When I first heard that Harrods had a viral food fad that was being revered on TikTok, I quickly dismissed it, imagining some weird caviar tower-like concoction that would be worth thousands and cost me half a mortgage.
But my curiosity was piqued when I found out that this was a simple yet tasty chicken dish, with all the ingredients readily available, and can be had for as little as £10.
Intrigued, I headed to Knightsbridge and joined the hordes of excited customers in a long queue at the Rotisserie counter in the retailer’s Food Hall.
The box option lets you get one meat, two sides and two condiments for £10, with the option to get truffle mac and cheese for an additional £2.
Other meats available included chick, buttermilk chicken, Sussex free-range ham and beef cap.
Elmira Tanatarova, pictured, tried the box option, which lets you get one meat, two sides and two condiments for £10, with the option to order truffle mac and cheese for an additional £2.
Elsewhere, roasted potatoes and carrots can also be ordered as a side dish. Variants are also available in wraps and sandwiches.
I decided to splash out on the £12 truffle macaroni, accompanied by roast chicken and grilled burgers, thinking it was a classic enough combination that would be hard to mess up.
The staff are absolutely lovely and helpful, and you get a huge portion; with the option of having skin on the meat or not, but that’s where the positives end.
The food was desperately dry, flavourless and not worth the fuss of running back and forth to Chanel and Balenciaga just to get something that could have been eaten at a Wetherspoon’s.
The name Harrods comes with high expectations, so while I wasn’t naive enough to think they were spending their best ingredients on a £12 box of food, I did expect the food to be at least passable.
The truffle macaroni and cheese, which is advertised as a luxury dish that you have to pay extra for, was completely flavorless. I usually find truffle too strong, so I was surprised that these were so bland that I wanted to try them.
It barely had any cheese flavor, and only the salty crumbs on top gave it any flavor.
The baked potatoes were the worst, though. They were almost impossible to bite into because the outside was tough and rubbery and the inside was hollow and flaky.
Elmira decided to splash out on £12 for the truffle macaroni, accompanied by roast chicken and burgers.
Elmira found the food to be “desperately dry, flavourless and not worth the fuss of running around Chanel and Balenciaga just to get something that could have been eaten in a Wetherspoon”.
It could well be because I bought the last batch towards the end of the lunch rush, but I grimaced as I bit into one of the grilled sandwiches and heard my colleagues back away and the sound of oil sizzling as it came out.
Honestly, the roast chicken was pretty good. It was cooked well and the friendly counter staff seasoned it with salt and pepper (sauce and other condiments were also available).
However, when it comes to roasted ensembles, the garnishes are what make the dish sink or float, and in this case, they drowned the meat.
It’s definitely a fair and generous portion, and despite complaining the whole time, I finished it all because I was hungry.
But knowing that I was eating a luxury brand (and paying roughly the same as I would for a much more abundant and varied box from Whole Foods) left an even bitter taste in my mouth.
It is clear, however, that I seem to belong to a minority.
TikTok users have been flocking to the department store’s food hall to try the buffet food, with one influencer saying they waited in a queue for half an hour to get their food.
Elmira found the baked potatoes to be “almost impossible to bite” because of how tough and rubbery the outside was.
It’s definitely a “fair and generous portion,” and Elmira admits that despite not loving it, she finished it all.
Singer and content creator Laura Khoshaba from London rushed to the luxury department store to try the famous dish, opting for buttermilk chicken, coleslaw and truffle mac and cheese, which cost an extra £2.
Laura heads to her TikTok shared a clipwhich racked up more than 1.9 million views, showing her trying the food for the first time.
She said: ‘This was £12, it’s only an extra £2 to add the truffle mac and cheese, it’s a huge portion.’
Taking the first bite, she said, ‘Mmmmm… the flavor, wow, this is crazy, you guys, the chicken and mac and cheese, crazy. You guys have to try this combination, definitely my favorite so far.’
The content creator liked the combination so much that he tried it again in a wrap, which also didn’t disappoint.
In one clip, which has racked up more than 600,000 views, he said: “Wow, it works, this is the best combination by far.”
Other meats available included chick, buttermilk chicken, Free-Range Sussex ham and beef cap.
London-based blogger Libb Bites also tried the food hall’s viral dish and shared her experience on her TikTok.
She said: ‘Guys, who’s seen this viral £10 box of macaroni and cheese from Harrods? I tried it and it’s just delicious!
“Every time I’ve been to that food hall I’ve bought a lot of stuff, I’ve never really liked sandwiches but this box was just too good! There was a huge queue because I know it’s going viral on TikTok right now.
‘Basically the deal is you get one meat, I choose the buttermilk chicken but you can also get rotisserie chicken and I think they have a meat option and then you choose two main sides, potatoes or truffle mac and cheese.
“You can choose between coleslaw or broccoli. I chose broccoli. You can also choose two condiments. I chose chilli jam. I can’t fault it. For £10 at Harrods it’s perfect if you need a quick lunch. Mac and cheese is £2 more so this was £12.”
However, the only drawback to the food is that it is takeaway, therefore the restaurant does not allow you to sit down and eat it.