For one night only, Londoners had the chance to enjoy Michelin-starred cuisine without leaving their sofas, thanks to a unique collaboration between Uber Eats and acclaimed chef Tommy Banks.
A Luxury Delivery Experience
The premise was simple but novel: a £40 set menu featuring modern twists on classic British dishes, prepared in a Fitzrovia kitchen and delivered directly to your door. This initiative, part of a limited pop-up, aimed to bridge the gap between high-end restaurant dining and the convenience of food delivery.
Upon arrival, the packaging immediately set this order apart from a standard takeaway. The food arrived in a substantial, self-opening box that resembled premium kitchenware more than disposable containers. Each component, from the main courses to the dessert, was housed in its own custom-fitted compartment, with the crumble even presented in a glass jar—a far cry from the usual foil trays.
Putting the 'Best of British' Menu to the Test
The nostalgia-driven menu featured three core dishes alongside some inventive bar snacks. The starter was a playful take on salt-and-shake crisps, allowing diners to add either scampi or Cajun seasoning. The journalist found the Cajun option particularly moreish.
For the mains, the experience included two hearty choices:
- The Glamorgan Sausage in bean stew, a Welsh classic praised for its robust flavour.
- The Chicken Tikka Masala Pie, a clever fusion of the so-called national dish and Britain's beloved pastry, which reportedly did not disappoint.
The meal concluded with an Autumn Berry Crumble, elevated with a Woodruff Whisky Custard, delivering a quintessentially British dessert with a gourmet upgrade.
The Verdict: Gourmet Quality vs. Delivery Realities
While the flavours and presentation impressed, the experience highlighted a key challenge of fine-dining delivery: temperature. The food arrived cold, a consequence of the journey from the central Fitzrovia kitchen to the reviewer's home across the city. Reheating instructions were provided, but this step inevitably altered the freshly prepared quality one expects from a restaurant.
Priced at £40 before delivery fees, the meal is comparable to some of London's more accessible Michelin-star set menus. The reviewer concluded it was a terrific luxury treat for a night in, but the cold arrival was a letdown for the price. They suggested that future collaborations would benefit from using more kitchen locations across the city to reduce transit time and preserve quality for more customers.
The Tommy Banks menu with Uber Eats was available in London for a limited time. The pop-up moves to Manchester on December 4th and 5th, and Liverpool on December 6th and 7th. Uber One members get exclusive first-day access in each city.
