MARCO AND CARL

Muhammad Ali Haji
Jul 16, 2019
4 min read

Updated: Aug 2, 2019

It’s hard to find a place that sort of does everything, to pretty high standards, good portion sizes, whilst being affordable for guys like us. A safe, reliable bet, that you know will always impress the better half, or be the perfect place for a lads (or ladies!) evening out.

Step in Marco and Carl.

I recall coming here ages ago with my wife and some friends, and instantly noticing the cool, archway, semiprivate seating/cubby area in the back. “I’ll go there, thanks”.

Food was brilliant. I don’t really remember any issues. As life took over, we didn’t really eat out much after, until Zainab and I gave birth to Halal Honours Card. And one of the first places we hit was Marco and Carl. I was really surprised. The food was fantastic!

For example, the starters come in HUGE portions. You gotta try the Piccante (pronounced peeeeeecantaaaaaaaaay) bread. It’s gorgeous. Soft, ever so delicate bread that breaks apart even with your pinky finger, revealing all sorts of goodness, including cheese and this delightful sauce. There’s plenty of it to share as well. I absolutely loved this. It’s cooked in a clay oven, which perhaps is the reason why the bread is so nice.

Another great starter is the Chilli Chicken Basket. It certainly looks interesting when you see it! Chicken, drenched in a thick sweet and sour sauce, neatly housed by a crispy pastry wall. The sauce within which the chicken sits in, slowly oozes out as you start to break the wall down. You knock that pasty wall down! Whack some chicken on and taste that bad boy! I’d say it’s one of the best starters I’ve tried. The chicken is soft and tender, and when combined with that sauce, tastes heavenly. But, then wait. Wait for just a few seconds. And then you’re instantly hit with that spice. You don’t see it coming. Like a delayed reaction. It’s absolutely, finger lickin’ brilliant. Best of all, the starter comes with lots of chicken. Plenty here to go round. I certainly think it’s a starter for at least 2/3 people.

So, onto the mains then. If you come here with some mates, definitely go for the kebab platter. There’s so much variety here, and everything is cooked to perfection. And the rice. Oh man. See, I believe that you can tell the quality of rice if its cooked in such a way, it can be eaten all by itself. And the rice at Marco and Carl certainly fits the bill. Soft and full of flavour. At times, I’d take a spoon full of the rice, not bother with anything else, and chow that down.

Zainab got the Philly Cheese Steak burger. It would normally come with chips, but you know.. gota keep the carbs away! The burger though is certainly on the generous side, in terms of portion sizes. I looked at the burger as Zainab pulled the bun away. I then looked up at her face, as we both started laughing with excitement as the cheese slowly pulled apart. Lovely, saucy, thick cheese. And loads of it. We had this look, almost saying to each other, “damn, that is GOOD”! As a man who knows how much his wife loves cheese, I instantly felt so proud of myself, to be able to gift my wife this burger. She was so happy!

Hi. My name is cheese. I am SOOOOO flexible.

I opted for the chicken breast, creamy mushroom sauce, and again, the rice of course! The first thing you notice again, are the portion sizes. You get a lot of chicken for your money. And it was drenched in this very thick, full of flavour sauce that you just have to spread onto everything else on the plate. As someone who is perhaps a bit health conscious, I’m trying to eat more salad. But, with this dish, it’s kinda pleasurable! I’m not exactly sure what they put on the salad, but its genuinely good. And the chicken, again. Soft, tender and absolutely brilliant.

Carbs. Protein. Salad. Health on a plate. Oh wait, the cheese...

It’s also worth mentioning Marco and Carl’s mocktail game. It’s on point. Unlike some places where you only get the usual 4/5 types, you get 8 fantastic types here. Plus… 5 different mojitos. We’ve personally tried the Aloha Lychee and Zainab’s favourite, Pina Colada. You can taste the coconut and lychee bits in these, which we absolutely love. Very refreshing, and something we can certainly recommend enjoying during a hot summer’s day or even just to accompany your delicious meal.

And the service? Well, a big thank you to Sameer who waited on us, gave us a fantastic service and was really helpful in giving us recommendations. A knowledgeable, kind and really down to earth guy. Thank you!

Overall, Marco and Carl is great for you students who want a reasonably priced evening out with the mates. It’s in a great, central location, and the menu has everything to cater for all types of cravings. Whilst we haven’t had the dessert here, there’s a lot to choose from, including waffles and cakes. Portions are very generous too!