Oh, I just can't stop myself. A little late to the party (I wasn't that bothered before) but I've caught the burger bug and seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about (and eating) burgers. This week, I've wolfed down burgers two nights in a row and could quite happily go for a run of three today. (But I won't, as it's cheese and wine night at home for J's birthday and I'm baking camemberts. That's enough carbs for one day).
Repeat offenders both, I revisited MeatMission (check out my first and second impressions) on Tuesday and ended up at BRGR last night. Whilst essentially offering the same food, they (and like many other burger joints) are wildly different. As you may remember, I wasn't the biggest fan of BRGR the first time because of the service, but after a failed attempt to get into Byron (empty tables but still a wait) and a two-and-a-half-hour wait time for Honest, we thought we'd give BRGR another go. But MeatMission just has the edge.
Menu wise, how much differentiation can there be? A lot. MeatMission's all trash-talk and nastily-named but it works, and the variety of what's on offer is great. I seem to be going for the Dead Hippie burger - because one patty just isn't enough, obviously - and the fried pickles (which they were devastatingly out of this week) but there's Monkey Fingers, pastrami dogs and currywurst on offer. Not to mention something called the Garbage Plate, the cocktail list and the beers in jugs and jars. BRGR's a little more civilised in name and offering - a lot less to choose from but you can make it your own with the selection of sides (great onion rings by the way).
Atmosphere? BRGR's in Central London so a real mix of friends, family and first dates. MeatMission just feels a little deliberately down and dirty with Jimi Hendrix or Phil Collins blaring out over the din, and everyone digging in to share.
The eating. MeatMission serves everything up on large silver trays, decked out with striped burger paper. Dive straight in, get messy and wipe yourself up with the rolls of kitchen paper dotted around the tables. BRGR's predictably more civilised with cutlery if you need it, the similar striped paper and the ability to put in or take out what you do and don't want between your buns.
And what about the price? BRGR starts at around £6.95 for a burger and increases depending on the quality of the cut. Cheese, bacon, onions etc are extra and do stack up a bit if you're feeling a little naughty. MeatMission's offerings start at around £6.50 all in with sides around the £3 mark, but there's a definite absence of macaroni cheese (another obsession), which should obviously be served unlimited and completely free, of course.
It's tricky. BRGR and MeatMission are doing different things in different ways. A burger's a burger's a burger - but when a burger's so good you go back three times willingly, I think you're onto a winner.
14 November 2013
19 April 2013
BRGR CO
Everyone knows that Thursdays are the new Fridays and there's definitely no exception when in the heart of work-hard play-hard Soho. Last night, we caught up with a colleague who had moved to pastures new back in November, and after a few drinks at the local, The Lyric, where we sampled Patron for the first time, we struck out in search of some food.
Trying to find a place to eat in Soho can be a bit of a monopoly - on my road alone, we've got Busaba, Wahaca, Banana Tree, Satsuma, Pho, Imli, Hummus Bros, Floridita, Princi and Inamo, to name but a few. And not to mention any of the incredible other places that are just around the corner and a stone's throw away. Spoilt for choice but still have to queue...
After some quick deliberation, we decided to venture to the new burger joint on our street, BRGR CO. Now, London's no stranger to burgers; with pop-ups and posh street food on the scene, there's a lot of competition and a lot to live up to. We were there around half nine and the place was buzzing - we were seated at the bar in the window to wait for our table, given a drink each and the opportunity to watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen.
We were sat in about ten minutes...and then abandoned. None of the (admittedly quite busy) staff noticed that we hadn't even seen menus, let alone ordered. The menu itself is relatively basic - starters and sides draw the eye first and then the burgers follow on the right. I was tempted by the Old Fashioned Mac'n'Cheese (seemingly a popular choice on the London circuit) but dived straight into building my own burger. Served as either 4, 6 or 8 oz cuts, we were a little unimpressed with the descriptions but each went for the 6oz Tender Blend. I added cheese, caramelised onions and bacon (before realising that the last two were a bit over-the-top) from the chargeable extras, a horseradish mustard dip (non-chargeable) and we shared a portion of fries and cheese fries. Watching your waistline? This place is not for you.
The burgers arrived shortly, which was impressive. With accompaniments served separately, you can choose to stack it yourself - take out that gherkin or ditch the lettuce, if you prefer. I loaded up, threw in some Tabasco and some mustard and dived straight in. Admittedly, the burger patty looked slightly anaemic but when you're used to some bigger beauties from the markets or Burger & Lobster, can you really be one to judge? We polished ours off double-time and got the bill which came to about £15 each (including the beer and a tip) - not bad.
No photos as no phone battery, but the couple next to me definitely made up for it even though their starter salad of lettuce (and just lettuce) did seem a bit of a bizarre one for Instagram...
Would I go back? I'm not sure. It was good but I've heard a lot about rival Patty & Bun, and as mentioned above, there's a plethora of burger joints (and not-so burger joints) to sink your teeth into. A three out of five, I'd say.
Trying to find a place to eat in Soho can be a bit of a monopoly - on my road alone, we've got Busaba, Wahaca, Banana Tree, Satsuma, Pho, Imli, Hummus Bros, Floridita, Princi and Inamo, to name but a few. And not to mention any of the incredible other places that are just around the corner and a stone's throw away. Spoilt for choice but still have to queue...
After some quick deliberation, we decided to venture to the new burger joint on our street, BRGR CO. Now, London's no stranger to burgers; with pop-ups and posh street food on the scene, there's a lot of competition and a lot to live up to. We were there around half nine and the place was buzzing - we were seated at the bar in the window to wait for our table, given a drink each and the opportunity to watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen.
We were sat in about ten minutes...and then abandoned. None of the (admittedly quite busy) staff noticed that we hadn't even seen menus, let alone ordered. The menu itself is relatively basic - starters and sides draw the eye first and then the burgers follow on the right. I was tempted by the Old Fashioned Mac'n'Cheese (seemingly a popular choice on the London circuit) but dived straight into building my own burger. Served as either 4, 6 or 8 oz cuts, we were a little unimpressed with the descriptions but each went for the 6oz Tender Blend. I added cheese, caramelised onions and bacon (before realising that the last two were a bit over-the-top) from the chargeable extras, a horseradish mustard dip (non-chargeable) and we shared a portion of fries and cheese fries. Watching your waistline? This place is not for you.
The burgers arrived shortly, which was impressive. With accompaniments served separately, you can choose to stack it yourself - take out that gherkin or ditch the lettuce, if you prefer. I loaded up, threw in some Tabasco and some mustard and dived straight in. Admittedly, the burger patty looked slightly anaemic but when you're used to some bigger beauties from the markets or Burger & Lobster, can you really be one to judge? We polished ours off double-time and got the bill which came to about £15 each (including the beer and a tip) - not bad.
No photos as no phone battery, but the couple next to me definitely made up for it even though their starter salad of lettuce (and just lettuce) did seem a bit of a bizarre one for Instagram...
Would I go back? I'm not sure. It was good but I've heard a lot about rival Patty & Bun, and as mentioned above, there's a plethora of burger joints (and not-so burger joints) to sink your teeth into. A three out of five, I'd say.
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