On the rise: quality fast food lunch

Gone are the days when lunch meant a boring sarnie - fast lunches can be delicious, original, and healthy
On the rise: quality fast food lunch picture

Gone are the days when lunch meant a boring sarnie from a coffee shop chain. The daytime food-to-go market is seriously upping its game; as these exciting eateries prove fast lunches can be delicious, original, and healthy.

Grill Market
Grill Market’s menu frequently changes but the core offering is grilled meat, fish and halloumi, often with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. Dishes include teriyaki salmon, chicken in a pomegranate glaze, Persian lamb and sticky BBQ pork belly. Food is cooked in front of the customer and served either as a sandwich or with a choice of nutritious salads made with quinoa, puy lentils, kale and plenty of herbs.

Dindin Kitchen (pictured)
London’s first fast food Iranian reversions traditional recipes for lunches on the go. Rich stews, grilled meat kebabs and herby soufflés are available in pots, launching this ancient cuisine into the mainstream for the first time. The most popular dishes are those with chicken: chicken, lemon and saffron soufflé, chicken on skewers with barberry rice, and olivieh salad, a delicious chicken and potato salad with eggs, gherkins and mayonnaise.

Scarpetta
Proving that fast food can be both artisanal and healthy, pasta is made freshly on the premises from semolina flour and water, meaning it’s low GI and therefore there’s no post-lunch slump in the afternoon. Aside from the pasta dishes there are sandwiches made with N’duja, bresaola and mozzarella, as well as delectable fig and Parma ham salads.

Suchef
The sous vide cooking method – where food is packed in an airtight bag and cooked at a low temperature – has up until now only been offered in upmarket restaurants, but Suchef are providing sous vide fish, meat and veg for office workers and tourists in the St. Paul’s area. As well as sealing in flavour, it’s super healthy – no oils or butter are used. However if you’re still hungry after a calorie-conscious lunch of salmon and plaice roulade with brown rice, you can always treat yourself to a slice of cheesecake.

MasQMenos
Spanish tapas don’t have to be just for dinner, as this all day casual eatery demonstrates. Sandwiches made with acorn-fed Iberico ham and Manchego cheese, tuna belly salads and gazpacho are available to eat in or take away. MasQMenus already has several sites in Spain; their first London branch opened in Holborn in July, with a second planned for Soho in September.

Published Aug 10, 2014