The commercialisation of food has meant that recipes have been able to travel the world and inspire others. You don’t have to go to China to have for delicious bao buns, Jamaica is just a doorstep away if you’re craving a patty and Philadelphia cheesesteak can be found on a famous road in Manchester called the ‘Curry Mile’.
The latter is what I was craving, and after a quick look on Google I found a spot. More precisely, you can find a version of the Philly cheesesteak at the Legends Desserts and Burgers Bar on Wilmslow Road.
Style and ingredients of a cheesesteak vary. However, in every recipe book, video or documentary about the local delicacy, it is accepted that it is vital there is an abundance of cheese, onions and beef steak in the sandwich.
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The people at Legends’ haven’t strayed too far from the blueprint by keeping it simple with the use of shredded rib eye, melted cheese, crispy fried onions, chives and a ‘secret sauce’ packed in a 12-inch bread roll.
The takeaway spot itself is quite modest. A black and white colour scheme with plenty of indoor seating. The brand is a franchise of sorts that has units in Bradford, Manchester, Leeds, and Huddersfield.
The concept of the place is quite clearly American foods and it also draws inspiration from iconic male sports stars. The walls are adorned with poorly A1 portraits of GOATs (Greatest of all time) like Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Maradonna, Mohammed Ali and more.
The menu has smashed burgers called ‘The fat Ronaldo’ (which is very funny to hear grown men order), ‘The Elvis’ and milkshakes called ‘The Pablo (Escobar or Zabaleta?) and ‘The Messi’.
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But I was here for the adequately named the 'Philly Cheesesteak'. You can have it with fries for £10.95 and add a drink which took my order up to £12.70.
The eye test was very promising. The sub was true to size and they certainly didn’t skimp on the fries.
The first bite however, was underwhelming. The strongest taste of the dish was the crispy fried onions which was a big disappointment as I was hoping the secret sauce, salt of the cheese and quality of the beef would more prevalent.
In fact, the secret sauce might just be a placebo as my taste buds could barely register anything else outside of the beef, onions, and cheese. The beef was soft to the bite and melded well with the cheese, but it was lacking in favour.
The meal was even more underwhelming when it came to the bread. Barely warm when it arrived at my table and absolutely no crunch to be found on the outside.
While the inside was soft and tasty it could have done with a few more minutes in the toaster to prevent the leakage that made the corners of the sub a little soggy. It certainly wasn’t the worst sandwich I’ve ever had but wasn’t the best either.
Looks like I might have to order than plane ticket to get a quality Philly cheesesteak after all.