Few meals are as universally satisfying as a good sarnie – but would you pay for £12 for one?
It would appear that the answer is, overwhelmingly, yes, for many Britons – who voted a trendy toastie vendor as the Independent Restaurant of the Year UK & Ireland at the Deliveroo awards.
The winners of the food delivery platform’s annual accolades were announced last week, based on 160,000 customer votes and the verdict of a panel of judges; founder Will Shu, food critic Jimi Famurewa and Tilly Ramsay.
Taking the crown for one of the categories was Crunch – a viral foodie spot with locations in London‘s Soho and Spitalfields Market.
The brioche bread pop-up shop is particularly beloved for its £12 Patty Melt, promising a filling of ‘truffle beef patties, red Leicester cheese, crispy onion marmelade and black truffle mayonnaise’.
I was cynical on my approach to the stall in East London, broadly feeling that the endeavour will essentially end up in me eating a glorified burger sans the soft bun.
What’s more, I was hesitant about the structural soundness of framing your brand around crispy slices of toast, which could so easily fall apart go soggy.
Deciding to also sample a veggie options for the less carnivorously inclined, I opted to taste-test their £12 Buffalo Cauliflower sandwich, which featured ‘deep-fried florets, ranch coleslaw, butter-buffalo sauce and a rich parmesan cream’.
Few meals are as universally satisfying as a good sarnie – but would you pay for £12 for one? It would appear that the answer is, overwhelmingly, yes, for many Britons – who voted a trendy toastie vendor as the Independent Restaurant of the Year UK & Ireland at the Deliveroo awards
Taking the crown for one of the categories was Crunch – a viral foodie spot with locations in London ‘s Soho and Spitalfields Market
Upon first bites of both, I was quickly humbled by how incredibly well crafted a toastie could be – and deeply baffled by how anyone could achieve such witchcraft.
It was about 15 minutes after me purchasing the sandwiches that I was actually able to sit down and eat them, so they were also sternly subject to ‘delivery’ conditions – and I was blown away by the (for lack of a better word, crunchy!) bite.
Starting with the Patty Melt – a saucy endeavour that packed two juicy, well-cooked meat patties as well as other adornments – I was ready for the impact of wettened bread.
Instead, the perfectly buttered brioche tasted as if it had just popped out the toaster, while still staying springy and not dry at all.
The individual elements themselves all sang in harmony, never feeling too overpowering. And yet everything was tasteable, from the fragrant truffle to the sweet onion jam.
It was far from a burger rip-off, but instead felt to me like what all burgers should now be doing, to deal with the consistent issue of soggy bread melting into the filling.
Elmira purchased two sandwiches – costing £12 each – as she sampled Crunch’s tasty offerings
I’ve paid well over £15 for over-hyped smashed, double stacked and ornately-decorated burgers in London; so £12 felt to me like a more than fair price for not just the quality of the ingredients but the craftsmanship presented.
While the Patty Melt truly is a bestseller for the brand (and was the most popular dish on Deliveroo) they’re also known for their creative veggie options.
Tucking into my cauliflower I once again braced myself for disappointment – this time not only the bread was at risk but the frying batter could easily become too soft, covered in condiments, around an already tender vegetable.
But science-defying culinary mastery won over, as I bit into a perfectly crispy concoction that had held up perfectly.
What’s more, unlike being a token meatless option offered at many other vendors (particularly smaller ones, like Crunch) it was not only one of a few on offer but was absolutely delicious in taste.
I found myself torn between going to the Patty Melt and back to the cauliflower sarnie, finding both equally impressive.
More incredulous to me as well is that the florets – which are ‘marinated overnight in the same buffalo butter and a bunch of spices’ – usually part of a typically bland veg on its own, were packed so full of flavour.
I struggled to find a single flaw in the meal, and would happily splurge the £24 on them once again.
Elmira said £12 felt ‘like a more than fair price for not just the quality of the ingredients but the craftsmanship presented’
Food delivery company Deliveroo has revealed the top takeaway restaurants in the UK, including one TikTok viral sandwich shop and high street bakery Gail’s. Pictured, the sandwich shop Crunch
Deliveroo last week revealed the top takeaway restaurants in the UK which along with Crunch, includedhigh street bakery Gail’s.
Winners were split across five different categories including independent businesses on both national and regional levels – and a new category sponsored by darts sensation Luke Littler who uncovered the nation’s best kebab.
Competing against Crunch for the crown, were restaurants who’d already picked up regional awards, including a Leeds cake shop and Bristolian fast-food chain.
Each were judged by the panel on brand personality, food quality and value, packaging and presentation, customer reviews and loyalty, innovation, and going the extra mile.
After being crowned the International Restaurant of the Year for Greater London, Crunch went on to battle against the other regional winners before winning the national category too.
The self-described ‘experimental’ eatery, which opened in 2022, amassed a cult following on social media, with the trendy bap makers were praised for their string of five star reviews, and by judges ‘for creating a new era of game-changing sandwiches and their fearless approach to cooking’.
Regional categories were won by a mixture of pizza, cake and salad outlets.
In Belfast, health food restaurant and burrito bar, Seed, won theIndependent Restaurant of the Year for Ireland.
After being crowned the International Restaurant of the Year for Greater London, Crunch went on to battle against the other regional winners before winning the national category too. Pictured, a Rueben sandwich from the restaurant
The viral food spot has also recently opened in London’s Soho, where it offers delectable sandwiches
Serving acai bowls, superfood salads, burritos and smoothies, health conscious Seed won the hearts of the Irish.
Scotland preferred pizza over salad, with the nation nominatingBig Manny’s Pizza as their winner. The Aberdeen-based eatery serves a range of decadent cheesy pies and is famed for their unrivalled meat specials and18-inch pizzas, available by collection only.
Bristol won on burger and chips with the city’sOowee Diner located on North Street, winning the area for its burgers, tasty dips and loaded dirty fries.
Get Baked, a cake shop and bakery located in Leeds, took home the crown for Manchester and Leeds. The eatery has amassed a cult following online, in particular for itsBertha cake, a huge layered chocolate cake that was inspired by the Roald Dahl tale Matilda.
Leeds was also the destination for the winner of theLuke Littler x Deliveroo Best Kebab Award, with the city’sSqew Shawarma Bar nabbing the title.
The darts prodigy shortlisted ten ‘Litter-approved’ venues, all of which went to a public vote with Sqew Shawarma Bar, coming out top.
Sqew’s Khobez kebab with chicken, salad and sauce, was a notable mention.
Additional awards were granted in acknowledgment of other hospitality strengths, including Deliveroo’s Above and Beyond awards.
Divisive high-street bakery, Gail’s, was also given a Heart of the Community award across the nation, a win that will no doubt come as a surprise to those who have accused the chain of ‘gentrification’.
The bakery was at the heart of fierce debate last year, as locals in a number of locations, including Worthing and Wandsworth, fought back against plans to build new outlets on their high-streets.
Others in the category included the Environmentally Sustainability award, given to Bujo in Dublin, the Customer Obsession award, which went to Burger Me Up in Birmingham, and the Rider Love award given to Thunderbirds, a chicken restaurant with various outlets across London.
The Icon awards also showcased the talents of UK restaurant owners, withNaeem Aslam, Director of Aagrah Leedswinning the Lifetime Achievement, and Rich Myers, Founder of Get Baked scoring the Changing the Game award.
The Rising Star award went toEnrico Pinna, Co-Founder of Ad Maiora, in Manchester.
The Role Model award was given toTim Vasilakis, Founder of The Athenian, which boasts multiple locations across the UK, including in London, Bristol and Sheffield.
Reflecting on the overall winner of this year’s Deliveroo awards, Jimi Famurewa, food critic and Deliveroo restaurant awards judge, said: ‘It’s an honour to be a returning judge for Deliveroo’s UK & Ireland restaurant awards, and I was blown away by the passion and talent on display at the Independent Restaurant of the Year cook-off.
‘Each finalist brought something unique and delicious to the table, making the final decision incredibly tough for us.
‘However, Crunch from London stood out amongst the fierce competition, showcasing immense creativity, fine dining-level technique and mindblowing flavour that impressed us all.’
Michael Medovnikov, Co-founder of Crunch said: ‘From our humble beginnings in a Shoreditch pub to winning Independent Restaurant of the Year for UK & Ireland with Deliveroo in just a few years – it’s an absolutely surreal and incredible feeling.
We poured our hearts into every single sandwich we’ve made for our customers, so this award is for our amazing team and all the customers who’ve supported us from the start of this wild journey. Thank you to Deliveroo and everyone who voted for us to receive this amazing recognition!’
