This is my 3rd visit to the fabulous Admiral Codrington in as many months. By now, you’ll have heard about Fred Smith’s near obsessive detailed experiments in continuously honing his version of the perfect cheeseburger. In the last few weeks, he’s been causing tidal waves of instagram drool with diners tweeting his elusive specials: the double patty burger code named ‘The Double Stack’ and the other elusive animal : ‘The Chilli Burger’. Ironically, on both previous visits, I missed all the specials for dinner as depending on how busy the kitchen is, specials are (mostly) a lunch only option.

Away from his Ad Cod stove, you might have already eaten the Fred Smith x Tom Byng collab on the latest Byron special called ‘The Chilli Queen’, set to run till early June. With green chilli, chipotle mayo, American cheese and a glazed bun (first debuted for the Uncle Sam) ; The burger is a sort of condensed version (for the 22 Byrons across town) of Fred’s original chilli burger. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a preview by Tom and thought it was great. The spice kick was a nice compliment to the already perfect everyman – around nearly every corner – hamburger, all of which rested on a bed of shredded lettuce – another signature Fred Smith move. I had promised Tom that I would resume my run-to-a-byron routine now that he has opened one in Camden, a 30 minute run from Queen’s Park. I haven’t done it yet, but with the Chilli Queen’s closing date drawing near, it provides the motivation to do so.

I’ve tried all but one Byron special, by my estimations, the only non-beef burger, the lamb burger which only ran for National Butcher’s Week last year. While we’re on the topic of 2011 Byron specials, I must mention the beloved Big D (after its creator Darragh O’Shea). Yes, the various Byron restaurants had trouble maintaining cooking consistency for it being such a massive patty, but when they got it right, it was a burger of sheer elegance. It needed the strength of the gruyvere, but the result was neither gourmet nor cult, but just a damn good burger. Sadly (for me), it won’t ever be seen on a Byron menu every again.

The first time I sank my teeth into the Ad Cod Burger, my eyes widened. Beef sourced from Darragh, a blend of rib & chuck, but smoother and more intense …gasp, could this be …the son of the Big D?

(The original patty is actually available to buy at Darragh’s Knightsbridge shop, so you could still try it at home, if you’ve missed it all. )

Since that visit, I’ve craved mid-week returns to the Chelsea pub to erase mid-week blues. I followed up the 2nd visit in April, and was surprised to find the american cheese had been upgraded to Fred’s own concoction of a bacon infused in-house cheese ‘blend’ with american, parmesan, and – correct me if I’m wrong – a sort of chopped onion reduction.

Honest, Meat and Lucky are all very good but a mission to get to, and the overall experience can become a little chaotic during busy times. Maybe I’m just fussy you know, I think the Ad Cods’ dining area is a welcoming change. It’s civilised and comfortable. With the impending long summer days, the skylight roof which runs the length of the room just slices open the ambiance completely. And you can book tables!

Actually a full fledged gastropub, with a hardworking chef, dedicated kitchen and committed front of house (3 visits, still won’t let me into the room until 6.30, and after they set all the tables according to spec), they continue to remind diners that they have the capability to deliver reasonable non-burger food. It’s difficult to come here and not order the burger, but I think everyone is intrigued by the other things Fred can cook. For this meal, we went only as far as the starters, as Fred had invited the missus and I down to sample the latest version of his chilli burger. Food on Fred, drinks & tips on us.

Salmon, jalapeños, lime.

So we began with a zesty ceviche to kick things off. Very fresh, wiped the palate clean, stinging jalapenos.

Diver caught scallops, cauliflower, lime.

I went to Alyn Williams’ (I’ll post the write-up after this obviously) for lunch on the same day as this evening visit to Ad Cod, and also had a similar single scallop dish. Alyn’s version was served with cucumber, smoked shaved roe, sea urchin and a sort of ‘milk’. Both I gather were diver caught Orkneys.

Not to take away from Alyn’s version (which was obviously very exciting) , but I preferred Fred’s classic take. The scallop looks pan-fried, I would have liked to have seen more heat on the outside, but on the inside, beautifully transculent, juicy like lychees. However it was the cauliflower whip, lifted by a dash of lime that took the scallop to the clouds. I only just detected a hint of curry, maybe caraway seeds, on the fringes. I can’t see it on his current menu, so I’m not sure if it’s a dish in late beta testing or otherwise. As it stands, it’s delicious.

Foie gras creme brulee with brioche soldiers.

This was still a work in progress, Fred had brought it out to test on us guinea pigs. He says that it’s made just like a creme brulee, except with foie gras dissolved into the custard. A crack of the flamed demerara roof revealed a runny custard. According to Fred, he admitted that he hadn’t given it enough time to set.

Though the missus and I both thought the runny texture actually worked well, especially since it’s meant as a dipping for the soldiers. Of course, the distinctive flavour of foie gras was ever present, just aligning with the sweetness of the custard. This is a tricky dish to pull off since both sets of flavours can easily become sickly if balance is not sought. But I thought Fred’s version was well executed. It was mellower than anticipated, but I think potent enough to overwhelm if you quaffed large spoonfuls. It’s better with the sweet wine we were served it with (South African Late Harvest Semillon, judging from the wine list is my best guess) , but really shines as a bread dipping. Visually, it’s like egg yolk gelling on the brioche soldier. Buttery, syrupy, savoury flavours which all hang together very well. Again, I think it’s a successful dish, at least to me, it certainly demonstrates Fred’s ability as a chef, and importantly, his attention to balanced flavours. Now he just needs to decide if this is a pudding or a starter.

I once had something similar at Le Petit Normand, a tiny French bistro in Wimbledon, where they served it as a starter, with foie gras and apple. That was a little overcooked and probably too tart.

The Chilli Burger with chips.

What do you think? Looks good yes? The cheese still melting around the patty, like hot yellow lava flowing down the sides of a volcano.

Here it is from another angle:

Phew. When I saw it last on the table, my jaw dropped. Is there such a thing as a beautiful burger? The burger is larger than it looks, stacked very high.

Bear with me for this, Fred ran through the details very quickly, and hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes here. But do correct me.

Starting from bottom up:

1. Glazed brioche bun, Millers.
2. Chopped iceberg lettuce.
3. Chopped red onion, red & green chilli slaw.
4. Mustard Mayo with Chipotle Cheese.
5. 5 or 6 oz O’Sheas Rib & Chuck Patty, aged & prepared in house.
6. Fred’s in-house made cheese with crispy bacon bits, american cheese, raclette, parmesan.
7. Jalapenos??
9. Braised short rib chilli.
10. Fred’s in-house tomato spread??
11. Glazed brioche bun, Millers.

Here is the cross section, medium rare, too pink for some, but for me, juicy and perfect.

It’s a breathtaking burger. Surprisingly restraint, no knock out blow of chilli. In its place, a subtle gradation of spice, of discernible chilli flavours. I felt a warming crescendo that just kept building and building as I worked my way through the burger. The 5 or 6oz patty is much smaller than the standard 8oz Ad Cod cheese, but with so many layers, it seemed it could be slimmed down just a tad. I was not complaining however, the more patty the merrier, though it did slip out of the bun barely able to hold itself together after four or five bites.

I think the most profound ‘layer’ may be the braised rib chilli. It tasted like the best chilli con carne I’d ever had, melted over arguably one of the best burger patties in town. One that was so imbued with hefty flavour (perhaps from ageing) that it was more than a match for all the spices. Fred still follows the Heston method of uniformly lining up the mince to prepare his patties, so the patty is surprisingly smooth when biting into it. I don’t know if it’s simply because I know of the technique, but it certainly does come across as such. Though Fred says that these days, he spends less time making it uniform, and rather prefers a patty that is ‘less tidy’.

As I finished the last bite of this amazing burger, I noticed a faint, warm fizzle at the back of my throat, the smell of the chilli and grilled beef still hanging around in the olfactory. So far, the best burger experience I have had are the Lucky Chip’s Bill Murray burger and the MeatEasy cheeseburgers. But I think this tops both.

I asked the missus if she thought this is the best burger she’s ever had. She replied “Yeah. Maybe.”

For £15 with chips, it certainly isn’t cheap, but it is such a stunner. Fred limits the fleeting appearance of these monsters because he thinks the rest of the menu will suffer if he devotes the time required to prep them to his exacting standards if he had to do it everyday.

The missus and I deliberated and we certainly felt like this burger had an air of a well-thought out, complete dish. Rather than stylish junk-food. The burger is certainly a chef’s burger, one in which it is apparent that copious work following serious thought, has gone into ensuring that each detail isn’t just perfect, but that each building block works in tandem with the other ingredients in the same sandwich.

I was joking with Fred that I thought the complex gamut of flavours this burger displayed versus his standard cheeseburger was akin to comparing the 1st and 2nd wines of a Bordeaux 1st growth.

On the topic of wine, they offer clarets from good 2th growth chateaux (Palmer and Leoville Barton) from drinking vintages (as opposed to ‘collector’ years) but I did note their top selection is a venerable Hills of Grace, and I suspect they are also BYO as a nearby table were had brought their own bottles. Unconfirmed though. If this is the case , then the next time I go there, I’m bringing a bottle of First Drop’s The Cream to savour the burger with. Arguably, the rising star of the Barossa Valley which may one day share the same status as the noble Grange.

I think Fred thoroughly deserves his reputation as an excellent burger constructor, but I also think he deserves to be seen as a talented chef. I googled his background and found this interview on King’s Road Rocks. He has stinted in Wales and Australia, and one of his (Chelsea) favourites is Medlar, incidentally, one of my favourites too. Amazingly, he manages very edible dishes from a kitchen no larger than those you see in the beloved food trucks which have been trending the past year.

I think the market is completely saturated with very good burgers, it’s startling how high the standard is these days, but I think the competition is only good news for end consumers. From what I’ve heard, there might a few other variant off-menu specials in the near future, but I think the only way to keep track (and to find out when what special is on) is actually to follow Fred’s twitterstream @fredsmith_.

There’s so much I haven’t tried myself and I am far from being the burger expert, so it’s only apt that I end this over-written gush fest by directing you to the burger-erudite for more detailed and accurate reports: Burgerac , Hamburger-Me.

The Gist of It

Admiral Codrington
Pub, with a great burger £35pp.
17 Mossop Street, London SW3 2LY
Tel : 0207 581 0005
Tube : South Kensington

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Ohh.. that yellow, is that *gasp* american cheese? Hah. Yeah it looks great doesn’t it?

8oz Cheeseburger with Chips, £15.

It looks dangerously risky for a medium rare, which is to say, it satisfied expectations for those of us who like burgers to be bloody. I don’t really want to open up another debate on this issue, but personally I feel that a rarer patty has better texture, juicier (or less dry I should say) and has better flavour than something more cooked.

This is indeed a pretty good burger. Actually, it’s better than good, it’s probably one of the best burgers in town (yes I know, every other burger place seems to be somebody’s ‘the best’ these days).

Pople, Young, Burgerac and Bellaphon have roundly praised the burger, and after this visit, I can only echo their opinion. Those guys really do tell a more eloquent story about the technicalities of why this patty is so good, but for what its worth, I think the resultant product is quite special.

On Burgerac, Fred Smith explains that his patty is ‘blended’ from 50% rib cap, 25% chuck and 25% of trimmed fat plus some other little bits. The beef are supplied by Darragh O’Shea , cuts are dry-aged in house prior to mincing. The impression I get is that Fred continually finesses his blend over time, so if revisited next year, this burger could well be more delicious. Then again, I think most burger places tweak their patty recipes from time to time anyway.

I was reading up on AHT’s excellent recreation of Heston’s (laborious) recipe for his perfect burger. It is noted that Fred’s approach borrows its inspiration from this recipe, such as lining up the strands of mince so they are rolled together in the same direction before forming the patty to shredding the lettuce to form a sort of mattress for the patty lay comfortably over it.

I don’t know if the current iteration is still made this way, but I certainly noticed the uniformity of the mince. Each bite was very smooth as if each cube of beef had been individually tidied when the patty was formed. Its textures were more akin to tartare than grounded beef. I thought the patty’s exhibited lovely rounded natural flavours. All the beefy, fatty unctous flavour was redolent of Darragh’s (of O’Sheas) Big D patty (which hopefully should make its annual guest appearance in Byron sometime this year). On paper, Fred’s basic recipe does seem to resemble Darragh’s blend.

The smell of grilled beef-fat was simply fantastic. However, I found myself dipping this burger into mayo & ketchup after a couple of bites. Counterintuitively, it felt like all this rich beefiness required more seasoning to really bring them out. You know, it’s a little bit like a great steak eaten without salt and pepper.

Perhaps all it needed was for the cuts of beef to be rubbed with more salt prior to mincing. I don’t have anything against american cheese, but I think a sharper cheese such as (Byron’s option) of gruyere (or a blue cheese) can be a good compliment to this sort of rich steak-like patties.

I would say that the broiche bun may be just a little small to handle the 8oz patty. It’s supplied by Miller’s, whom I believe are the same folks who turn out buns for Byron as well as Hawksmoor. In fact, dare I say, this bun is strikingly similar to the one used in Byron’s Uncle Sam special last year. Given the size of this patty, the base bun was completely soaked through, after I chomped through half the burger. It seemed only just able to keep the juices in, tethering on the edge of breaking apart.

Of the London lot, I still think the Meatwagon buns are the best. They have a pleasant fluffy density but also a chewy plasticity about it. But as I said a few weeks ago in my Honest Burgers post, there is this elusive St John sourdough that’s made cameo appearances on BurgerMondays, which seem really great but aren’t often used. Although, I have only had it once, my lasting impressions of the bun was its ability to hold juices in quite well. I also remembered it being quite doughy. Almost like a good neopolitan pizza base…

Chips were so rough cut, they were more like wedges. Pretty damn good, crispy and fluffy, I liked it just fine.

At £15, it’s priced on the higher end. But I do think that you are paying for a quality product, and also a comfortable environment to enjoy it. We arrived at 6.30 on a tuesday night, cooking times were about 15 minutes, there was no need to queue, since you can book. Admiral Codrington itself is a rather decent pub with a dedicated restaurant area (that has a retractable glass skylight/roof) with walls painted beige and booths and chairs lined in red suede with rose patterns. So the feminine surroundings were actually a welcomed change to the rough and ready sweaty and loud guerrilla burger bar. It is South Ken after all.

My brother paid £65.64 which included two glasses of wine, a £2 cover charge, £3.60 to add melted raclette to two portions of chips and a sticky toffee pudding to finish. At nearly £33 for a burger, a drink and half a pud…. yeah actually that does seem quite expensive.

(It never ceases to amaze me how much bullshit I actually generate with each post. In this case, over 1000 words for a burger..!! Do you actually read it all or just take in photos + skip to last para?)

Kudos to Fred Smith. His burger is certainly a great product which deserves high praise and its high reputation. I think it’s just one more place to add to the list of burger nights, in case you’re tired of the Meatliquor or Lucky Chip queues. O’Shea steaks are on the menu, and I’ve read that Fred has access to in-house dry ageing facilities (dehumidified fridge?) to hang his cuts. With the attention to detail he has put into the burger, I’m certainly curious as to what he has done with the rest of the menu. It certainly warrants a revisit, no doubt you’ll read about Ad Cod again in the near future.

The Gist of It

Admiral Codrington
Pub, with a great burger £35pp.
17 Mossop Street, London SW3 2LY
Tel : 0207 581 0005
Tube : South Kensington

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Given the circumstances, I sincerely believe this is the best thing between buns I’d yet come across.

But first let us be properly acquainted. Reader meet Lucky Chip’s weekly burger special “The Bill Murray Life Aquatic Surf and Turf”. She is an aged beef patty with a (new) sesame bun, partnered with a fried soft-shell crab, guac, spring onion, spicy mayo, sweet chilli ginger sauce and processed cheese. She’s worth £9.

Yes, I thought so too, how could purists ever love such a criminally tainted patty which has laid with a creature from the deep blue sea? After one bite, any lingering doubt was erased. I was completely convince: this wasn’t just a great burger, this was a sexual experience.

As you know, Lucky Chip, like Meatwagon, utilise the steam-the-patty-and-fixing under a metal cloche technique, which allows all the flavour-concentrated steam to re-condense within the patty, leading to the satisfying and sloppy mouthful. However, I was most impressed with how the guac, the syrupy sweet chilli drizzle and soft shell crab complimented the already potent beefiness of the patty. The burger had this great textural quality that held together real well, a little like the way it feels when you sink your fingers into kneading bread dough. An incredible experience with much razzle and pop – proof that sometimes more really is merrier.

We also ordered their chips with cheese, and it was exactly as we remembered them – some of the best chips in London, if not the planet. Let’s go with the planet. Shame they ran out of truffle oil however, they offer it as a free of charge option.

Well, its been almost six months since I was last here, I thought they were already great then, but they are on fire now. Whatever it is they’ve done to tinker with their patty and cooking methods, they’ve done it. They’ve reached that rarified airspace reserved for high flying captains of their respective industries. Dare I say, they’ve surpassed the trail blazer whose shadow has loomed over them ever since they opened shop in Kensal Rise earlier this year.

I really wish they’d come back to KR, it’s only ten minutes on the bus for me, but there’s probably no chance now that they’re more or less permanently hooked into the grid at Netil Market. Making the way there is still a hellish experience. The last time, we huddled under a plastic tent as the crazy summer rain poured down. This time, the perils of al fresco dining in winter came in the form of blast-chiller winds on a deceptively sunny Sunday afternoon. Killer winds. Besides, London Fields is not exactly the easiest place to get to.

Was it worth it? Oh yes, it’s worth freezing your nuts and nipples for, because once you take the first bite out of that gorgeous patty, whatever nagging life issues you are trying to push to the back of your brain will fall away. Time will slow down, butterflies will flutter from your arse, a rainbow will crack in the sky, the perfect sakuras will spring from the earth, wind chimes will play in the background.

There is social proof that Lucky Chip are on the way to stardom, like Burgerac’s five star review for example. It also reveals that the improvements to the patty and buns are real, as they’ve opted to switch their supplies from Ginger Pig to Walter Rose. The improved flavours probably due to longer hung beef, cut from cattle with inherently better genes, ie from GP’s longhorns to WR’s half-angus breed. Or maybe the mince-to-fat ratio has been tweaked, choice (or mixture) of cuts altered, seasoning, ratio of bread crumbs, etc. But lets not speculate and just be in awe of the superiority of the product. Whatever tweaks Lucky Chip have made under the hood, is yielded fine results.

I’m told this Bill Murray burger is one of their ten weekly specials, and so the next time this comes around will be either the week starting on the 9th or 16th of Jan 2012. Mark your calendar (better yet call them to double check), because you really don’t want to miss this.

At the time of writing, this week they are doing the DARYL HANNAH FILLET-O-FISH. Take a look, it’s a monster.

I think it’s time we dethrone Meatwagon. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Meateasy was the best pop-up in 2011, and I think they’ve done a good enough job in trying to recapture the essence of it with Meatliquor (it is too dark and too loud in there, however), but I firmly believe that their burgers are now second to Lucky Chip’s.

So I hope Ben and Comar go on to achieve great things in 2012, I hear he’s trying to solve the hellish al fresco experience with some sheltered space near by.

The Deets

Lucky Chip
£6 a burger
Netil Market,
Westgate Street
London Fields,
E8 3RL
Ben – 07795816355

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The ‘X’ refers to the Brazilian mispronunciation of ‘ch’ in cheeseburger as ‘xis’-burger. So says the exposition on the menu, regarding the derivation of x-burger, of how cheeseburgers are locally referred to, in Brazil. So I heard about this place via a LondonEating tweet, and while I’m still exploring the nether-ends of my new neighbourhood, it looked like a good option for Sunday lunch.

You’ll find no fewer than 15 X-burger choices – not all come with xis I gather – but beyond beef and chicken, minced lamb, rump steak (whole cubed chunks of (ungrounded) juicy steak..!), a vegetarian patty and chicken hearts are on offer.

Chicken heart burger?! Yeah me neither, I didn’t pull the trigger, but instead opted for a sizzling platter of chicken hearts and sautéed onions to start, at a more than amenable cost of £3.85.

There must be at least 30 hearts on the plate, sizzling, smoky and well seasoned, really nice chewy texture, if you’re bold enough, it’s a grand start.

Burgers come in two sizes, 5” average £5.50 and the 7” weigh in at around £6.50.

We ordered a 5” X-Burger House, £5.10

Cooked ham, fried egg, pea and sweet corn (and xis) accompany a pretty standard beef patty. Massive portions, everything wrapped in a floury bap. As you can probably tell, the patty isn’t gourmet, it’s more backyard barbeque, which has its charms too. Nicely charred. We enjoyed it generally, the bun was strong enough to keep everything in, so we could eat it by hand. Monster bites. It was a juicy burger.

In fact, we liked it so much, that we had x-burger for dinner, but I opted for the rump steak burger, which I thought was really good. Melted cheese coagulating with large cubes of rump steak, cooked medium, juicy too. Not the softest cut, and albeit a little chewy, but well-seasoned and well grilled – with generous lashings of their in-house made mayonnaise – meant that it was £6.60 well spent.

Giant polenta chips, £2.20

It would appear that everything on the menu is supersized, I loved these polenta chips, stonking value at £2.20 too..!

X-Special Hot Dog, £6.20.

The hot dog roll used was also a white-flour type similar to the burger bun, capable of absorbing copious amount of juice. Stuffed with Brazillian sausages (like mini-frankfurters) , lathered with home-made tomato sauce & mayonnaise, peas, sweetcorn, pickles and finished with fried potato sticks.

In goes the knife.

I’m not sure if the bread was toasted, but I liked it, it was crunchy like a panini. Honestly, didn’t fancy the hot dog too much, those mini-franks didn’t do it for me. Best to stick with the burgers, which I thought were much better.

I drank Guarana – a Brazilian canned soft drink – for the first time, and the better half wolfed down a chocolate milkshake (£2.95). The bill was £18.70… that’s under a tenner each! And we packed the chips and hearts for takeaway as we just couldn’t eat all that food. I can’t remember the last time I saw such a slender bill, but then again, we were in Kilburn.

So burger aficionados, looks like you have another destination to add to your list. One with a Brazilian twist. I don’t think it has plans for world burger domination, but I think it’s a nice addition to the neighbourhood, which seemingly has a strong Brazilian presence already. It will be ideal spot to settle down, for those of you just stepping out from the Tricycle theatre, its about a 5 minute stroll.

The Gist.

X-Burger House
Brazilian, £10pp
40-42 Willesden Lane NW6 7ST
Tel: 020 7372 1001
Underground : Kilburn
Overground : Brondesbury

Xis: LondonEating ; Cooking the Books ; Qype ; My Hampstead ; Crimson Edge

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In my never ending quest to eat everything, I am fortunately saddled with a curiosity for all manner of restaurants. Take Jack’s for example. Situated next to the farmer’s market in Queens Park (where Cillian Murphy can frequently be seen) , I’ve walked out with a beef burger in hand (superbly grilled by one of the meat mongers) still wanting to try a Jack’s burger while munching on the home-made wholesome farmer’s burger. I’m not a glutton am I?

Let’s google that.

Glutton : “Person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess.” (Princeton)

I prefer this one:

“One who eats voraciously, or to excess; a gormandizer; One who gluts himself; A carnivorous mammal (Gulo gulo), of the family Mustelidæ, about the size of a large badger. It was formerly believed to be inordinately voracious, whence the name; the wolverine…” (Wiktionary)

And so it turns out, I am a glutton, who frequently gluts himself, or at least thinks about voracious gormadizing alot. I have good reason to constantly keep this neighbourhood cafe at the back of my mind, and mainly it is to do with a sign they used to hang outside their door which read “Wagyu Burger”. That sign is no longer there. Very recently, the cafe has undergone a refurbishment which extends the once modest cafe into a modest cafe, with a dining area. Complete with black leather booth seats, and brick walls, business looks better than ever, as this place is constantly packed out. The new dining space is connected to the old cafe via what appears to be a tunnel lit by blue lights. At either side of this limbo land, cabinets and waitresses pop in and out from it. Pop. Or so it seemed anyway. So now we’re in (yes, we’re in). The menu is all day breakfast on one side; steak chips & lambshanks on the reverse and a whole host of greasy sandwiches, with your choice of bread, oh and malted milkshakes. So Byron ain’t the only boys in town who do A&W ice-cream floats, because I just found another. It’s the every greasy spoon I thought it was gonna be, dirty cutlery sans wagyu burgers.

Anyway, I ordered a malted peanut butter & banana milkshake to start. £3.75, it was huge, served in an oversized steel cup (ala GBK) and featuring crunchy peanut bits in the smooth, cold ice cream puddle. Yummy, I like malted things.

Conducting ‘research’ (or as some would say, ‘cheating’) for this piece led me to believe that the origins of the Jack’s burger recipe is American. I have no true experience of the American Hamburger, except to channel interpretations of it from my familiarity with ‘American diners’ in various Asian countries. Today, I’m channelling an old ‘American’ restaurant from my childhood days called Red Wing. The restaurant (no longer exists) was based in the oil town of Seria in Brunei which (still) has an economy that literally runs on oil & gas. If memory serves me correctly, Red Wing was a place for the old cowboys (applied liberally) from Halliburton to gather for a warm meal after a hard day’s slogging it out in the rigs, and it was here that baby Kang came across the curious case of the coleslaw. Ok back to the Jack’s home-made burger. Let’s get the bad bits out of the way first: that burger is overcooked, thinly cut (comparable to Burger King thickness) and dry. So why not write it off, right? Not yet, because everything else about the burger was actually rather good. The bun was toasted till crusty and I’m certain (even though the other half disagrees) that it had been flavoured with fresh garlic, giving it a tingling bite. The coleslaw was sort of yogurty and tasted (for want of a better term) fresh. We stuffed the good stuff into the burger, and it produced a really interesting garlicy and then creamy concoction of flavours, which instantly took me back to 1989, and back to Red Wing. This is about as close to A&W as one can get in London, and maybe its just nostalgia but I remember burgers tasting alot different, much more muscular (like this) back in 1989 as opposed to the progressive movement of gourmet burgers today… or maybe that’s just the carnivorous badger in me getting carried away.

I initially wanted to try the corned beef hash (with two fried eggs) but they had run out at 3.30pm on a Sunday, so I settled for ‘the Yank’ instead.

Further ‘research’ led me to study the diverse landscape of breakfast in America, specifically pancakes. To be honest, I felt a little queasy just reading this selection off the menu: eggs, bacon, french toast, syrup… blech, and this was the cheaper option. The other heftier double yank (oh gosh, I can’t even remember the name of the item) had pancakes AND french toast on the same plate. Yup, just as I expected this protein explosion was a little too much for me to handle. I could just about do the fried bread and bacon, even bravely spreading the syrup on the bread, but once I broke the white of the eggs, and the golden yolks slowly seeping into the sweetened bacon – that was the last straw, the voracious wolverine quivered, and seriously considered turning vegequarian.

In the end though, I was rather glad I gave Jack’s a try, I’d still go back to put my heart at risk and try the corned beef hash (for all the right reasons), and I almost forgot to mention the weird melange of music which played in the background; Bouncing from Jamiraquai to Borcelli. Interestingly enough, I felt abit like an extra in a Tarantino movie and in a funky kinda way, it all worked.

The Gist of It

Jacks Cafe official site
101 Salusbury Road
London NW6 6NH
Tel: 020 7624 8925
Tube: Queen’s Park

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Croque Gascon official site
The Balcony at Westfield W12 7GE
£10 to £15 per head

As much as I like window shopping (in the traditional high street sense), I also love hanging out in oversized shopping malls. There’s an Apple store, there’s a huge Jessops, M&S Food and a massive food hall. So I was in the mood for something quick cheap and greasy. The duck burger beckons.

West London rocks….

I don’t tend to do much photography in black and white, believe it or not, its much much harder than colour. As for black and white food, well, I’m still learning the craft.

So Croque Gascon is part of Chef Aussignac’s Gascon empire in London. I must admit – at time of writing – this is the first Gascon for me. I do enjoy French Bistro food and I guess the beauty of Europe is being able to walk into modest cafés and be treated to simply delicious food, completely free from pretension. We need more places like that in London – sometimes there just too much gimmick, especially with café style food.

Right enough hot air, time for grub.

Seafoodie

Grilled scallops and milla chips £9.50

Croque isn’t the cheapest around the block. It is completely overloaded with marble (so is the rest of the food hall) and it gives this steely cold feeling eating amidst the cold stone. For starters, this simple salad of rocket leaves and scallops were served with chunky polenta chips. The grainy chips were just a tad too sweet. At £9.50, I was expecting fresh and bouncy scallops but instead all I got was overcooked seafood. Sinking, rather than swimming. They threw in a couple of pieces of rather sad looking cherry tomatoes, and I couldn’t help but sigh at the fact that this dish tasted like something I cooked (note, this is not a compliment).

For the price, well, its overpriced. Major fail.

Chopped Steaks

Hache and chips £8 (I think)

I love chopped steak, not as much as a giant slab of ribeye, but close enough. One of my most favourite dishes is a Steak Tartare, people tend to avoid it because it looks horrible being completely raw, but I just love it.

With a steak hache, its about nearly as exciting. This particular version is roughly hand chopped. Still reasonably chunky and well seasoned. I would have preferred it, if it was served with bread instead of smothering it with chips. The chips were inconsistent, some tasted crispy, while others were downright soggy. It was much too oily for my liking, as I felt queasiness come on as I munched on. The hache was midly enjoyable but the chips felt like an attempt on my life. As a dish, I was left wishing it were frites in the place of chips, and I was wishing my hache was a medium rare ribeye.

Just when I was about to write it off…

Duck Burger Classique with Cheese £7

A little bit on the pricy side, but I was so glad that the burger rocked. Full flavoured, it had an interesting plumpness and the juiciness really had me craving for more. The cheese was a kind of mild blue cheese of sorts, in tandem with the flavours of roast duck, it made for a satisfying end to the meal.

Ahh, a fine effort.

I wanted to try the churros, but the chips really turned me off more fried food, instead I chose to wash down all the salt with a can of coke instead. That in itself kind of sums up my meal at Croque Gascon really. Let’s not be under any illusions here, Croque Gascon is high end fast food with fast prices; I may have enjoyed the duck burger, but I also enjoy a burger king from time to time. Having said that, I would go back for the burger alone, and maybe the croque monsieur, or maybe its a better idea to just wait until my Paris trip next month for some proper bistro food.

The Gist of It

Croque Gascon official site
The Balcony at Westfield W12 7GE
£10 to £15 per head
Verdict: Expensive, doesnt taste interesting, however the duck burger wasnt bad. Simply tasty French dishes is a good concept, especially in its mall setting, but better execution is required. Jettison the expensive fluff and with replace with lighter, meaner and bolder dishes.

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a dollop of off-the-curb eating quirk to brighten up those midweek blues every wednesday or thursdays or both. (warning: this post is NC-17)

This is one of the most hilarious marketing campaigns I’ve ever come across. cnn.com ran a video about FLAME today. ‘What’s FLAME ?’ you might ask; Well it is only the latest body spray of seduction.. with a hint of char-broiled meat.

Cue sexy porno music in background with 80′s style saxaphone. And then a deep baritone voice comes on and says….

‘FLAME’. Come on baby, give it a spray…

Ok I’ll do that *Pff..*

Wow, candle-lit bathtube with flowers. Let’s spray some more FLAME and see what happens. *Pff..*

Damn it’s the sexpot burger king himself… and now you can smell as desirable as his whoppers.

What are you waiting for? Point your browser to www.firemeetsdesire.com and experience FLAME now. Come on baby, give it a spray…

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There’s only so many ways I can photograph a business card, but that’s all Hache burgers left me with after my visit to Timeout’s best burger place. I didn’t understand their refusal for pictures but I tell you what, I might have just ate the best fish burger… ever.

A thousand words is worth a burger

It’s going to be a little different from my other restaurant reviews, in that I was not allowed to take pictures in this burger place. Odd I must say, I wouldn’t have expected a chic and relaxing burger bar banning photos of their juicy creations. No bother really, I’m going to do this old school style and flex those copywriting muscles.

A reputation to envy

You should know by now that I hold the timeout guide in high regard. This year they bestowed upon Hache , their best burger award. If you search the web and keep your ears open on the streets, you’ll find that there’s alot nice words like ‘juicy’ , ‘lovely’ , ‘delicious’ , ‘ohh..’ being used in the same sentence with Hache. Word of mouth is a pretty powerful thing and you know that just means one thing – I have to check it out.

Hachin’ it

Following my visit to burger shack, I’ve decided to follow up on that review with a loose series of visits to some of the best burger bars in the city. Hache brands themselves as Burger Connoisseurs, that’s a pretty bold claim especially when it comes to dealing with fast food. But these days with a general trend towards healthier eating ( even McDs have re branded with ‘healthy deli buns’ ) , making the ol’ burger fit for posh palettes seem appropriate. Besides, I think there’s a little bit of burger connoisseur in every one of us. Yes, admit it, you love a good hearty burger.

Constructing the decor

It’s wet and rainy as I write this so the atmosphere is alittle dreary to say the least. I am in need of a warm burger to clear those rainclouds. There’s two branches one in camden and the other on fulham road. I headed towards the fulham road branch today and it’s immediately recognisable as the outside is a beautiful brown wood and does seem to exude the appearance of a connoisseur.

Stepping through the door, I am greeted by loud 80′s pop music, pots of green plants hanging off the door, mirrors on white walls and fairy lights in the shape of floral patterns. The lights are low and lend it a an urban candle-lit atmosphere. Also, I should mention the mini chandeliers hanging off the exposed white ceilings with which the wooden beams are visible. The space is very reminiscent of a family run restaurant who’ve had a secret burger recipe which has been passed down from the centuries. Aside from the blaring 80s music, the restaurant is alive and cosy and is coloured with the brilliant grilled smell in the air.

Something delicious is definitely cooking in the kitchen.

Duck, lamb, fish and anything you can put between two pieces of flour

How many ways can you dress a burger up anyway? It’s just meat in buns isn’t it?

I got to say, these guys deserve an award just from judging their menu alone; there are a multitude of options available! In addition to the standard beef + innovative add-on , they have options made from english shoulder lamb , dabble with a venison in a rich coating of cassis and even indulge in the aromatic crispy duck option. I mean, seriously, the description of the options alone seem they belong in a restaurant serving proper meals. Do have a read at the full menu here.

Gone fishing

I’m a seafoodie , fresh seafood is just good no matter how you cook it. Being that they are connoisseurs – I just had to order something a little less common to test their mettle. Not that fish burger is a rarity in any case, while I do love the angus option at Burger king, I tend to enjoy their ocean’s catch a lot more.

I spotted this on the menu:

COD A CROÛTE. Chunky Cod Steak topped with our chef’s own recipe of crust of blue cheese, red pepper, corriander and a touch of chilli … £9.50

Sounds really unique especially that crust with a medley of ingredients. I took the plunge with this. As it’s lunchtime ( and I actually just woke up by the way…. so er, it was actually fish burger for breakfast.. ok brunch. ) I also ordered their banana berry smoothie which was frothy and very light as well as some thin frites on the side.

Finally sinking my teeth in

The plate is deliciously beautiful. The bread is a rather dry ciabatta bread, which is crusty but soft on the inside. I appreciate the fact that it’s dry because that helps mop up and suck in all the juices from the burger.

If indeed the burger is juicy that is.

Complimenting the burger are the run-of-the-mill fresh and delicious giant tomato slices and super fresh lettuce. The burger is served semi-open, so the fish is exposed. I normally dip my head into the dish when it comes to the table just to take in the aromas of freshly cooked food. A deep breath and I’m just absolutely swooning, that grilled fish smell is very nice indeed. The searedness comes through just nice and I’m in abit of grilled heaven. The first cut and I can see that the fish is just on the side of perfectly grilled. The fish flakes perfectly being that it is just ever so slightly undercooked ensuring that the fish’s texture is still not falling apart and thus still has a bouncy bite rather than an overcooked chewiness to it. Hats off to the chef getting the cooking spot-on.

I will note that this is a pretty big chuck of cod, so there’s no way for me to pick up the burger and take a bite out of it ( which I would have loved to do, but fearing it may be abit of a messy affair for public eyes.. ) . Wow, wow, wow, the grilled smokey taste comes straight through and it’s just so nicely seasoned peppery , a little garlicky and just full of that fresh cod goodness. I have a sneak suspicion the rich tastes partly come from the excellent crust which accompany the fish. The crust is more likely described as a thinly grilled savoury cake of sorts. It’s definitely as advertised on the menu being cheesy, peppery and alittle fiery at the end of it as well. I’ll note now that while the fish itself is not oozing juices, though it’s not meant to be, it does taste just so hearty.

I have got to say, this is an excellent fish burger that is well-executed, probably the best I’ve ever and miles better than an ocean’s catch. This definitely does seem like burger taken to gourmet levels, but thankfully it hasnt taken on any snotty pretentiousness.

Thoughts

I forgot to mention that the frites are very tasty as well. They are fried crispyly and are full of that nice potato flavour. So, at the end of this meal, I am left nodding along to their reputation, I must say I thought I knew burgers but Hache really helped re-introduced me to burgers. Now, if you’re clamoring for some pictures, do pay a visit to their website here , but if you are after, dare i say, the best burger in town , do pay them a visit.

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Fast-food is slowly being redressed as proper food. Take burger joints for example. They have been ‘gourmet-ised’ and have been springing up all over the capital. Smollensky’s burger shack is one of them. I get peckish when I’m out and about, so I decided to drop a visit.

Burgering up

One of the many blogs I read is a hamburger today. I’m telling you, the number of ways burgers can be eaten today is startling. In this post, we have the one pound chateau louise burger which is an absolute beast.

People tend to give burgers alot of stick, yeah sure, sure its not healthy and all that, but think about it, let’s throw away the crappy mince and use some premium protein boosting meat. Really fresh tomatoes and leaves. Top up with fresh tomato chutney and some nicely toasted buns and sesame seeds… is it just me or does that sound like ingredients of a balanced diet all rolled into one?

Step inside the shack

Where all the magic happens. There are 2 branches, the flagship one is in leicester square.  I went to the other one on charing cross road, which is about a 10 minute walk from totenham court road tube station. I really want to talk about the decor because its all dark woods and brick walls, with lots of retro photographs of stars from the 30′s. It’s a relaxing space to sit down and just chill, read the paper, oh and eat some great burgers.

Grill me, lick me, eat me

If the burgers don’t work, burger shack doesn’t work. Thankfully its great. There’s alot of different varieties, you can get chicken, lamb, and all kinds of toppings in addition the classic beef. I went for the no-nonsense £5.50 classic beef burger. Affordable. All the basics are spot-on, the toasted bun is especially nice being flour-y enough to absorb all the juices. The highlight though is the grilled beef itself. It’s nicely chargrilled with lots of smokiness and the meat is just very juicy. Appetising, my only qualm is that the portion is a tad bit small… especially compared to places like gourmet burger kitchen. 

What say kang the London Eater?

Hey the taste of the beef is awesome. I like it and it’s cheap. Definitely worth a visit if you are hunting for a good burger. I think there’s great debate over the best burger joint in London. I would say for taste, definitely go for burger shack. But for sheer novelty, value for money then do gourmet burger kitchen. 

Both are great, which do you prefer?