An American man who has been sharing his experiences trying traditional British food tried a Sunday roast at a popular London restaurant and gave his verdict on TikTok
Surely there is no better British invention than the Sunday roast? There really is nothing better than sitting down for a plate piled high with delicious meat – or vegan or vegetarian alternative – roast potatoes, veg, Yorkshire puddings, gravy, and all the other trimmings.
One American man who has been sharing his experiences trying traditional British food tucked into a Sunday roast at a popular London restaurant and gave his verdict. Kalani Smith, who has more than 3.3 million followers on TikTok, and his wife Savannah visited Fifty Cheyne in Chelsea to try out what they’d been told is “one of the best roasts in all of London”.
The pair opt for the sharing roast, at £49 per person. Describing everything on his plate, Kalani says: “So, we’ve got our veg, we’ve got our roasties, carrots, I think that’s cabbage, Hereford beef, chicken, and a piece of lamb.
“The Yorkshire is very well done. Before we add the gravy I will try everything, then we’ll add the gravy, go from there.”
He starts with the beef, saying it looks “incredible” as he cuts into it. After taking a bite, he adds: “That’s a really good cut of beef, even with nothing on it.” Trying one of the roast potatoes, he says: “The roasties are very crispy. That’s a very nice roastie.”
Then the moment of truth – Kalani picks up the gravy boat and pours it all over his dinner, saying: “Let’s go ahead and make this a lot better.”
Describing the gravy, he says: “It’s a little bit runnier, but let’s try it out.” He then carries on with his dinner, making a bit of a mess as he does so. “This place is too posh for me Savannah,” he jokes. “I can’t eat right.”
For dessert Kalani opts for a sticky toffee pudding with a scoop of ice cream. Cutting into it with his spoon he says: “The sauce on the outside is very nice. I wish the cake was a hair more moist, but it’s not bad. I actually thought it was going to be drier than it is by looking at it. It’s a solid sticky toffee. It’s not the best I’ve had, not the worst I’ve had.”
Giving his verdict on the meal, Kalani says the biggest disappointment was the gravy which he said he was “not a fan of”. He says: “Would I pay 98 quid again for that? No.
“The beef was really nice, I really liked the beef. You can tell it’s quality. If I were to come back I would probably just do the beef, I wouldn’t do any of their other meats because the beef really stuck out to me, but the price point, it’s just not worth it for me.
“The roast potatoes were incredible, very good. The service was also incredible. They put a service charge on my bill, that’s optional, I left it because they did such a good job. So props to the service, props to the roasties, props to the beef, but the gravy is just too watery.”
People had mixed opinions on the meal in the comments. One said: “Whilst the meat looks decent enough, the trimmings are lacking imo and not worth the £49 price tag.” Replying, another person said: “It is London, a pint of beer is like eight quid so I think it’s fair enough.”
Someone else asked: “Where’s peas and cauliflower cheese? I’d be livid!” But, replying to this, another said: “Neither belong on a roast.”
Another user wrote: “Feel like some of the best roasts I’ve had out have always been at tiny little country pubs in the middle of nowhere.” And another said: “With the utmost respect, you’ve never had a roast unless you’ve had it at someone’s nan’s house. I’ve never had a decent roast at any pub or restaurant. A roast needs to be made with love and care at home.”
Fifty Cheyne has a 4.3 out of five rating on Tripadvisor, and is featured in the Michelin Guide.
Fifty Cheyne was contacted for comment.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
