Challenge Eating
With the hospitality sector struggling, some enterprising restaurants are looking for ways to lure in new customers. A trend that is beginning to catch on is to offer eating challenges. Here are ten of the best or, if you prefer, the most extreme.
At MeatLiquor, famous for its queues as much as for its sloppy burgers, its Triple Chilli Challenge invites participants to gorge on a jalapeno-topped burger, a chilli dog, and a plate of chilli cheese fries in less than ten minutes. Winners will skip the queues for life.
Meanwhile the Wonder Cafe offers s traditional British fry up with a difference, four fried slices, four slices of toast, four eggs, six sausages, six rashers of bacon, six hash browns, four black puddings, tomatoes, beans, and a single mushroom, all to be eaten within 45 minutes. The challenge has only been won once.
Over at Red Dog Saloon, their challenge consists of eating six hot wings, coated in a sauce made from naga viper chillies, rated as one of the hottest in the world. Contestants are advised to don plastic gloves, sign a waiver, and not drink anything for at least five minutes afterwards.
At The County Arms, dubbed Wandsworth’s favourite pub, offers its adventurous punters a sausage roll, but no ordinary one. It measures two feet and anyone who can polish one off in under five minutes wins a tee shirt. On Wednesdays Porky’s holds a challenge consisting of a double order of ribs and a double order of fries. Those who devour this mountain of food also win a tee shirt and the fastest of the month gets a free meal for two, as if they need it!
Bengal Village offer a phaal curry challenge, offering the plucky few the opportunity to consume what they describe as “the hottest curry in the world” which includes the notorious ghost chilli. The curry is ghost-like as it does not appear on the menu but can be knocked up on request.
I love a shepherd’s pie but I am not sure up to the whopper which the Pride of Paddington pub offers to its adventurous gourmands. Weighing four kilos and the size of a birthday cake, no one at the time of writing has managed to devour it in one sitting.
Trendy burger joint, Dirty Bones, is offering a Mac Attack, comprising three beef patties, BBQ pulled pork, salad, tomatoes and mac and cheese all squeezed into brioche buns and served on a bed of dirty fries. Eat it all in 10 minutes and you get your meal free, a novelty cap and your picture on their Wall of Fame.
Pho and Bun’s Food Challenge, meanwhile, consists of an epic Asian-themed feast of pork belly, prawn patties, beef patties, vegetables and mango all stacked between two steamed buns, accompanied by an enormous order of sweet potato fries. Eat your way through the entire thing in 15 minutes and you’ll get your meal for free and receive a £50 voucher to spend on your next splurge.
Finally, on a slightly more modest scale, you could settle for Tinseltown Diner’s challenge burgers, four patties alongside two sides and fries. More than enough to get your teeth into, I would say.
