A lot of foodie companies are very same same. They do the same thing under a different name, at a relatively similar price. And they normally don’t last long. So, when I heard about ANOTHER meal delivery company that popped up in cape Town, called Meals Direct, I wasn’t too excited. BUT I WAS WRONG!
Meals Direct is pretty awesome. They have a very unique structure that makes them cheaper, more interesting and more affordable than a lot of their counterparts that I’ve seen over the years.
There isn’t one central kitchen. They are an umbrella company that brings together a whole bunch of catering companies and private chefs around the city. Each week the various chefs put their offerings up on the site. When you go online to order, you have to say where you need the meals delivered to you, and only caterers/chefs in that particular area are available, in other words, little to no delivery costs.
This also means that your meals can be incredibly varied because you’re getting meals from a diverse range of people, with diverse styles, tastes and techniques. No but really, that’s super smart.
So… on paper (or website) it sounds great. But what about in real life? I tried it out for 5 days to see for myself.
Meals Direct Review and Competition
Monday – Beef Rogan Josh (low carb) – R65
I forgot that I was getting deliciousness delivered to my door, so when it arrived, I couldn’t stop myself from eating it for lunch. Nice, tender chunks of beef, along with roasted butternut and cauliflower rice. I’d never had cauli-rice before, and I LOVED it. The curry could’ve been spicier, but I am obsessed with heat, so for the majority of the world it would’ve been perfect. Day 1: A success.
Tuesday – Rosemary & Olive roast chicken (low carb) – R60
If you’re expecting fine dining, stop reading now. This isn’t high-end cuisine, but it’s not trying to be – it’s home cooking at it’s best. The portions are enormous and the variety makes me smile: olive roast chicken, roast veggies, creamy spinach and a salad. You can’t go wrong with simple food made really well.
Wednesday – Beef Enchilada R60
I decided it was enough with the low carb options, and I made the right choice. Flipping delicious beef enchiladas, topped with cheese, with a side of sour cream, guacamole, jalepenos, chopped salad and savoury rice. It was worth every carby calorie.
Thursday – Satay Chicken – R55
The way the food is packaged, they’re very careful to ensure that each element arrives in the most simple way to keep cooking easy and the taste right. And the same consideration goes into the ingredients themselves. While the bulk of the meal was cooked perfectly, the spinach was raw – so that when you heated it up it didn’t go limp. Hooray! Delicately seasoned satay chicken (which thankfully didn’t just taste like peanut butter).
Friday – Sticky Buffalo Wings – R60
Everyday I was wowwed by both the taste, quality and QUANTITY of the meals, and Friday didn’t disappoint. My man-appetite was no match for this bundle of spicy, sticky chicken wings, potato, cabbage and green salad.
Meals Direct – well done guys. Firstly, well done for finding a way to make meal delivery systems actually work better = far more affordable. Secondly, well done for not ripping people off.
COMPETITION TIME
Want to get your hands on 5 meals worth of dinners from Meals Direct? The answer is yes, yes you do. All ya gotta do is:
1. Comment below which dish you like the sound of most.
2. For an extra entry, tweet the following:
Hey @FoodblogCT, I want to win 5 meals from @MealsDirect! http://www.food-blog.co.za/meals-direct-review-and-competition/
T&Cs apply:
· Voucher expires 1 months from date of receipt
· Voucher valid for one person only
· Food preferences ( Halaal, vegetarian, Low carb) cannot be guaranteed as it is based on availability within location area of customer
· Delivery fees are included in voucher prize for 5 days
· Delivery address must have someone present to accept meal delivery which occur between 2pm and 6pm.
