10. GBK, Clapham Highstreet - Kiwiburger, £8.50

Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and one megalith of a burger. Yes, I'm a little behind; I munched this one on Guy Fawkes Night. Don't miss the Christmas edition in May.

The List had me in GBK for the first time in years for a pre-fireworks burger. I was dubious. GBK had been a student staple about 5 years ago but I found having such a chainy, chain restaurant on The List highly suspect; like Time Out was throwing us South Londoners a pity dish (check out the map: it's sparse down here!).

With all the new, independent burger places going back to your simple, quality burger in a bun, adding anything more than a slice of hand-selected, artisan cheese seemed a little try-hard. Or so felt the food snob in me.

I'm sorry, GBK, I've been a fool.

The List was right, GBK were there first - got to be a reason they're still going.

The Kiwiburger is actually a bit of a masterpiece in meat, or stuff to smush together with meat. With its beetroot, pineapple, cheese and egg, it's tall enough to look you square in the eye and say 'so you think you can handle me, pom?' (in a friendly way, it being officially inoffensive since 2006).

That's at least 3 of your 5-a-day right there.

Sounds weird, tastes amazing. Them kiwis know what they're doing with the contrast of that savoury egg, earthy beetroot and sweetness of the pineapple.  I devoured the whole oozy lot (admittedly with a knife and fork, lacking as I am in the ability to dislocate my jaw - I'm working on it). I figured with all those food groups covered, it's basically good for me.

So yeah, I'm returning to the fold. GBK is back on my personal list, under the reasonably-priced-(especially if you're voucher-savvy)-prelude-to-a-wholesome-activity-(such as fireworks) column.

9. Pizza East, Shoreditch - Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart

2012 was a pretty good year. We learnt things like, even at the age of 86, the Queen is the King of Standing and that it IS acceptable to fashion yourself a cape from a flag AND wear it in public (but only for 2 weeks every 4 years). 

And if the year had a flavour, it would be Salted Caramel. Which, conveniently, moves me smoothly on to the next dish...

I have mixed feelings about the trend. I've had some seriously good salted caramel ice cream from Brixton Market's Lab G, which makes me look forward to Oddono's, as The List suggests. But, Heston's salted caramel popcorn just tasted like toffee Butterkist and the Starbucks salted caramel latte I consumed almost immediately projectile un-consumed itself. 

However, according to Time Out, Pizza East (very cool, very Shoreditch) was on the salted caramel band-wagon when it was just a soloist wheelbarrow. So if anyone was going to convince me, they were, and I think I'm converted. It's all about the salt level - too much and you've got yourself a brine latte, but just right (like these guys), and the contrast is delicious.

Lovely thin, crispy pastry base, with gooey caramel and chocolate filling and the trendy sprinkle of salt. Be warned, it's jaw-achingly rich and fainter hearts (read: pansies) might want to share, but it's definitely worth a good go at it.