Eating in is the new eating out. With restaurants closed and let’s face it, not that much hope of them reopening in the coming months, lockdown takeaways have become an essential aspect of our weekend – and everyone up and down the country! Every week, we’ve opted for an independent takeaway to help keep them going. Although my bumper MK Food Guide to takeaways and deliveries features loads of options for you to pick from, I thought I’d give you the lowdown on our favourite takeaways since lockdown began to help you choose your next meal.
What has definitely become apparent over the last few weeks that the independent food and drink sector in Milton Keynes is more resilient than you think – many vendors have adapted very quickly to the situation and altered their offering so they can continue to serve customers, but also so they still have a business at the end of it. They still really need your support.
Large chains and corporations will likely survive this pandemic and extended closure, but when you’re buying from a small business, you are directly putting money into someone’s pocket that helps them pay their mortgage and feed their own family.
So in no particular order other than alphabetical, here are my five favourite lockdown takeaways in Milton Keynes so far with a mini-review for each one.
Akasaka
What we ordered: Nasu Dengaku, Takoyaki, Salmon and avocado rolls, eel rolls and tempura prawn rolls. (Edamame pictured below was from our freezer!)
Price: £29.60 (includes 20% off collection discount) – Full price was around £37.00.
Review: Akasaka is one of my favourite restaurants in Milton Keynes. I bloody love sushi and I think the quality of food here really proves that you don’t have to be in London for great Japanese food. Akasaka CMK and Wolverton both remain open for delivery (within a 3 mile radius) and collection.
We’ve had takeaway from Akasaka before when things were open as normal and to be honest, we’ve had some hit and misses. This was probably the best we’ve had from them which is likely to be because they are only getting takeaway orders. The order process was seamless – I placed an order on their website at 5:30pm on a Friday night and it was ready to collect by 6pm!
We always order Nasu Dengaku (Miso aubergine) which is just so delicious – melt in the mouth umami flavours. We opted for a few new additions to our usual order which were a hit. Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) will definitely feature on our orders from now on and the eel rolls were really delicious – nice and rich with freshness from the cucumber.
If you’re looking for a sushi fix, I highly recommend Akasaka. And if you can, collect your food because it’s excellent value with the 20% collection discount. Order via the Akasaka website.
Bandit Street Food
What we ordered: The Bandito Box (Contents: 2 Southern fried chicken breasts, 2 portions of beef brisket, 2 panko breaded halloumi, 4 brioche buns, Bandit ‘slaw, salad and 7 Bandit sauces)
Price: £24
Review: Bandit is an award winning street food vendor who serves up delicious burgers packed with smoked meats (and veggie options!) inspired by the bandits of the world. Always featuring one of the longest queues at Eat Street, but oh it’s worth the wait!
Initially, Bandit offered delivery/collection for their street food menu. We got on board with this and it was great, however, street food doesn’t always travel best, so Jonathan has come up with an innovative idea which means you get all the Bandit goodness at home, without the takeaway sogginess!
Introducing The Bandito Box!
This box comprises of everything you need to build your favourite Bandit burgers at home. Priced at an incredible value of £24, there is enough to feed four people in here. Or, a hungry Soph and Dan.
You can create your faves or go wild and mix and match fillings. We made ‘The Belle Star’ (pictured below on the left) which the panko-crumbed halloumi which was absolutely divine. Then we built our ultimate favourite, and my favourite burger, ‘The Ned Kelly,’ which features Southern fried chicken breast topped with beef brisket and a jalepeno cheese slice.
The Bandito Box will be available for collection only from MK19 every fortnight. Keep an eye on Bandit’s Facebook or Instagram page for when you can place your order.
The Brother’s Supper
This meal was gifted in return for feedback. There was no obligation to post.
What we ordered: The Lockdown Tasting Menu [gifted in return for feedback – no obligation to post]
Price: £35 per person
If there ever was an excuse for a lockdown date night, it is when The Brother’s Supper do a five-course tasting menu delivered to your door! If you’re missing restaurant-quality food, then this is for you.
The Lockdown Tasting menus are £35 per person (available on selected dates) and you get five courses of food: Canapés, Amouse Bouche, Starter, Main and Dessert. Everything arrives pre-cooked so you just need to reheat it. The cooking instructions have plenty of direction so you know how to put the food together. Simply heat up, plate up and eat up!
We had the first menu from The Brothers, which featured some really lovely pieces of food. Our favourite course was the pork belly with fondant potato – everything reheated really nicely and it feel like it had come straight out of the restaurant kitchen. The dessert was also to die for – a rich almost solid chocolate bar with miso and peanut.
It was a great excuse for Dan and I to get dressed up, enjoy a nice bottle of wine and eat some truly delicious food!
Follow The Brother’s Supper on Facebook for details of the next Lockdown Tasting Menu delivery.
Good Times Café
What we ordered: Two Marmite Melt cheese toasties and assorted brownies.
Price: £15
Review: A cheeky takeaway lunch from Good Times Café was one of the first lockdown deliveries we had and is still one of the best. In fact, I think the street food vendors are absolutely smashing it with their deliveries and takeaways at the moment – three out of this top five are all street foodies!
Good Times are delivering cheese toasties and home bakes – I mean can you get any better? The toasties are delivered hot and oozing with cheesy goodness. We went for the marmite melt, which is a classic combo, but they are also offering the rest of their menu from classic toasties to jalapeno melts.
The home bakes were really delicious too. We had the most delicious brownies – mint chocolate cheesecake and a creme egg brownie. As the minimum delivery is £15, I’d recommend whacking some extras on your order…
Good Times is also delivering takeaway coffee which is roasted locally by Wooden Hill. Deliveries are available every week, Monday – Saturday and you must pre-order in advance. Message Good Times on Facebook to place your order and see the menu.
King’s Comfort Food
This meal was gifted in return for feedback and a review on my social media channels.
What we ordered: Soul Food Sharer
Price: £27.50
Review: King’s Comfort Food is the new kid on the street food scene in Milton Keynes but is already making waves with its quarantine takeaway offering. Bringing ‘Southern street food’ to MK (finally!) you can expect to find fried chicken, rubs, waffles, mac n’ cheese and more on their menu.
We had the ‘Soul Food Sharer’ which comprised of all the best bits on the menu: Ribs, chicken pieces, waffles, mac n’ cheese, chicken burgers, chips and ‘slaw. Coming in at under £30, there is MORE than enough food to feed four people so it’s excellent value.
The ribs were our favourite part of the spread. Beautifully cooked so the bone comes off clean and marinated in a sticky sauce that tickles the back of your throat with a bit of spice. The chicken was tender with a really delicious batter – who needs KFC?! I loved the peri chips and the mac n’ cheese sides too.
King’s Comfort Food has just started their offering so there may be changes to their menu. At the moment they are looking to offer the takeaway every Friday and Saturday and it will be collection only going forward. Check out the menu here and place your order.
Saf’s Kitchen
What we ordered: Chaat Masala Chips and Street Roti
Price: £12
Review: I make no secret that Saf is one of my favourite street food vendors in MK. I just love her food so much and I think she really pushes the boundaries with fusing Punjabi flavours with Western dishes. We’ve had a lot of Saf’s Kitchen over the duration of lockdown (we just can’t resist!) but the one we can’t stop thinking about is the street food offering that she did in April.
We collected a street roti which was delicious but the chaat masala chips were NEXT LEVEL. Served with rich and spicy lamb mince, green chutney and plenty of crispy sev, they really went down a treat with Dan and I. I never knew I needed Punjabi loaded fries so much until now!
Saf’s Kitchen is doing weekly collections for various dishes including curry nights, BBQ packs and street food. Follow Saf’s Kitchen on Facebook to stay up to date.
We have eaten so much great food since lockdown so this post took a fair bit of deliberating over. Keep staying home, staying safe and supporting local where you can.
Let me know your top five lockdown takeaways!
Other posts you might like
- The Independent Milton Keynes Guide to Lockdown Shopping
- Things you can do from home during Lockdown in Milton Keynes
- The Independent Milton Keynes Guide to Celebrating at Home during Lockdown
DISCLAIMER: Some of the food featured in this post may have been gifted for review purposes. I am not obliged to feature it further than it’s initial review post but if I have really enjoyed something I will keep sharing it with you.
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