RESTAURANT REVIEW - FERNANDEZ GRILLHOUSE

My friend sent me a snapchat of a new grillhouse that had opened up near The Brewdog pub. Alas I rounded up Sandy and Miles and we headed there to go and try and eat as much of the menu as possible all in the name of gluttony and review. Here's plenty of pictures and what we made of Fernandez Grillhouse.

*Note: I've chose to discard the previous points scoring system I employed whilst writing these restaurant reviews. It's kind of hard to judge all eating establishments by the same criteria when some are chicken shops, some are chain restaurants and some are stand alone independent traders. Also, I scored a couple pretty average places pretty high a few years ago so it never left me much wriggle room haha

NAME: FERNANDEZ GRILLHOUSE
LOCATION: 10 FRIAR LANE, LEICESTER, LE1 5PY

click these photos to enlarge

DECOR: It's kind of nice inside. Just looks like all of those Tex Mex grill places look, so it's not really notable. Sort of a similar vibe to a Nandos. One thing that was really nice was that tables weren't all packed in right next to each other. You really feel like you have your own space in there, Which say for example in a Nandos, or those other Tex Mex places is quite rare isn't it. Lots of big booths and long pews make it perfect for a big group booking.

Sandy Feat. Olives

PRICE: The prices were really good. We all went mental, had a main and about 3/4 sides, and then a steak to share and it was about £24 per head. This was kind of like my big blow out meal of the weekend, so I was expecting to clear £30-40 quid easy. Very pleasantly surprised. You could eat really well for around £15.

My med veg was mostly tomatoes and mushrooms. Need to do a twitter poll to find out if this is ok to be classed as 'med veg'.

FOOD: There was so much actual food on the table. We did a good job of trying to get as much as possible to review. The food wasn't blowing my mind out of my ears, but everything we had was pretty nice. The blue cheese sauce was really good haha. The steak we got was the best thing, I think if I went back again I'd get another steak. It was juicy and really thick and came with a nice little pot of cheese and jalapeño sauce. All the sides were of a certain standard, nothing fancy, nothing wildly offensive. The chicken strips were big and thick. The onion rings were battered instead of breaded which was a result. The burgers were nice enough and made with love, they hadn't been thrown together, but I feel like we are a bit spoilt for gourmet burgers in Leicester. Everywhere else where I would regularly go to serve fresh, handmade burgers. These were nice, but tasted a bit sloppy because I think they were frozen ones.

In regards to the menu and the selection it was absolutely 10/10. There was SO much to choose from, they do everything you can imagine they would and more. Every kind of burger or steak or chicken or whatever you can completely customise and there are loads of sides, sauces and other little bits. We could easily go 3 man up again, have as much food as we did and not have anything we had on this table this time. However there was no pork, or alcoholic drinks. I assume given the other diners in that evening they were aiming at an Asian market. If you aren't craving ribs and a beer you'll have a wild night.

the aforementioned juicy steak. When toying with the idea of ordering one after our original orders came out we said we should share one, and then on 3 said how we had our steak and we all said '1..2..3...medium rare!' It was like that bit on stepbrothers where they realise they just become best friends.

Miles' chilli chips and tower burger

ATMOSPHERE: The atmosphere was really cool, similar to a Nandos. The room was so big and nicely lit that it felt really chilling. If I remember correctly they had similar music to the stuff they have playing at Nandos too. In terms of the sort of people it was attracting when we were there it looked to be big parties, mainly family bookings. The odd little twerp kid darting about but aside from that it was all calm and cool.

My Mexicana burger 

B-B-B-B-B-burger boys

SERVICE: The service was sick. The guy who took our order (Kyle) at the till was very very good. I was still kind of undecided on exactly what I wanted, so I ordered in a really round-about way by accident and he smashed it. While he was taking my order something had happened and he was between serving me and passing on to one of his subordinates how they should deal with this situation. He still nailed it. We ordered loads and nothing fucked up. However, I think they were so eager to impress and could see that we were having a good time. People just kept coming over to us to check we were enjoying our food. Only a yellow card offence, obviously better than them not coming over, but it was a bit much. 

Just as we went to leave I headed for the toilets downstairs. As I sauntered back through the restaurant I again thought how nice it was that they hadn't packed it out wall to wall with tables. Then I got downstairs and saw these three little booths, hidden away, but right next to the toilets hahaha. One of them was lit with a disco ball or something, and had loads of sequins all over shit. It was odd, I wouldn't like to sit and have dinner opposite the toilets ideally.

The downstairs bog booths, complete with skis

CONCLUSION: In conclusion it's a nice place and I think it'll last. Maybe the location let's it down a little, but then it is on the DMU side of town, not too far from St Martins Square and the Highcross and over the last few years more and more independent places are opening up and people are venturing into other parts of the city centre to eat. Look at that steakhouse that I slaughtered that is on Granby Street. It's ticking over nicely. Also, they've clearly put the money in. It all looks nice and clean and wide open and so on, with the big noticeable neon signage out the front. The menu was wide and affordable, perfect if there was a big party of you, you could all go and eat for about £15 each. I'll definitely go back, but i'm not in any mad rush. The food was really enjoyable but it didn't blow my mind. I'll look forward to next time.

VARIOUS WINS AND LOSSES

Yooooo how good was that bank holiday weekend? Like I didn't do anything mental or notable but I really enjoyed it, it felt like I was off work for ages. At one point I was drunk the other night and thinking about how from Thursday at 5pm until Tuesday at 9pm is a lot longer than a 'four day weekend' sounds.

These look like a delicious problem to have on earth don't they. Like these can stay. I'm trying not to eat sweets and chocolate, and I've kind of got a heightened sense of how much junk food is advertised towards us at the minute. It's everywhere because I'm craving it again.

I love making a massive massive load of pasta and just having it in my fridge. Spoon out a huge bowl of it and feel a full, thick, dead weight in my stomach for a few hours. Its so stodgy and delicious.

I was wild drunk at Beastwang the other night so I've forgot this don's name but he told me he was a Wickedlander and listened to the podcasts and everything so shout out my man.

How delicious does this stuff look? Maybe again it's because I'm trying not to eat sweets or chocolate that this gooey pink shit looks so delightful. If I was a toddler and I could get my hands to it I'm having that. Like Calpol.

Sae the one and only Pinky Patel the other day. second time ever. Pretty buzzing to be honest.

You know you have that bowl that you throw loose change into? I emptied mine the other day. I was expecting about £20, imagine how buzzed out I was. Kind of wanted a song to start playing when the total finished spinning over on the screen of the coinstar thing in the bank. Some victory music like when someone wins a wrestling match. 

I went to Crafty over the weekend, tried the new(ish) menu, lost my mind as expected. Apparently they're booked up like 4 weeks in advance these days. I hope they're killing it, making insane amounts of money and thinking about buying another premises.

Look at these gorgeous little bananas. I bought a bowl of them off the market and I've been eating like 4/5 at a time.

Swagging on the haters. This guy told us he is from Manchester and he has a business making these shoes himself. He was down for the weekend giving out business cards and drumming up business.

I made a grilled cheese sandwich the other day. It had like chicken grills in, sour cream, bacon and jalapeños. It was blinding, every bit as heart attack inducing-ly delicious as you would imagine.

My little sister came over to chill over the weekend. When I was walking her back to her car we fucked one of my umbrellas and it folded inside out. I then tried to pop it back the right way and it riiiiipped and then I couldn't fix it so I bent it up and threw it. I've seen these umbrellas dotted about my whole life and never had to deal with one. I've lost my umbrella breakdown virginity.

That's your lot! I've got a couple of other fun bits I'm going to be writing over the next couple of weeks. Keep your eyes peeled. WWWWWWOCKODLOND

NEW PODCAST: 100 - WITH MAX BARTON & FRANK SUAREZ

I'm joined for a special centenary party-cast by two of original podcasters Max Barton and Frank Suarez. We discuss the sugar tax, the Royal Mail, pizza, Hulk Hogans sex tape, Papaw and much more.

Also, if you want to come and guest on my podcast send a message to 'Wickedland Blog' on Facebook or tweet me @Wickedlander.

Don't forget you can download all the old episodes here: www.mediafire.com/#osrccod9oedcg
   

WASTEMAN OF THE WEEK: 046

WASTEMAN OF THE WEEK - MOE AND ETHAN BRADBERRY

So you know those hidden camera 'prank' YouTube channels started getting pretty big a few years back right? Next thing you know some of the pranks turned pretty dark, like the ones where a pretend serial killer chases some people, or like the ones where someone dresses up as a suicide bomber and throws a backpack at some passers by. Pretty bad, but still not awful. Moe and Ethan Bradberry used to have a channel called OCKtv which specialised in this kind of stuff. They rebranded to MoAndEt and stepped up their game, and started doing the most ridiculous shit.

I saw a video that they put out last week and swiftly removed from their YouTube channel as soon as they started getting bad press. Instead of 'pranks' they now call them 'social experiments'. Now I guess if you know me, or you are a regular reader you know I'm not really bothered by much shit. My sense of humour is pretty much draw the line wherever, I'm not easily offended. I think my issue with this video that they removed is that ultimately it isn't really funny.

The crux of the video is that they're showing you how easy it is to get kidnapped or raped or whatever when using sites like Craigslist, and going to meet strangers to buy shit off of them. Bundling the guy into the back of a car and pretending to kidnap him in the name of YouTube views is pretty bad, but it's the girl I really felt sorry for. Watch the video (that someone kindly reuploaded) below and see for yourself. Honestly, it's so fucked, I was stunned, sat with my mouth wide open.

The most amazing part of it all is the way these creeps act like they're doing what they do for the greater good. To inform people of the possibilities of what can happen when you go to meet strangers. They take on this patronising tone and say things like "I'm sorry we had to do this to you.' This girl is clearly scared half to death and these cunts say things like 'there were cameras all around the house' as if that makes it ok. Just look at these freaks and listen to the way they talk. So embarrassing and mental.

KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG

Yoooooo what's good what's good. Here's a bag of shit that's gone on over the last couple of weeks.

Lava Lounge is a weird little place isn't it. Have you noticed they've started opening the front up in the day to do jacket potatoes and cobs and stuff? So weird and mental. Boutique little bar full of fit girls by night, jacket potatoes by day.

I made a curry for me and Olly last week. I got a bunch of samosas and other shit to have with them. It was so nice. You know the spicy green sauce from Bombay Bites? Just dipping all these leftovers into it over the next couple days was the highlight of my year so far.

Man, I wanna be Cypriot so bad. There's a block of flats full of them near mine. Leicester Uni students. All the men do is have barbecue street parties irrespective of weather and go to the gym. Also, I systematically fall in love with the girls I see around this block and from this block in my gym. They're so effortlessly beautiful and natural, not polluted by dogshit culture like Geordie Shore and V festival. Obviously being one of these guys means you get to hang around with and talk to these girls all the time. Fuck this man, I hate my boring crap life, I wanna be a Cypriot.

How could anyone vote Aaron O'Rourke for mature rep when he isn't even mature enough to do his hair? You're having a really important photo taken mate, just bang a comb through it for fuck's sake

I love Darryl's dog. I love being around dogs and I love that when I go to see Darryl I get to hang around with his dog. Max is always forcing his fucking cats on me and as much as I love going to see Max and knocking about with him if I am at his house his cats annoy me and hamper my fun. The other day one of them got behind me on the sofa and licked my fucking head. Am I an ice lolly? Am I a Solero? 

Veg in this country is a fucking farce isn't it. I was having a quiet Friday last weekend and I thought I'd cook myself a steak. I couldn't be arsed to properly cook so I thought I'd just grab one of those prepared bags of med veg. The peppers, onions, courgettes and so on. I went to my local Tesco Express and they didn't have any so I went to the big Tesco on Braunstone Gate. Sure enough the humans with taste had made sure all of the prepared med veg trays were sold out, and we just had rows and rows of bland crap left over. I hate the veg we farm in this country. It's embarrassing that in an age where you can just fly whatever in from wherever and grow anything in a greenhouse anywhere people still choose to eat the shit that grows here.

Look at this. Seriously, who is choosing to buy this crap? Have you ever tasted a red pepper before? I love veg so much and I always want mountains of it, but this stuff is just depressing and tragic. The war is over. We no longer have to eat as if we are in a bunker in the 1940s. Parsnips. As a human adult with free will I cannot comprehend eating a fucking parsnip.

The Lamplighters has closed down then. How does a place like that go under? I swear it was always busy. Thank god though. It's mad to look at this photo and consider it's less of an eyesore than it was when it was open isn't it.

I popped down to London on Saturday.

I love shit like this. Really wish more than anything ever that the white stripe on his jacket was the other way around though, the same way as the Oyster.

I linked up with a collective called The Spot to go on Radar Radio. I was excited, I only knew Marvin (bottom left, you might recall he did a podcast a few months back) so it was cool to go and par with some new faces. Radio is always fun though, loads of people locked and were tweeting and texting me.

I made an edit of some footage I had from the show. Check it out here

I linked up with Jamie after to record this weeks podcast. We went and ate our bodyweight in grilled meat and rice at a Turkish spot down Green Lanes before I got on my coach home. Man I seriously don't know what I would do without these places, they constantly leave me completely satisfied.

Ben (who now also lives in London) messaged me saying he was up in Leicester for the weekend and mentioned going for breakfast the next day. Is that odd? He was in Leicester while I was in London? Is that notable? Who gives a fuck. Anyway TwoTen is a dietary staple too. Very essential Narborough Road business. Max taught me to have chips with a fry up and I've never looked back.

Amongst other things that's like a little thumbs up, thumbs down of the food I've consumed recently. Hope you agree with me. If not I imagine it's been a very irritating read for some of you. Thanks for popping by as ever, and I'll see you soon.