I could murder a burger

So burgers are all the rage at the moment, trendy thick layers of sweet, soft bread, thick juicy mince (medium-cooked of course), a bacon strip possibly, salty melting cheese, slice of tomato, a crisp lettuce leaf, a smattering of relish and/or GARLIC MAYO.

As you can tell, I've had my fair share of burgers, some great, some not-so-much. For me, burgers will never be out of fashion. Here is my rundown of top and some not-so top burgers in London that I have tried and want to try.

Kua'Ana
This small Hawaiin burger joint off Carnaby Street is amazing. Expect queues (like all the rest of them) but the burgers are well worth waiting for. A few to choose from including extra toppings. Messy but delicious. Some proper meat involved. The coleslaw was also very nice and homemade.

Shake Shack
I wanted to see what the fuss is about with this place, so I saved myself and had a Shake Shack burger with crinkly fries in New York City. I can confirm it was good. The cheese is slightly on the salty side, but all in all I really enjoyed the take-out burger on the train from Grand Central on the way to the New York Botanical Gardens. The crinkly fries are refreshing amongst all the straight laced fries and I would give the London version a try, but I'm not sure if I want to ruin a good thing.

Patty & Bun
I took my burger-loving cousin and burger extraordinaire to Patty & Bun over the Easter weekend...he took on bite and said: "This changes everything". We waited for over an hour on James St but it was well worth it. As soon as we got inside, we just forgot about everything else. It's quick, noisy, rustic dining so if it's gourmet and relaxation you're after then this isn't it, but the burgers are definitely gourmet. The meat is thick and juicy, the bread is slightly toasted and not soggy, the sauce was oozy. We went for the Smokey Robinson and Ari Gold, but it was a tight call between those and the special which included duck, chicken and beef in it. The chips were also very fresh and perfectly seasoned. I can't say whether it is my favourite but it's definitely Top 3 material...well worth a visit even with the queues.

Smokey Robinson. Delicious.

Indeed.

Hache Burger
By far the best burger I've had in London (so far). I've been here far too many times, read my full review here. But the fact is the meat is great quality and there are lots of choices to choose from, as well as your choice of bun. A couple of my fellow diners have said Hache has been a better burger than some of the ones they've had in America.

Honest Burger
I really enjoyed both visits here. The burgers are made medium - if a little on the reddish side - but of course you can ask for them to be cooked a bit more. Simple menu but what you see is what you get. Rustic, simple and great tasting. I really enjoyed the rosemary salted chips - if a little too much, it's definitely well-seasoned. There can be queues in the Central London branches but don't let that deter you. Rumour has it, there are more branches planned.

Honky Tonk
Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment. It looks good on the outside but it's definitely more bar than it is restaurant I'm afraid. The medium burger I asked for was quite overdone, the bun was stale and my sweet potato fries were very soggy and not appetising. I visited the Chelsea branch and I must say the service wasn't all that great and everything about that night just went a bit wrong (for them and us). Won't be coming back here again.

Burger & Lobster
Yes, £20 for a lobster is a bargain, but £20 for a burger?! Give it a try though, you won't be disappointed. You do get a mass mound of meat and comes with all the same sides. It was pretty good, but compare it to the lobster...no competition really.

Five Guys
Guys, seriously, don't believe the hype. Not to be mean, but it's basically a glorified McDonald's only a lot more money. Yes, you get to choose every single bit of your burger (sauce, toppings etc), sides, pour your own drink but it's not really worth it if I'm being honest. It cost me over £10 for a 'quick lunch' (it's not that quick due to the masses of people crowding round the collection point), the chips are way over spicy when they say cajun, and my burger came out a bit damp and sweaty. However, I've been told the branches in New York are a lot better, and the prices are like this as they've just swapped the dollar sign for a pound sign. Will definitely try the US version some day.

Meat Mission
Again, a bit disappointed. The decor is the interesting bit of this Shoreditch branch, but the food isn't overly great. My bread was quite oily and it was nothing special. I kind of liked the fact they serve you food on trays with no cutlery but all in all, for a place called Meat Mission, it just didn't meet my expectations. Cocktails, however, were great - I expect the drinks is where its forte is.

BRGR
I went for the Burger Afternoon Tea - basically three mini burgers with different fillings and meat, small pot of fries, several sweet desserts and bellini. I have to say the novelty of it was so much fun - I don't know why anyone hadn't thought of it sooner. Although there was a slight flaw in that the other two mini burgers were sat getting cold and soggy bottom-ed while I ate the first burger. The bun wasn't all that either. However, I would definitely come here again for a full size burger. The beef is Australian/corn-fed or something or another and whatever it is - it tastes DELICIOUS. I'd probably just sack off the afternoon tea and just go for a full burger.

Places still to try:
Dirty Burger
Burger Co
Tommi's Burger Joint - London (I've tried the one in Berlin which was excellent)
Meat & Shake

Review: Hache Burger (Shoreditch)

Pronunciation: Hash-ay

Having raved on about Hache Burger since last year, it came to me that I've never actually reviewed the place. It must have been that good because I can't think of any other reason why. 

Camden is the original branch but I'm so glad they opened one in Shoreditch because that means I can pop in whenever I am having burger withdrawal symptoms. 

I've been 3 times previously and I'm making it my mission to try a different burger each time. I definitely recommend the Steak Milano with the sun-dried tomatoes and the Steak Catalan (it's quite meaty though). I took my cousin here once, and having travelled along America a few months before, his exact words were "probably the best burger I've ever had". Now that's saying something. 

Steak Canadian.
Picture courtesy of Hache Burger.

Always go brioche with the burger, once you go brioche you won't go back, the sweet and meat is a match made in heaven. The burgers are meaty, soft, crumbly but well made. The choice on the menu is not too much for your eyes but enough to carefully pick which one you will try this time round. You even get some 'salad' on the side (a chicory leaf and bits of tomato). I have to mention the wedges and garlic mayo. It's the best garlic mayo I've ever tasted - how do I know? Because I was still tasting and smelling of it the next day. Even though I was full, I was still reaching out for them, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them. 

To be honest if you can have a burger and a whole side to yourself, you're a machine. It was only on my fourth visit that I had learnt my lesson and ordered sensibly (burger each and a side to share between 2 of us), so that I was able to order a dessert. Admittedly, I went for a hard shake (an alcoholic milkshake, folks), but it was just what was needed - Oreos, Baileys and Tia Maria a perfect combination I think! 

Prices are at a reasonable price, good choice of burgers as well as extra toppings. Drinks are also a bonus as my favourite Belgium beer, Hoegaarden is available and my fave Argentinean Malbec red wine. 

I'd recommend booking if you're more than 3 people but seats are available by the bar if needs must. 

I definitely recommend this place. Come here.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 (not quite the 5 just because of the slight non attentiveness of service).

Review: Jamie's Diner

Open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk the dinosaur. 

Or dinersaur in this case. Get it?

That's the theme at Jamie's Diner from the menu to the décor, a dinosaur hangs like a chandelier at the entrance, the walls look as though the painter forgot to come back from his tea break, food is served on plastic, uneven trays, and there's a range of 'vintage' chairs and sofas. I think the main, real point of the diner though is that it uses sustainable ingredients to make a quirky American diner because, let's face it, that's what's trendy nowadays - there's even a takeaway bit next door. This is an important point to remember, which I'll come back to.

I went for the chicken burger - added topping of guacamole, just because I wanted it. A Cucumber Number cocktail (lovely by the way, I could have had more) and shared a pot of crinkle cut chips. It's not the best burger I've ever eaten (that title is still held by Haché) but the brioche bun was pretty soft, toasty and complimentary to the meat. The chicken was actually cooked to my liking, it was slightly over-cooked (nothing more worrying that it being under-cooked) but not to the level of Nandos so I liked that. The only thing was that when I halved my burger, one side was completely chicken-less. Most of the minimal items on the menu comes with homeslaw and a pickle. I love coleslaw but found this one to be a bit bland and nothing to it, and well, a gherkin is just a gherkin isn't it? The chips were good however, we only ordered one portion to share between 2 as the waiter said that it's "the size of a large McDonald's portion" but I thought I could have easily had one to myself.

Before going, I read a lot of reviews on various sites but I wasn't put off by it. Having now been there myself, I feel a lot of the more negative reviews are a bit unfair. I think people assume because Mr Oliver's name is attached to it, it's going to be fine-dining, superb food. It's not. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Jamie Oliver, but just because he's on TV every other night doesn't make him the only great chef in the world and everything he touches will be 'pukka'. People should judge Jamie's Diner on what it is - a quick, convenient and fun place to grab a bite to eat before the theatre or shopping. It's based in Piccadilly Circus on Shaftesbury Avenue so it's obviously a tourist trap, but I went just before 6pm on a Friday pre-theatre and there was no queue whatsoever - lucky for me as there is a no booking rule here. Service was good, prices are also good for a Central London hotspot.

Here is where I go back to my original point, this menu was made because of the ingredients that are used. I don't think it tries to be anything it's not. It never said it was going to be the most authentic and best American diner in the world - it's typically Jamie Oliver - happy-go-lucky, making popular foods using sustainable ingredients. And for this, I think it does exactly that. I don't think people should mistake this place for Barbecoa. It's a bit of fun for the tourists. A bit kitsch. And I for one quite like the trays food is served on and the whole dinosaur/rustic theme. I'd give it a 2.5 stars out of 5.

Although there is one sad thing about the diner, it replaced Adam's Ribs - a fond food memory of mine. I remember my aunt took my cousin and I when we were children visiting London for the summer holidays. I had the hugest portion of fries and spare ribs which was all over my hands and my mouth. But hey, nothing lasts forever in this fickle food industry.

The Vegetarian Monologues

#3

Vegetarian month has driven me to eat cheese.

As crazy as this sounds, I never liked cheese - unless it was melted.  Until now.  I was in Brussels the other weekend and the nice elderly man at the cafe helped me choose something vegetarian for lunch - three cheeses.  In my excitement, I forgot to ask him that I wanted a panini and not a baguette (terribly Belgian).  I ate it anyway as I'm not a waster of food, and found myself liking it.  A lot.  So much so that I've now been having cheese and tomato salad sandwiches for lunch.  I'm no hardcore cheese fan yet, but the mild ones are my favourites, mozzarella is a good one, and goat's cheese...oh and the soft cheese is good for cooking in pasta with too...

This week has been a busy one, so busy in fact that there was no time to cook in The Little Kitchen.  Yes, even I have to admit defeat sometimes and go for some fast food...to Burger King.  To my surprise Burger King had a pretty good vegetarian menu - three options of beans - I went for the bean wrap and it was pretty delicious.  Although I'm not sure whether it was because I was hungry, I had just come back from Wembley Stadium - where they don't have a vegetarian menu whatsoever, so where ever I went would be a pretty good choice.

As I'm on a roll with (confessing to) trying new things, I have never been to Garfunkel's...and now I know; I wasn't missing out on much.  I had a veggie burger and not that there was anything wrong with it, I ate it all the same but the bread felt like cardboard, it was all a bit none-quality.  Safe to say, I won't ever be going back there again.

I must also add that during Vegetarian Month I have been taking my iron supplements.  Remember kids - stay healthy.

The Vegetarian Monologues

#1

So, I've officially started my vegetarian month.  So far so good...

I am surprised I've kept to it a week to be honest.  The first time I tried this, I forgot after only a few hours and consumed some sort of sausage (no pun intended).

As first week's go - it was pretty tough.  Not only did I make a trip to The Diner, I also made a trip to Brussels, Belgium and resisted the temptation of meat, and ended the week with a roast dinner - veggie of course.

I had a lovely soft shell crab burger from The Diner...with sweet potato fries...and onion rings - all to share of course (sort of).  I was originally going to give up the fish, but I think it would be a wise idea to ease myself into this non-meat malark.  Thank god for seafood is all I'm saying.


I also went to The Cheesecake Cafe in Brussels and ordered a Lasagne aux brocolis.  I think the translation is obvious - but it was literally all it was, green pasta sheets and cheese.  It was an odd meal, I believe there are much nicer vegetarian meals out there, but it was quite boring in terms of what was actually on the plate.  The dessert soon made up for it however, a warm brownie with sauce and ice cream.  If this vegetarian experiment goes well, I want to try being vegan for a week.  It'll be extremely difficult but I want to see if I can do it - as a forever-loving meat eater that is, what's one week of my life?


My favourite veggie meal from this week has been the veggie roast from The Water Poet in Spitalfields.    I have to admit I am one of those snobby people who will give a vegetarian dinner - such as a roast dinner a bit of a dirty look.  A few years ago, a Sunday dinner with no meat was ludicrous to me, I couldn't comprehend it.  I have to admit though, my spinach and ricotta cheese sausages were really quite lovely, and the fact that we managed to get a table (albeit outside but the outdoor heaters really do work - I even had to take my jacket and scarf off - I would recommend booking though if you want to go for Sunday dinner later than 12:30).  I would definitely come here again and try out the meat option - I have my eye on the pork belly available.

Here's hoping I won't run out of interesting meat substitutes for the rest of the week, so far on my list there's falafel, (more) salmon, halloumi and lots of veg, oh and my iron supplements.  

Hayley

Mini-review: The Flask, Highgate

Lovely Thursday night dinner in The Flask, a traditional Fullers pub. We ate in a cosy room where a black board cheerfully announced that one of the first autopsies was performed right here in the pub (not legally mind) but hopefully not on our table...

We had fish and chips with mushy peas and a lovely cheeseburger and chips! Washed down with a lovely glass of red and a pint of London Pride. Great bit of tartare sauce on the side too. The staff are friendly and so is the atmosphere so be sure to pop down if you are ever in Highgate (prepare yourself for the hills though). 

Ale battered pollock; chips, pea puree & tartare sauce   

Chargrilled beef burger, with Cheddar, harissa, gherkins, chips