Snuggled in a prime spot on Notting Hill’s Portobello Road, the first UK edition of America’s popular Eggslut has arrived. Ignoring the awful name, what about the food? Well, it’s mostly average, at times subpar, and pricey for what you get.
Let’s start with the positives. The bacon, egg and cheese sandwich came in a cute, brioche bun, the meat crisp and smoked. And the egg itself was brilliant: orange, runny, and like it had been specially laid for the ’gram. Then, an American ‘biscuit’, not unlike a savoury scone, was delightfully fresh and buttery (though the supposed ‘honey’ butter tasted more like, well… just butter).
It quickly went downhill, though. While the flavour of the cheeseburger was fine, and it looked dashing enough (with another social-media-savvy egg), the patty was made from overly dense, cheap burger meat, and the whole thing was unpleasantly greasy. Given its poor quality, the £9.50 price tag seemed hefty.
Worse still, Eggslut’s supposed speciality, The Slut – coddled egg on top of puréed potato in a glass jar – was absolutely dire. And, it wasn't just because of its moniker (this place goes all out on the misogynistic slurs): the stodgy spuds were completely bland, while the egg was partly uncooked: jelly-like, translucent and revolting. The restaurant itself was an untidy mess: loos without toilet roll, and empty sugar sachets and crumbs littering uncleaned tables. Eggslut is underwhelming, but it’ll surely continue to thrive off its eggy, Insta-bait aesthetic.