I finally got around to visiting the Pride of Paddington. This was one of the first places I heard had challenges in London, including a massive shepherd’s pie challenge (that has apparently now been discontinued). The challenges on offer depend on the day, with the current three being:
- Large burger
- Spicy wings
- Chicken Parma
The challenge consists of:
- A triple patty burger, layered with bacon and cheese
- A side of onion rings
- A triple portion of chips (a flower pots worth, pint glass for scale)
You have 20 minutes to finish the meal to get it free, if you fail, you pay £25.
Now, this one was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I expected a 20 minute challenge to be pretty easy going, but this one took quite a bit longer than I expected.
First of all I tackled the burger in the usual way. I took it apart and ate the patties and bacon separately first. Easy. The patties tasted great and were succulent. I did not even need to resort to water in this part of the challenge. The bacon had a good bite to it but wasn’t overly crispy as I have come across in the past. Again, tasty and easy. No issues here. What I did do with the burger part was use the salad and tomatoes to help get the patties and bacon down faster. Vegetables are naturally juicy, and since they are part of the challenge, you may as well use them to help you as an alternative to water. Overall, this was a great, classic burger. Very enjoyable and it did not take me long to get through.
The next bit is where I struggled. The flower pot of chips. I don’t know what it is, I just can’t seem to be able to get through them fast. Nothing to fault the chips themselves to be honest. They were the typical ‘skinny fry’ type. Nothing special, just salted, so pretty standard fare there. It is a deceptively large quantity though.
To end the challenge I tackled the onion rings. Very small portion, no problems here. The reason I saved them for last is just personal preference. I wanted something I enjoy to finish the challenge on after getting through the chips.
Overall, finished this challenge in 14 minutes flat. I was hoping to do it under 10, but talking to people on the night, they had never seen anyone finish this challenge, so I guess it’s not a bad result. The people watching were at least amused 🙂
If you want to give it a try, visit the Pride of Paddington at:
1-3 Craven Rd,
London
W2 3BP
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