best cuts: chuck and rib cap (the fatty bit that's skimmed off a rib eye steak) that is chopped not minced, chopping helps not only hold in the flavor, but makes it really tender. Then they topped the burger with Barkham blue cheese and a red pepper chutney both locally sourced.

The blue cheese comes from a small family business, Two Hoots Cheese in Barkham a little village that sits just between Berkshire and Hampshire. The red pepper chutney comes from the Nomad Bakery in Caversham, they get the chutney from the Caversham Jam Lady.

The burger also is topped with bacon, tomato, red onion, lettuce, and their own pickles in between the buns that are steamed, they wet the bun before placing on the grill and it just gives them a little something extra.

All of this served with the best chips ever. Let's just talk about these chips for a moment, they are fried and then covered with their rosemary salt and are addicting. Then if you are like me and like your dips you need to try the curry sauce, chipotle mayo, bacon ketchup, yes you read that right bacon ketchup, and saving the best for last bacon gravy. You just have to try it for yourself. Trust me, trust them they know what they are doing!

So, as I mentioned my friends joined me for dinner and they tried the chilli burger topped with chilli cheese, bacon and a jalapeño relish. I tried a bite it is good, but it is hot just a warning! Then my other friend tired the special the Disco Burger. The Disco is limited edition and this burger is topped with a pineapple bacon jam, cheddar, burger sauce and pink onions. I didn't get a chance to try this one on the night, but I was told it was very good! You only have until the 12th of February to try this one so get in there now!

They change their special every three weeks and as my lovely waiter suggested we, me and you, need to visit at least once every three weeks to try the new special, but ideally it should be twice every three weeks and he told me it was really a sin if I didn't. So, I thought I'd pass that message on to you. It's a sin if you don't visit at least once, because once is all it will take to make it your go to burger place.

Now that last sentence is an awesome line to end a review, but I have to just mention a few more things - my cocktail the Kentucky Tea - which is buffalo trace bourbon, honest iced tea (they make it themselves), and lemon. I highly recommend it, it was so good and I haven't had proper iced tea since I left the states. Then there were the onion rings, the batter was thick and fluffy and was seasoned with a little bit of aniseed that just gave them a special something. Also note that it's not only the burger toppings they source locally they also source local beers and lagers so check them out if you are in town! And last but not least they serve breakfast too!

Okay I think that's it. You can find them at the address below, if you aren't local visit their website (linked below) for more locations and more information about Honest Burgers!

Honest Burgers: 1-5 King St., Reading, RG1 2HB

*I was invited to visit and check out Honest Burgers as it's recently opened in Reading, I was not compensated in a monetary way for my review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy page above for more information.