The new Croydon butcher everyone is raving about selling spicy meat cones branded 'best snack ever'
When you're asked to review something that's on the other side of London from you, you always hope it's worth the trip. I live in North London and was asked to make the almost 14 miles journey to Norwood Junction for a snack. Just a snack.
A new Brazilian butcher's had opened up recently on the high road and people were raving about it online. Called Gringo Butcher's, people online had said stuff like 'Definitely going to be a regular' and 'This may have to become a regular haunt' so was gaining attention.
One review said: "Bought one of those cone things - fried, filled with spicy meat. Gave it to my teenage son who said it was the nicest snack he’d ever tasted, which is high praise coming from the king of snacks." So on the recommendation of this 'King of Snacks', I made the one hour and 20 minute journey to see what all the fuss is about.
When I finally arrived I was warmly welcomed by the two staff with beaming smiles and a friendly hello. The store is bright and new with a counter full of inviting looking meats that would make the carnivores inside us drool.
But this is not what I had come for: I came for a spicy meat cone of some sort and after asking what they were I found out they were called Coxinha. It's a popular street food in Brazil and is basically a meat croquette. Their official description is: "shredded chicken meat, covered in dough, moulded into a shape resembling a teardrop, battered and fried."
I bought a beef and a chicken coxinha (one for the review and another for the Duke of Edinburgh award I had to do to get home) at £2.49 each. I found a local park to sit, take in the limited sights before I tucked into my snacks.
So here I was, at the culmination of my journey, the reason for the trip, snacks in front of me and a rumble in my belly ready to devour everything. They smelt great and were warm enough to take a big bite straight away. And my verdict? Truly delicious.
The dough was soft and thick, the meat spiced and salty. It all stuck to the roof of my mouth and needed some consistent tongue action to clean everything away, but that mild annoyance was nothing on the taste. The first bite was delicious and then the flavours intensified meaning you don't scoff the thing down, you indulge your tastebuds with small bites and savour each one.
I couldn't tell the difference between the chicken and the beef but that was an afterthought as I ate the second one as happily as the first. I must have been making all sorts of faces with each bite as the looks I was getting from each passerby was full of intrigue and concern.
At the end of the meal I looked up and suddenly the park became beautiful, the sun started shining and the birds were singing again. I skipped off to the train station gleefully, with all my annoyance of the day having dissipated.
An hour and a half to get home again? Don't mind if I do, nothing to bring this mood down now after eating such a wonderful piece of food. As I sat on that train and looked out over our city that 'King of Snacks' was out there somewhere, and fair do's, he really knows his stuff.
You can find Gringo's Butchers at 73 High St, London, SE25 6EB.
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