LEADING IN THE PATTIE REVIEWS APR-JUN 2017

The World of Patties Blog proudly announces the top three pattie shops for April-June 2017  are:

First place

BROWN EAGLE – Wood green

NICE - Birmingham

RUDIE'S. – Stoke Newington

Runners-up

Peppers & Spice - Tottenham

Island Delight – Supermarket supplier

These scores are not set in stone. Chiefs, suppliers and bakers change and the quality of the product may change with them. We are happy to update our review anytime.

Below is the list of all shops that have been reviewed to date with their scores:

1.      BROWN EAGLE – Wood green High Street, N22 Nr. bus station - 14

2.      NICE - Frozen food unit at the Bull Ring Indoor Market, Birmingham – 14

3.      Rudie's. 50 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7XB. www.rudieslondon.com info@rudieslondon.com Tel. No. 020 7249 9930 – 14

4.      Peppers & Spice, 541 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 6SB, Tel: 0208 801 7182 – 12

5.      Island Delight – Supermarket supplier - 12

6.      SUGAR DUMPLIN - can be found at the back right hand side of Enfield Market in a wooden shack -11.5

7.      THE TASTE BUD - 21 Silver Street,  Enfield Town EN1 3EF. thetastebud@yahoo.co.uk  - 11.5

8.      CAFE ALLEYNES - 2 Ladysmith Road, Enfield, EN1 3AA. Email: bookings@cafealleynes.com  - 11

9.      SAVANNAH CARIBBEAN - 14 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UT - 11

10.   UPTOWN CUISINE - 20A West Green Road, Tottenham  - 9.5

11.   CRUSTEE  2 North Square, Edmonton Green.  N9 0HW.- 9

12.   Sweet Delight - 110 High Road, South Tottenham, 02088091532 - 9

13.   PANDA BERRY, 2 Nether Street, North Finchley, N12 0EL.  Info@pandaberry.co.uk 02034415089 07587822041 – 8

14.   Tasty Budds @ Mr. Bagel - 15 Ridley Road, Stoke Newington, London E8 2NP. 02034892829 - 7

15.   AUNTIES BAKERY - 409 Green Street, Plaistow E15 -  6

TASTY BUDDS @ Mr. BAGEL

Tasty Budds @ Mr. Bagel
15 Ridley Road
Stoke Newington
London E8 2NP.
02034892829

JUST EAT LINK

I was drawn to this shop by the music blaring from a single speaker box placed at the front door. It is slightly back from the pavement so you will not see it by standing at the top of the road.
The pattie is the shape of an envelope and the pastry as thick as a jiffy bag! The pastry taste alright, but it's so thick and so much of it that it spoils  the balance of pastry and filling.
They display a registered for Halal food sign.

Pastry - thick! So thick that I couldn't  eat three quarters of it. The balance between pastry and filling was ridiculous. - 2
Shape - square-ish. Made worst by how thick the pastry was.  - 2
Flavour - both the filling and pastry had a flavour I would call it mild Caribbean seasoning nothing to excite the taste buds.
Filling -  taste okay, but not sure if there is any meat in the filling more of a thin layer of savory flavoued bread pudding .  - 3

Total score  7

PS      This shop is open 24/7

PPS    All the other food looked great

PPPS The music is good.

The Pastry is so thick that I couldn't  eat three quarters of it. The balance between pastry and filling was ridiculous!

SWEET DELIGHT

Sweet Delight

110 High Road

South Tottenham

02088091532

CLICK HERE

Lets presume it is a family business because two enthusiastic children (I guess under 16 years of age) were answering the phone and taking orders and doing everything to satisfy the customers; as a woman barked instructions from behind the counter as she shared the food into containers.

Considering it was Sunday afternoon there was a line of shoppers nearly out the door and it wasn't because they were serving slowly. So the meals must be good - I hope!

No beef pattie on the day I visited, but I was offered lamb.

Pastry : The pastry is thick and cardboard like and taste bland - 2

Shape :  Half circle, but it's thickness made it look/seem more  squarish - 3

Filling ; The filling looked like meat, you could actually see the onions.

Flavour : I would call it a mild blend of Caribbean seasoning, but it was surprisingly tasty. The score is more for looking like meat as well as the taste. - 4

Total 9

THE TASTE BUD

The Taste Bud.

21 Silver Street,  Enfield Town EN1 3EF.
thetastebud@yahoo.co.uk

The food heater had several patties neatly packed. Plus they actually had beef patties which is a rarity now-a-days.

The lady that served the food made me feel very special. You'd think she was handling the most precious substance in the universe. She was also friendly and helpful.

Pastry - the pastry was good, light, flaky, melt in the mouth. There was more pastry than filling, but the quality made up for it. - 4

Shape - it was more like a Cornish pastie shape than a pattie. It just needed another fold on the edge to be recognised as a Cornish paste.  - 2.5

Filling - The darkest brown filling I've ever seen. Someone must have been happy with the browning! More of a smooth bread pudding texture.

Flavour - Excellent flavour. Caribbean and pepper flavouring -  5

They also have a Halal guarantee.

Total score 11.5

CHARLIES TASTIES

This World of Patties Blog would not be complete if it didn't include Charlies Tasties. Carribean bakery based in Tottenham on Seven Sisters Road.

 In 1973 there was one other West India shop on Cold harbour Lane in Brixton and Charlies Tasties in Tottenham and that was it from the point of view of shop fronts.

Charlie Rex and his wife Ms. T had been baking hardough bread and patties years previous to opening Charlies Tasties and delivering their products around London from a bakery based in an industrial estate in Southgate.

Taking that step in 1973 to open a shop was a monumental decision. The challenges they faced in getting a property and the hostility pointed towards them did not put them off - they stay focused. Now we take West Indian bakeries for granted but they were not common back in the 70's.

The scoring is not bias, as Charlie Rex was in the UK  (2015) and made patties. This put the group of us there to witness and taste his patties in no doubt that our memory and reality are the same. 

Pastry - flaky, nice colour, melt in mouth - 5
Shape - half circles with smooth edges and no bursting out of filling - 5

Filling looked meaty, moist and not coloured - had a natural cooked meat colour.
Flavour - spicy, peppery & tastie without being to hot - 5

Total score 15

UPTOWN CUISINE

Uptown Cuisine
20A West Green Road
Tottenham

Busy, noisy little shop. Loud music, loud men. Everything's quick, quick, quick - you have to know what you want before you start ordering - no preamble.

No beef patties this time, but  he offered salt-fish and vegetable and a couple of others  - talked to fast and I  didn't have the heart to ask him if he really said 'cheesy beef' pattie?

Good food display. The fish were lined up like soldiers.  No grease in the saltfish fritter tray.

No beef patties! ?!! Chicken and salt-fish only today  I chose the chicken... The thought of cheesy beef made me feel nauseous.

Pastry - Really flaky pastry. Nice colour - 4

Shape - The general shape okay, but it looked like it had been sat on!?! -2.5

Filling - pale, no chicken pieces. Seemed like it was all fillers.

Flavour - Good flavour, just a bit more pepper would have been nice. - 3

Total score: 9.5

SUGAR DUMPLIN

Sugar Dumplin can be found at the back right hand side of Enfield Market in a wooden shack.

Close your eyes. You immediately feel the authenticity. Shut out the surroundings and replace it with a beach, a few palm trees and sunbathers  and the scene is set to enjoy some real back-a-yard  food.

The patties have obviously been packed when they were hot so they look like they've been sat on, but that doesn't take away from the excellent taste.

Pastry - the pastry was good, light, flacky melt in the mouth - 5

Shape - They were squashed! - 2.5

Filling - looked very pale, it looked more like fillers than meat.

Flavour - nice spicy taste - 4

Total score 11.5

TASTEE PATTIES - JAMAICA

I visited the Tastee Pattie shop in Lucea Town, Hanover.  My initial impression; 'this place is run down and can't be doing much'. They even have a sign reading 'no return or exchange without a receipt' which did not make me feel confident about eating there. After all it must be a regular occurrence for food to be returned if there has to be a sign!?!
 I am pleased to announce that complacency has not set in. The patties are worth queuing for.

A little bird told me that Tastee's also supply callaloo patties, but on the day I visited they were not listed on the menu.

Tastees is known as the first pattie makers in Jamaica since 1966 and have been consistent in the quality of the product and by all accounts have worked hard to improve as demand has grown.

The company has celebrated their success with projects within the community which has cemented their name with the people of Jamaica.
Other Jamaican bakeries supply patties that are similar - Tastee's is in the lead with - shape; half circle & crinkled edges, sealed flaky pastry filled with meat full of Caribbean flavour and fresh out of the oven.

CLICK HERE FOR HISTORY

JUCIE PATTIES

I mention Juicie patties and you know I am in the land of the original pattie - Jamaica.

Juicie patties lives up to expectations - Pastry, flavour & taste! I hope to try out Mr Tasties patties (the islands other popular pattie makers) before I leave, but I wouldn't have the audacity to compare these to the English version 's and English deviations of the pattie. On saying that Jucie Patties  have changed there fillings - the most noticeable is the ackee. 

Without saying anything my followers will know that I am disappointed that the home land has gone off in a similar direction of changing the filling of there patties but maintaining the same name as the original beef or vegetable patties. See my article "TRADITIONAL CUISINE - JUST SAYING"

So Jucie have made ackee patties to cater for the vegans. I have one question: is the pastry still made with beef suet?

PEPPERS & SPICE

Peppers & Spice
541 High Road
Tottenham
London N17 6SB

Tel: 0208 801 7182

CLICK HERE FOR MENU

FYI  They have callaloo patties as well.

Beef Pattie
The pastry is good. Light flaky & melts in your mouth. The pastry is why someone would eat this pattie again.

Pastry - light, flaky, melts in the mouth.- 4.5
Filling - The filling grey in colour. Little brown bits that could have been mince meat.
Flavour - Tasty, if mild in Caribbean flavour - 3.5
Shape - traditional half circle. Sealed - 4

Total  12