Food: Cristina's Steak

As halal places proliferate and up their game for a fussy audience, I've actually started to enjoy well cooked meat. Having recently come back from having eaten a rather good steak (by my reckoning anyway), I went for a burger tonight at Cristina's in Barking. Specifically, "the mess" which was as delightfully challenging as it sounds.

It was basically a cheeseburger on drugs, with added mac n cheese and smoked brisket. Of course, it fell apart just by looking at it but that was partly the point I suppose.

As a novelty then my food got full marks. However I can't say I was fully satiated by the end of the meal - perhaps it was the amount of food that was lacking, or the quality, but I was left wanting slightly more.

At over £15 per head it wasnt the cheapest of meals but the place was really nice, and the service more than enough to compensate. Awkward parking didn't help with the overall experience however, which is a shame because in total Cristina's just had too much going against it to warrant a return visit.

Food: Toro's Steakhouse

I've never really considered myself a steak person. This is after even having had prime Argentinean steak in Buenos Aires which was... okay I guess? Nevertheless I wasn't too upset as we entered our random place to eat today - how bad could it be?

Well it turns out that it can actually be rather good. We went large and for one of the most expensive steaks on the menu (which actually wasn't too spendy) and quite frankly I wasn't disappointed. Soft, succulent and marinated in a way that didn't get in the way of the natural flavour, it hit all the right spots.

And at around £23 per head including sides and a drink, it didn't really hurt the wallet either. We'll definitely be coming back to this place.

Film: The Menu

Going in blind, The Menu served up a really good, surprising treat[1]. I had an inkling about what it was all about, but the primary reason I wanted to watch this film was because of the anti-foodie position it promised me. It didn't disappoint on that level, and even went quite a bit further.

The threesome of Fiennes, Tayloy-Joy and Hoult were a joy to watch, and although the overarching plot was thin, there was enough progression and development to keep things interesting.

Otherwise it was well filmed, well scripted and well produced movie that deserves attention either at the cinema or at home. Recommended.

[1] Pun intended.

Film: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Wakanda Forever was okay. It had the right ingredients - decent action, an okay plot, some above par character development for a film of this genre. The main theme was that of death - with the cynical side of me feeling it was a bit too laboured - but ultimately this was a film with the good guys and the villains.

It could easily have passed as a non MCU film - indeed there were not many stingers or foreshadowing of a larger scope here. As such it shed some of the burden other MCU films find themselves carrying and was better for it.

So perhaps not quite a full recommendation and yet not a condemnation either. It was simply... okay.