london lunch: EAT, classic or dud?

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the lurvely etc. is up for a job of some responsibility at this mass production eaterie, and we have been wondering to ourselves - is EAT classic, or is it dud?

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:41 (nineteen years ago)

Nice but expensive.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:44 (nineteen years ago)

i like chains on principle but often they don't live up to the ideal -- but EAT is much better than the others.

― the classic sounds of the seventh of january 1998 (Enrique), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:45 (nineteen years ago)

Soup = great, better than Pret. Sandwiches = good, but not quite as good as Pret. Overall: a decent alternative to Pret.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:47 (nineteen years ago)

it's ok. you can get nicer food for much the same prices quite widely though. there's an eat very near my office - i don't tend to frequent it, there are some better sandwich shops around. but their soup was v useful last week when i couldn't eat solid food.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:47 (nineteen years ago)

Classic, but possibly I'm saying that because we don't have any round here and I wish we did.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:54 (nineteen years ago)

EAT sandwiches are better than Pret sandwiches in that they aren't all covered in unnecessary amounts of mayo, red onion and some other unnecessary leaf. All Pret sandwiches manage to taste more or less the same no matter what's in them.

I am excusing the mighty Christmas Turkey Sandwich from this.

Standard office worker-centric independently run sandwich shops usually beat both of them.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 6 October 2006 08:55 (nineteen years ago)

I am not a fan of EAT - it seems a bit pricier than Pret and once I went through a phase of picking sandwiches there that seemed to be either (a) very margariney (yuk) or (b) to contain too much aggresively strong mustard or horseradish that made my branes hurt.

I think I am possibley ultra sensitive to strong condiments but there is no excuse for margarininess. It might have been a problem at one branch but it sort of put me off

― Mark Co (Markco), Friday, 6 October 2006 09:01 (nineteen years ago)

Round these parts the indies are either better quality but concomitantly more expensive, or cheaper and nastier. I.E. ya get what ya pays for.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 6 October 2006 09:03 (nineteen years ago)

After the discussion of parsnips in sandwiches last night, I think I am going to pop over to EAT for lunch and do some sampling. Purely in the name of research for yer Misses, you understand?

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Friday, 6 October 2006 09:14 (nineteen years ago)

triangle-tastic!

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Friday, 6 October 2006 09:35 (nineteen years ago)

Their coffee is better than Pret and Starbucks. A low bar I know, but they do clear it.

― Anna (Anna), Friday, 6 October 2006 09:44 (nineteen years ago)

agreed here, the soup is good, apart from the little squares on puff pastry they put on the top of the strangely named chicken pot pie soup that just go all soggy and rub.

also they don't give you butter for your roll.

the pies aren't all that either (also possibly not pies)

actually the once or twice i've had the salads they've been pretty good...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Friday, 6 October 2006 10:18 (nineteen years ago)

and the thing with the soup is, it's good but if i can be bothered to use the office microwave the fresh & wild soup (esp the armenian dahl) beats it hands down (taste, price, warm and fuzzy organic virtue buzz)

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 6 October 2006 10:20 (nineteen years ago)

pret coffee is disgusting.

― the classic sounds of the seventh of january 1998 (Enrique), Friday, 6 October 2006 10:21 (nineteen years ago)

looks nice.

but shit name.

so i never go.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 6 October 2006 10:24 (nineteen years ago)

It should be called NUM: Nutritional, Uncostly and Morally uplifting

― Mark Co (Markco), Friday, 6 October 2006 10:29 (nineteen years ago)

or maybe "Pretty, Organic, Non-gm, Carb-free, Enviromentally-friendly".

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 6 October 2006 10:33 (nineteen years ago)

the morrocan spicy chicken with root veg soup they have on today is GORGEOUS, go and get some NOW!!!

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Friday, 6 October 2006 11:26 (nineteen years ago)

OK, I have to say that I'm impressed with their range of options. Even at 2pm, after the lunch hour, there was a lot to choose from. As I was saying last night, one of the nice things about being vegetarian is that you usually don't have to suffer from option paralysis because usually there's limited options. There were at least 4 different options that caught my eye.

But I went to try a sandwich, so I've got the Cheese and Pickle, also crisps and a side salad (rocket, tomato and mozarella, yum).

The only nasty comment I have to say is that for an organic place, they sure use a lot of packaging.

Whoa, my sandwich just fell to pieces when I tried to open the box. Not very good on the glue factor, but that could be a good thing. We'll see.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:04 (nineteen years ago)

Its not organic, it just gives off that impression, they do use a lot of packaging, though.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:07 (nineteen years ago)

Not been the same since they dumped the Santa Fe Breakfast Wrap.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:09 (nineteen years ago)

Too much dressing on the salad. Oily when I got a salad coz I wanted something healthy.

Sandwich has a goodly amount of vegetables (always a problem with cheese sandwiches - you get a single sliver of manky wilted lettuce) but this is nicely stuffed. Only problem is the amount of lettuce and cress is preventing the pickle from adhereing the cheese to the bread. The bread sticks to eat other more than the contents of the sandwich.

Nice bread, though, not at all dry.

A bit on the expensive side for what it is, though.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

You should try Pret's current cheese + fruit pickle soft baguette. And they seem keen on the ethical thing: http://www.pret.com/sustainability/ (jeez, you'd think I worked for them.)

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

it's only relatively recently that i've realised they're not the same as pret - I think they both have similarly located stores in cambridge, which confused me. are they basically aping pret, or is it the other way around?

― toby (tsg20), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:16 (nineteen years ago)

Pret got the baked doughnuts like woah

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:17 (nineteen years ago)

Pret beats eat by ten whole years. McDonalds have a 33% stake in Pret though.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

yes, I must say that the McD thing rather put me off pret.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

the lovely mrs' favorite chain sandwich place is paul sandwiches - http://www.paul.fr/produits/us_sandwichs.htm - no triangular boxes there! but it is after a different type of "experience" i suppose

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:39 (nineteen years ago)

I didn't know Paul did sammiches! I just know them for the lovely pastries and cakes and stuff.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:40 (nineteen years ago)

Paul coffee tastes like arse. I'm a fan of apostrophe for high class non-triangular chain sandwiches.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

They're the second most expensive sandwiches in London after the remarkable Apostrophe, which is curiously located in the back of an optician on TCR and charges around £14 for a cheese baguette.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

ha, x-post!

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

They are very spendy and call their reuben a strasbourg, but tasty nonetheless.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

paul be like damn though.

― the classic sounds of the seventh of january 1998 (Enrique), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)

I had a pauls sandwich from the stall in euston station and it was hella dry. nice cakes though

― Mark Co (Markco), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

i've only been to one UK paul tbh, but i leiked it >>>>> the competition.

― the classic sounds of the seventh of january 1998 (Enrique), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:52 (nineteen years ago)

the uk should revenge itself on pauls by opening up a chain of GREGGS all over france.

― rtccc (mwah), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:54 (nineteen years ago)

Ed, I don't expect a French place to use 'Reuben' to describe an Alsatian sandwich (nor do I expect them to call it an Alsatian) and Mulhouse isn't as evocative, is it?

I replied in the Great Panic Canvass, but Kate's points are valid. EAT not exactly a pioneer and the beigeness of the shopfront probably makes it even more New Labour-look than a Brick Lane curry house refurbed with beech veneer flooring. I go in there and look around and go 'meh' at the food, which could be better and also should undercut Pret. Then I go and get half-sarnies at Pret. However if they'd do New England Clam Chowder as a soup I'd be happy to try it.

If they put marg in their sandwiches for any other reason than kosher-keeping, fuggeddabadit.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:54 (nineteen years ago)

EAT sandwiches are better than Pret sandwiches in that they aren't all covered in unnecessary amounts of mayo

DOES NOT COMPUTE

― rtccc (mwah), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:56 (nineteen years ago)

xpost re GREGGS

Zut alors! zis lardy roll de sausage is strangement delicieuse!

― Mark Co (Markco), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:56 (nineteen years ago)

better than anywhere thus far mentioned - jumbo's on brewer street!

i just had their fashion wrap (an ironic title i assume given the amount of yummy calories in it) and it was AWESOME.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:58 (nineteen years ago)

the £1.60 ham & tomato hot croissants pret do pwn anything eat has to offer. impressively greasy too!

― rtccc (mwah), Friday, 6 October 2006 12:58 (nineteen years ago)

Thankfully no-one's sunk to mentioning Benji's yet. Oops. Fun fact (possibly a lie): managers of Canary Wharf didn't want their high-class mall besmirched by such a low-rate sandwich chain as Benji's - so they made them rebrand as Bene Bene.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

also i once got into an real actual argument with a lurking pret employee when i dared to wonder aloud if anyone ever bothered getting the half-sarnies (hi suze). like, to the death! i respect that.

― rtccc (mwah), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

managers of Canary Wharf didn't want their high-class mall besmirched by such a low-rate sandwich chain as Benji's - so they made them rebrand as Bene Bene.

eh? bene bene is completely different to benjie's!

i used to get food at bene bene pretty regularly when i worked in c wharf, it's v decent.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

I once interviewed the man who designs the sandwiches for Pret. He was scarily enthusiastic, like some sort of bread-obsessed Moonie.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

We don't have EAT in Glasgow. I saw one in London last week, but got confused with TASTE (aka TASTELESS) so I didn't go in. I wish I had, so I could contribute to this discussion. My favourite sandwich at the moment is Greggs' Thai chicken on granary.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:14 (nineteen years ago)

The food's the same, they've just fooled you with the power of BRANDING! Actually I wouldn't know as I've never been there. It's a good story though, I shall continue to tell it even if it's an outrageous untruth. xxp.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:17 (nineteen years ago)

My favourite sammiches remain M&S, or even better... Waitrose. God, I haven't had a Waitrose sammich in way too long. I miss Swiss Cottage sometimes.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Friday, 6 October 2006 13:29 (nineteen years ago)

I'm very high maintenance when it comes to sandwiches. I like to see them made in front of me.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 6 October 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

i'm even higher maintenance, in that i like to make them myself.

― toby (tsg20), Friday, 6 October 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

Bake your own bread PUSSIES

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 6 October 2006 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.catchthat.net/images/CATBREAD2.JPG

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 6 October 2006 22:09 (nineteen years ago)

http://zeke.tzo.com/rpgww/misc/yalogank/zznonrpgww/animals/catbread.jpg

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 6 October 2006 22:09 (nineteen years ago)

ew!

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 6 October 2006 23:08 (nineteen years ago)

Now that I am spending all day in Tooting, I am missing all my old lunch haunts. EAT on the South Bank near Southwark bridge was home away from home.

― marianna (mariannapm), Saturday, 7 October 2006 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

Argh! Are those from Tomcat Bakery? I used to work there and we used to kid around drawing cat-bread.

Tooting? Dude, that's close to me! Come round for tea some time! Oh wait, I won't be there, I'll be at work in Holborn.

― Three In A Bed Socks Romp (kate), Monday, 9 October 2006 08:36 (nineteen years ago)

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