DADDY DONKEY @ LEATHER LANE

I used to tell all the players, haters and good food eaters that if you wanted Burrito magic then Daddy Donkey was the place. Unfortunately they have been serving up duff product of late. I picked up a burrito from DD to review at the start of the week but it was so crappy I felt compelled to forget it and try them on a busier day. I did that. I went down yesterday to give them one last chance.

Daddy Donkey is a well known street vendor on Leather Lane, right near my house, so I go there fairly often. I had to drop off my jeans at the dry cleaners on Leather lane so I thought I could tie in a Burrito visit. I've filled my jeans with holes. Crotch holes. I was a little nervous about explaining the issue in public but the guy checked the damage and was like, yeah, no probs, nine quid. He has seen it all. I am happy. This is cheaper than buying new jeans. Why haven't I done this before? And now I get to eat a Burrito. Great day.

I went for chicken with all the stuff. The great extra they have at DD are raw habaneros. I love that fruity burn. I love that. I asked for the stuff, paid the man and legged it towards home. On the way I bought a rubicon (passion fruit) and a pack of world cup stickers. Then I got back. FOIL OFF.


(WILL GET GOOD CAMERA ONE DAY..)

First bite was a load of Tortilla, but eventually I got to the chicken and guac. I don't know if its because of the quite clumpy rice, but the ingredients don't really mix well. There is a rice wall, keeping the guac to one side. It's no big deal. The guac was amazing and the chicken really well marinated, juicy and charred. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a big fan of the habaneros. They add a fruity kick that makes up for the stingy amount of salsa.

The extras were all in order. The beans had a good bite and the rice was well cooked. The rice does stick a little as mentioned, but it's well flavoured. The cheese has a good, mature bite, as seems to be the trend with Burritos round here. There was also exactly the right amount of lettuce which gave the Burrito a good fresh crunch, but didn't overpower, which is one of my pet hates. Sour Cream was pretty thick which means it doesn't spill, but I found it a bit cloying.

The main problems throughout though were too much Tortilla and a split at the bottom. I think the culprit is rice overload and not a good enough wrap. Mine had spilt its guts at the top and had a big hole at the bottom, like a really sick chap in a war/shrapnel + salmonella. I didn't get anything extra so portions must be a bit off. The last couple I've had both split. I didn't think it would be too much of a problem but when I got to the bottom I had a rice and bean explosion. Not great. It went on the floor. The excess Tortilla just made each bite a little too doughy and overwhelmed the ingredients. They need to work on a Burrito band aid, like the chap has done with my trousers. Double wrap is not good enough.

Daddy Donkey used to be top drawer, hands-down winner in my mind, but it no longer compares to places like Chilango or Freebird. The individual components are all fine, but the wrapping isn't great and the Burrito doesn't come together very well. I've also had problems with the other meats on offer before as well. The chicken is really good, but the steak is really overcooked and the pork not marinated, over-salted and cut too big. A few tweaks and it could be top dog again, but right now, DD has taken a minor tumble.



good:

- habaneros
- guac
- chicken

bad:

- badly wrapped
- tortilla split
- rice cloying
- sour cream too thick
- ingredients didn't mix/RICE WALL



Leather lane, Clerkenwell, London



7/10