I was very, very excited for this one.
I went down to The Roadhouse in Covent Garden to meet Randy Santel and Magic Mitch. Whilst there, Eric and I joined Mitch in taking on the challenge after Randy was done demolishing it.
The challenge consists of:
- Six, 6 Oz, burger patties
- Layered with streaky bacon and American cheese
- Vegetables
- A side of fully loaded fries and onion rings
You have 15 minutes to complete the challenge. If you win, you get the meal for free, a cool T-shirt and you go up on their wall of fame.
Now, watching Randy do this challenge it did not seem that big. But, up close and personal, it’s a pretty respectably sized meal. The real challenge here is completing it in the 15 minute time limit.
It was time for our turn. There was a behind the scenes wager to see who would be fastest between Randy and Mitch, so I knew I would have to go quick to keep up with Mitch during our turn. We set up on stage. The crowd watching, bright lights shone on us. This was unusual for me, but when the countdown started everything around me kind of faded and I was in the zone. Off I went, bite after delicious bite.
Ok, I wish I could have savoured this one a bit more, but, maybe next time. The tactics were the usual, take the burger apart and eat it a patty at a time, followed by the sides. Also as per usual, I started off clumsily, nearly spilling my water on the first sip. Later on though I found a rhythm and just kept going. Towards the end the burger my jaw began to get tired. The meat sweats were setting in, made worse by the bright lights shining on me. Luckily I was almost done with the patties, so the rest of the food would be much easier to get through. The bacon was UK style, aka not crispy, aka the way it should be (sorry folks across the Atlantic) and boy was it delicious. It was a great addition with the cheese to pack some flavour into those patties.
Having seen off the burger it was on to the sides. I saw off the onion rings fast, quite a shame since they are probably one of my favourite sides. Next were the loaded fries. I was on a good time at that point but they had one surprise I did not account for. Under the cheese that covered the fries was some pulled pork. That delicious little speed bump knocked me off my groove. But at that point I was set to comfortably finish the challenge in time, so it was all good fun and flavours right to the end.
At the end of the night, the previously undefeated challenge had 3 conquerors. No desert after this one, instead we kicked back a few beers with everyone that came to watch Randy and Mitch, and partied into the night.
It was amazing meeting everyone there and going up against Mitch on stage. It was good fun and ended with quite a few laughs. Although, some say those two are still wondering somewhere in Covent Garden trying to find their way home, surviving solely on UK sweets, leaving the Tesco Jaffa Cakes as a last resort ration.
If you want a go at the challenge, check out the Roadhouse:
Jubilee Market
The Piazza
Covent Garden
WC2E 8BE
If the challenge seems a bit much, why not just visit for the great vibes and live music whilst sampling some of their more manageable meals.
As per usual, let me know of any of your adventures in the comments below.
So what times you all get?
Randy destroyed it in like 7 minutes, when I went I got just over 9, Mitch I think did it just past the 10 minute mark. Eric unfortunately did not finish, but made a good dent in it when time ran out. Met another guy that did it in 13, so it is managable.
This challenge really isn`t big. I did in 6:20!
o_O damn man, that is a crazy time. From memory they piled that plate up when we did it, not sure if it was for crowd shock factor. I mean, it’s not a gigantic challenge, but for a 15 minute one, I’d say it’s a big challenge.