Address: 86 High Road, Leyton, London E15 2BPHalal credentials: Claim to only purchase meat and poultry from HMC (Halal Monitoring Committee) sources, though not HMC certified as a restaurant.
When a fried egg on top of your 'gourmet' burger costs you £1.50 extra, you know your wallet is going to hurt after you finish your meal ...!
We arrived at approximately 8.30pm. Sahara Grill is well known for its exhorbitant pricing policy, so we expected to pay higher than average prices for our meal, but as we hadn't visited for some time, we thought we would give it another shot.
The waiter first tried to sit us on a small table for two next to two young sisters who were enjoying there meal. We didn't like to disturb them by sitting so close, so managed to persuade the waiter to seat us on the more comfortable table for four. The tables/chairs were tired, but the restuarant overall was well decorated. The venue itself is narrow with two rows of seating behind the ground floor cooking area, but they do have space in the basement for larger groups and also have private rooms.
The menu arrived promptly, and sure enough the prices were as expected, if not a little higher. We try to stick to £10 a head for our regular weekly eating sessions, so T-Bone Steak (£16.95) and similar such fare was off the menu (and overpriced as compared to Jungle Brai and BBQ Express where T-Bone is around £9 to £10). Brother A was tempted by the grilled swordfish (£9.95), but on seeing the portion of fish (a round fillet the size of a normal burger) he was put off.
In the end, we opted for one of Sahara Grill's specialities, 'gourmet burgers'. We had olives (£2.95 approx) and chicken tenders (£5.95 approx) for starters, and shared a small chips (£1.75) with a mex burger for me (£4.45) and Sahara special burger for A (£4.95) for mains. For drinks we had a class of 7up each, and at £1.50p each this was steeper than average as expected (rating this high on the Coke test, i.e. judging the prices at an outlet based on the price of a can of Coke, which on average is 60p-75p). Please note, you have to go to the till and order your food/pay, but at these prices you would hope for a full waiter service.
The starters arrived promptly; the olives disappointed and were your normal jar variety with a mild watery marinade served in a small bowl floating on a lettuce leaf, but the chicken tenders were very tasty - well seasoned and coated, and tender pieces of chicken - though again a small portion. This was served with your standard bbq sauce.
The mains were heartier, each burger was large and well cooked in a toasted sesame bun. The chips too were well cooked and flavoursome, though we believe they were your standard frozen chips. The mex burger is served with a guacomole and salsa sauce, and the meat was well cooked but still moist. The chicken burger was also enjoyed by my eating partner, though he found parts of it too spicy and hot. The burgers were overall very good, but not outstanding.
Overall Sahara Grill was good, better than my last experience there. The prices mean that this place will remain a special occasions place rather than regular eatery for most diners - but it isn't quite a 'special occasions' type venue. We would have liked to sample more from the menu, but sticking to our self-imposed £10 a head we couldn't, and even eating burger and chips we didn't manage to remain with the limit.
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
Brother A: "I think I'll get the fried egg for £1.50, but ask for it be grilled"
Brother A to the waiter (in jest): "I could get a box of fish from Billingsgate at that price"
DECOR/ENVIRONMENT: Very good, above average, though tables/chairs were a bit tired and worn.
PRICE: High, easily £20 per person for a decent meal (the Coke test, high at 1.50p a can)
FOOD: Very good, but not excellent
SCORE: 7.5 out of 10, good food but overpriced
RECOMMENDED: Yes, but be ready to pay
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