So knowing Covent Garden was nearby, we decided to see what all the hype was about and headed to brand new American import ShakeShack. They pride themselves on using 100% all-natural Angus beef, vegetarian fed and humanely raised. I have seen pictures of rows and rows of these burgers all looking perfect and exactly the same. The same Muppet-like features: the lettuce sticking out, cheese melting over the edge and tomatoes lolling like tongues over the bun. They're all bright colours and happy.
From the start I was dubious, however I had read many a review of people saying that this one was great - it was Five Guys here that wasn't so good - so I thought why not, let's forego the brilliance that is MeatMarket around the corner and let's do it - how bad could it be?!
I had no idea.
Here it is: The Muppet. (A plain ShakeShack burger)
My reaction was not good. Take the so-called "perfect-looking" burger out of it's bag and you find the horror of the saggy and deflated bun, looking a little worse for wear. It doesn't look so happy anymore.
Only when I took the burger out of the bag did I realise the lettuce was sticking half way out the burger, to give it it's muppet-esque facade. How was I supposed to eat that?!
One bite in and I knew I hated it. The meat wasn't a good patty. It was flimsy and tasteless - it did not feel like I was eating "100% beef". The "special ShakeShack sauce" was overly sweet. The cheese was not good and there no was no texture in the burger, perhaps this would have been better had I got one with bacon. It was all one soft icky mess in my mouth and I could only stomach eating half of it. It was all very reminiscent of McDonalds - and I detest McDonalds.
The chips were slightly better. I did not like that they were crinkle cut - another mass production sign I do not like to see, but they did taste good. The ones that weren't covered in the same horrible cheese that they use in the burger, however.
We also got a white and black milkshake - chocolate mixed with vanilla. No sign of vanilla in there, only that fake chocolate flavour. So that was left too.
The only redeeming thing at ShakeShake are their concretes. Different kinds of frozen custard which basically taste like ice cream. We had the Union Shack - chocolate custard with St John's Bakery chocolate hazelnut brownie, fudge sauce, Paul A Young, chocolate chunks and sea salt.
If you don't recognise the names in there, St John is an incredible bakery and restaurant - go try a doughnut - and Paul A Young makes some incredibly yummy chocolate. He was one of the first places I tried salted caramel and salted chocolate - an epiphany back then.
This was really really good. Great textures and flavours and you can never go wrong with chocolate in my book.
However after the whole ordeal I was left feeling really disgusting and that horrible fake sweet taste of a cheap burger lingered in my mouth for hours after. Lesson learned: go British and go MeatMarket.
Maybe quality has been falling since the spectacular opening. Maybe it's just not my thing, but neither of us were incredibly impressed. J however managed to finish her burger and the rest of mine.
So I knew I needed another burger STAT to get rid of that horrible memory. Burger Bear is currently in residence at the Old Nun's Head pub in Nunhead, SE London until the 25th August. You can also find him near Old Street during the week, but you have to check his twitter for details because I'm not entirely sure.
Anyway I have heard many a good thing about Burger Bear. So I thought perfect opportunity to have a great burger and see my sis at the same time.
We both ordered a Grizzly Burger - double oak smoked bacon with bacon jam on a cheeseburger along with some angry fries.
The moment it entered my mouth I knew this was good. Oh so good. The patty was fat and juicy - but not ridiculously messy. The bacon added the perfect crisp smokiness and my word the bacon jam. Bacon jam. What an absolute epiphany that was, it tasted incredible. The bun wasn't fantastic, however held together nicely with all the juiciness coming from the burger. Safe to say it is now in my top 3 burgers in London.
The angry fries were great - but I was not expecting them to be that spicy! It actually hurt a little bit, there were a few tears, but if you love super spicy you will love them guaranteed.
Next up was Disco Bistro. It's been open at the popup rollerskating rink since July and closed this weekend so I knew I had to get there before time was up!
The burger sounded pretty epic. Cheese, secret "bun sauce", pineapple, onions and -ohmygoodness it's back - bacon jam!!!
This was deliciously oozy, however maybe a little too much. It was dripping everywhere, on my clothes, on body parts and grease was pooling in the bottom of the basket. I guess you definitely can't say it wasn't moist!! As such, the bun didn't hold together great, but it's not something I'm too fussed about.
The burger was really good. The thick-cut onion were delicious and the pineapple - which I wasn't sure on before trying - added a new dimension, a sweet extra flavour. The pineapple was in fact the best bit in there for me! Unfortunately this, plus their bun sauce, didn't allow the bacon jam to shine. Knowing what it tastes like, I couldn't detect it amongst all the other flavours, but it wasn't missed since the burger tasted pretty great already. It was dirty, messy and fabulous.
I'm not sure as yet when the next Disco Bistro burger will be available, but the same chef has collaborated at Rotary Bar Diner (just off Old St roundabout) on their menu, so for a burger of similar style and quality, head there.
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