Hamburger review: Shoreditch House London

Shoreditch House London

The Shoreditch House is one of many private member clubs in London. So if you aren't a member and manage to eat here, you might want to order something more .... sophisticated. Just to make a statement that you do not belong to the creative bunch of directors, writers, actors, and other artists that make up the average guests.

Although this is once again not a specialized Burger place, I must write about it as it is one of the better burgers, one should have had in one's life. Especially if you are a bit hungover. Trust me you will appreciate it.

This burger is a feast of sinful indulgence. As it comes fresh from the kitchen, sizzling, smelling of grilled meat, molten cheese, and toasted bread. Remember to work of those calories the next day, or preferably the same evening.

The burger consists a freshly ground meat patty which has been flame grilled, resulting in some charring and smokey flavours. The lettuce comes in a single leaf as opposed to the cut up slices other restaurants are putting on their burgers (hello BigMac). Very important: it is underneath the meat where it can act as a moisture barrier to the bottom bun. The homemade bun, although a bit too fancy for a true sin-burger, has the right appeal as it matches the environment. Nothing wrong with it, just because it matches the rustic feeling of the unshaped charred meatloaf, strong cheese, and the fresh greens it is served with.
The side fries are well fried. Golden, yellow-brown, crispy, not fatty, just right. Just like the burger

Overall rating 6 out of 6

www.shoreditchhouse.com

Hamburger Review: Iroquois Zürich

Iroquois Zürich

I went to Iroquois for a quick lunch with my friend Fabian and did not expect much from it, since it is one of the few Hamburger restaurants in Zürich. Unlike London, there is not a lot of competition; ergo a direct correlation between supply and burger quality becomes clearly visible.

The burger looked very good when it was served which was mainly due to the abundance of sesame on the bun. I have to admit, that this was looking tasty. Unfortunately this impression faded after looking at the insides of the creation.

The meat patty wasn't the best quality as it looked grey and a bit old, the toppings were a bit lifeless. The taste was overwhelmed by the thick thousand island sauce that the salad was drenched in, masking the meat flavor.

Finally the fries were a bit to dry.

Rating: 2 out of 6

http://www.iroquois.ch/

Hamburger Review: La Salle à Manger Geneva

La Salle à Manger Geneva

La Salle à Manger is a cozy little restaurant located in the steep alleys of Geneva. Their menu consists offers several kinds of burgers, that are all served with fries. As you can see from the picture I went for the double burger, since this was both breakfast and lunch in one for me on that day. Let me tell you I was struggling... although I am known for my healthy appetite.

So let's start with the analysis; the sesame bun is my favorite bun and it was fairly good, but could have been toasted a bit more. When biting into a burger, a very essential taste experience is the smell of the toasted bread aroma.

Something I didn't like at all, was the swiss cheese on the burger. I think that it is not the right ingredient for a burger as it has a very strong flavor and its saltiness overpowers the meat flavor. The meat itself was very good, which is why I am giving a 5 rating instead of a 4, as I find it to be the most important aspect of the burger. And Swiss meat is definitely very high up in the meat quality scale (although Argentinean and Japanese Kobe are far ahead). THe patties were handmade and had a fresh and juicy texture.

Now there was no milkshake and the fries weren't outstanding either, but not bad either.

Rating: 5 out of 6

http://www.salleamanger.ch/

Hamburger Review: Scotch Steak House London

Scotch Steak House London

Maybe i should introduce a negative scale? Because this was once more a burger from the very low end.

Since Scotch Steak House do not have their own website, all I could do was publish the post another blogger has written about them, and which was the number one search result on Google. Read it and you will get an idea about how bad it was.

I don't even want to write about it, the only reason why I went there is that it was around the corner and I was really hungry. So I keep it short. Another burger with a salad mix instead of lettuce (no salad dressing though), the patty tasted surprisingly fresh, but had diced onions in it, and thereby disqualifies as a Hamburger. The fries were not crisp; they were limp hanging potato cuts. This is a point where it isn't even fun to write about burgers anymore. Bad food can really ruin your day.

Rating: 1- out of 6

http://www.planetbods.org

Hamburger Review: Neo Hamburg

Foreword (just to set the tone):

"I shouldn't have ordered the burger in the first place."

Neo Hamburg

.... let me think how to start this. As I have said before, you have to try in order to make a (fair) judgment. On the other hand, to make it "fair" you should only compare apples and oranges. For the same reason that I do not include B.K. and Maky D. in this blog, I should not include restaurants that cook food and also offer a hamburger. Because all you end up with is disappointment. On the other hand it makes you appreciate those real hamburgers made by certified burger connoisseurs.

So, what I got here was ... I think if I mention that I only ate half of it, this will best describe the quality of IT. And IT was just as scary as Pennywise the clown in that 80's Steven King movie. As always my standard order consisted of a regular cheeseburger and a milkshake. The milkshake was already wrong for my taste, as it was just vanilla flavored milk, without any ice-cream texture or the proper temperature for that matter. Then the burger came; a standard burger bun, which was a tad too dry, but acceptable. But there were other problems, that were sheer blasphemy against the burger god (who probably looks like an obese Fucker with all sorts of condiments in his beard - and not like Ronald McDonald). The salad was a salad mix, like the one you get in a bag at your local supermarket, which was then drowned in a heavy thousand island salad dressing. On top of this, some bonehead in the kitchen placed a piece of beef, which he had probably found on the bottom of the freezer, heated it in the microwave, for about 10 minutes and had then placed underneath his car to give it a dark color.

Yes, I do enjoy to be cynical, ... well I did, until I remembered: 'That they used mozzarella cheese'. On a cheeseburger, mozzarella? That's just as bad as putting stilton on a pizza margarita, and will probably send you directly to food hell, where they serve you recipes from the Gracie Field cookbook for the next hundred years.

The side-dishes were a shot glass with coleslaw, and bad fries.

Note: How to cook french fries: Soak the fries in ice water to remove excess starch, heat vegetable oil and blanche the fries at 160°C for about 5 minutes until the color changes. Let them cool down for about 10 minutes, and then fry them again at 185°C for about 1-2 minutes until they are golden brown.

My resume about the Neo burger. The best part of this burger were the three slices of onion.

Rating: 1 out of 6

http://www.neogastro.de/

Hamburger Review: Locks Hamburg

Locks Hamburg

Locks is a restaurant located in Hamburgs Poppenbüttel district, just a few minutes from the AEZ shopping mall. In their defense I have to mention that Locks is a proper restaurant with a sophisticated menu, and not a specialized burger-only place.

So, let's dissect the beauty: My order consisted of a cheeseburger, that comes with curly fries (they call them twisters), and a coke.

The bread they used was a standard burger bun, which was slightly over toasted. I presume that they caramelize it in the salamander; where leaving it for just a few seconds to long evaporates all the moisture out of the bread. All the ingredients were very fresh and I really liked the red onions they used, as well as the cheddar cheese (Frittier Salon look at the picture! That's what molten cheese has to look like!). What I found a bit strange was the fact that the burger had cucumbers instead of pickles on it. As someone who doesn't like pickles anyways, it didn't bother me too much though. The fries however were a bit too done, and some tasted like frying fat and cancer dust.

But now for the main discipline - the patty, the burger, the core, that juicy piece of meat. .... FAILED. Well, not majorly failed, to the extend where I wouldn't go there again. But I can say that the chef has no real idea about how to grill a proper burger. It was just too flat, too hard, and basically just a lump of dead, heated protein. Come on,... Burger one-0-one: fresh meat, seasoning, tablespoon of water, form with hands so it is slightly fluffy, barbeque on high heat, let the juices rise and then flip it once and once only, and please DO NOT PRESS DOWN ON THE BURGER, voila - success.

Also, this was the first time that I saw a tomato placed under the meat. ??? Don't do that! Basic composition order goes as follows: caramelized bottom bun, salad as a moisture barrier, meat, toppings + sauce, top bun - Done.

Overall I can say, or rather hope that they will improve on the meat, and with all the fresh ingredients this could be(-come) a decent burger.

Rating: 3 out of 6

http://www.the-locks.de/

Hamburger Review: Frittiersalon Berlin

Frittiersalon Berlin

Frittiersalon is a small burger shack and I didn't expect to be blown away. You still have to eat a burger, to rate a burger; but first impressions usually do not lie.

If I was paid for my reviews, I might have even told the owners what was wrong with their burgers. ... OK, it's the grill. Some kitchen utensil salesman must have talked them into buying one of those top-bottom grills. While this time-efficiently heats the patties from the top and the bottom at the same time, it also squeezes all the juices out of it as. What they are left with is a flat piece of ... yeah, okay it is not as bad as shoe-sole, but close. The meat was probably very good before it was press-grilled, but I honestly can't tell you.

And then there was the bread,... I suspect it to be made by a bio baker or something alike. Don't get me wrong there is almost nothing wrong with the bread except that there wasn't enough sesame. But the way it was served was below standard. It was oily and greasy; and didn't look very yummy. As for the toppings, they were okay, except for the cheese. It was just placed on the patty (which wasn't warm enough to melt it), and just rested there like in a cheese sandwich.

The best part of the menu were probably the potatoes and the fries I had on the side.

P.S.: This place needs a man in the kitchen, and a proper grill.

Rating: 2 out of 6

http://www.frittiersalon.de/

Hamburger Review: White Trash Fast Food Berlin

White Trash Fast Food Berlin

Bravo, ..., the Burger I ate at White Trash Fast Food has honestly surprised me. It was much better than I had expected, and although I would not necessary classify them as a gourmet burger restaurant, they did a better job than many who claim to be one.

WTFF as the restaurant is abbreviated is located at Rosa Luxemburg Platz, in an old chinese restaurant, which during GDR times was frequented by communist party officials. Since WTFF has moved from its former location in a panel flat, several rumors and myths were spread about the place. Frequented by celebrities like Quentin Tarantino or Lemmy Kilmister (frontman of heavy metal band Motörhead), the place has become a regular hang out for Berlin's creative cool crowd and artists.

The Hamburger WTFF offer is a basic hamburger without any fancy ingredients, but with all the luxury a homemade burger needs. The buns, which are made by a local bio baker, are regular sesame bun, that come in perfect proportion to the meat patty. The meat patties are hand formed and taste just like they are supposed to taste; smokey grill-, and caramelized meat flavors, etc...

The toppings are standard lettuce, tomato and pickles. The reason why I gave WTFF a 6 minus is that the lettuce was already withered and slightly brown on the edges. As GBK is my standard to which everything else is compared, I have to say that the two burgers are on par. What WTFF got absolutely right was the bun though, which had the perfect consistency. While GBK's bun was a bit burned and dry, WTFF's bun was soft on the outside but crunchy and caramelized on the inside to prevent it from becoming soggy from the meat.

The fries were also very good, just as they are supposed to be.

If you are looking for a genuine, homemade burger, this place is definitely worth a visit.

Rating: 6- out of 6

http://new.whitetrashfastfood.com/

Hamburger Review: Cosmo Grill Munich

Cosmo Grill Munich

So Cosmo Grill is located on Munich's "supposedly-posh" Maximilian Strasse, which might explain their slightly higher prices. And I know I don't usually do include price since most gourmet burgers are around the same price. The problem I have with Cosmo grills burger is the size of their burger. It is just way too small. Being 50% more expensive and 30% smaller than the other burgers I have tried. The problem was... in the end I was still hungry.

So, what about the burger itself (besides the size). I had a standard burger, with their chili potatoes, and a coke (another burger place that doesn't have milk shakes). The bread was just mediocre, as it was very soggy and not properly caramelized I have to deduct a couple of points. The meat for the patties comes from a local bio-farmer, who's brochures are on display in the shop. But this doesn't help the burger if it is not properly grilled. This place is called Cosmo GRILL; then why are they using a teppanyaki grill to prepare the burger? They are not hot enough, miss the grill flavors which would otherwise settle in the meat, and the coloring is also not right.

The other ingredients were alright. Fresh and all, but the side dish was ... not my taste. If you like little potatoes in oil and a bit of chili or rosemary and sea-salt, you might like it.

Rating: 3 out of 6

http://www.cosmogrill.de/

Hamburger Review: Black & Blue London

Black & Blue Steakhouse London

Although Black & Blue is a steakhouse chain, I wanted to give them a try (mostly because the only real burger chain that I had not visited yet was Fine Burger, and they are on the verge of bankruptcy). In retrospect I should have gone there, since Black & Blue was rather disappointing.

The chain must be struggling in the steakhouse market, since Gaucho Grill, who offer the best steaks by far (outstanding products and service), are expanding all over key locations in London.

B&B's menu on their webpage is slightly different from the actual menu I saw at the Notting Hill Gate outlet.

But enough about this,... back to the important things in life. "The Hamburger"

My order consisted of the standard Hamburger (medium rare, bacon, and cheese), the house fries as a side, and the flowery fried onion (their version of the onion ring) for starters.

The Burger was mediocre, and there are a couple of things to criticize. While the salad and tomato topping were fresh, all the other ingredients were lacking quality. First and foremost the meat could not satisfy what I had expected. Though juicy and well cooked, neither the flavor, texture nor the smell could keep up with what specialized burger places offer.

The extra pound spend for the bacon and cheese, was not worth it. Since the bacon looked like it had been fried to charcoal on the outside, while on the inside it was still raw (neither taste was very appealing). The bun was a bit soggy, probably due to the juicy medium rare patty. This could have been minimized if the bun had been properly caramelized beforehand.

The flowery onion is probably the most unhealthy thing I have eaten in a long time. It is made from a large Spanish onion, that is then battered and fried. Due to its size, stay away from it unless you are more then four people.

Overall Black & Blues' Burger is not something I can recommend to eat there. I do not recall the quality of the steaks, but I sure hope they are better than the Burgers, because otherwise this chain is doomed with all the competition that is out there.

Rating: 3 out of 6

http://www.blackandbluerestaurants.com/

Hamburger Review: Haché London

Haché at 24 Inverness street in Camden.

I was really eager to go to this one. Since Haché have won the Time Out award for best burger, and have received great reviews overall it was on the top of my to-visit list and see for myself.

The place was very friendly and welcoming and the menu looked good (probably a bit abuzz for my taste). So I ordered my standard Burger or as they call it "steak au naturel" (medium rare), the chunky fries with chili sauce and onion rings as sides. Since they did not offer any milkshakes, I ordered a Coke.

Let me start with the Burger, because I am not sure if it should be called that. This is exactly what I had expected. Someone who is looking for a burger might find Haché a bit pretentious. It is fancy and extravagant, but to their defense not expensive. Something you will taste with your first bite is that their meat patty is a french steak Haché (if you want the definition look it up on their webpage). Although it was perfectly cooked, I would not call it a Hamburger, but a "french minced meat sandwich". Haché's burgers come in a bread that is too much bread roll and not enough burger bun. In fact it is ciabatta. They use rocket instead of lettuce, and the plates are garnished as you would expect it at a upscale restaurant, and not in a burger joint. Do not get me wrong here, the food was outstanding; but just not a real hamburger.

Now the side-dishes, were actually disappointing. The fries were mushy on the inside and the onion rings had hardly any onions in them, but consisted of pure batter (but they looked delicious).

My overall assessment is,.... well I can not give one, since this is not a burger place. But what they offered was delicious, well prepared and without a doubt tastier than most of the other "real" burger places I have visited. In their defense, I do not think that Haché tried to take a burger and turn it into something better. They simply took something else and called it a burger. Haché is for the french, for women, for anyone that likes style and does not mind pretentiousness, or thinks that this combination of protein, carbs and fibers will be much healthier than others. If you are looking for something new, want to impress a girl without spending over 40 pounds, or just want a "french minced meat sandwich"; Haché is your place. But if you are looking for a Hamburger that is nothing but that, you are better of with GBK. As for the onion rings,... Hamburger Union had better ones (which was about all they had).

Rating: 6 out of 6 (but on the "french minced meat sandwich" scale)

http://www.hacheburgers.com/

Hamburger Review: Byron London

Byron "Proper Hamburgers" at Westfield Shopping mall London

Byron is yet another Hamburger chain that offers gourmet Hamburgers. Their motto is made up of the simple statement: "Proper Hamburgers". And without a doubt they do keep that promise.

Byron uses meat from Aberdeen Angus Cows which are "traceable" and purely grass fed. The patty's are formed from daily fresh grounded rump, chuck, and brisket. The burger is cooked as ordered, but I found it slightly to done for my taste. Although they do not use a sesame bun, their bread is much better then that of other burger places and does not necessarily try to be "extravagant" or anything else. The toppings are lettuce, tomatoes, and onions (bacon can be ordered extra). As someone who does not appreciate

cucumber on a hamburger, I was happy to see that they had placed it on the side.

As a side I had hand-cut french fries with chili sauce. The hand-cut fries were a tad more expensive than the regular fries, which I expected to be general frozen fries. So I went for the more expensive version. Although I expected the fries to be more chunky like the ones from GBK, I have to admit; these were good, maybe even better. These were real potatoes, and they sure tasted that way. The chili sauce, that was a different issue, it is not as good as the one from GBK and reminded me a bit of Sriracha (the thai chili sauce), and was too spicy for the fries and the burger.

As for the milkshake, it too was not as good as GBK. The portion size was a bit disappointing when I got the steel shaker. It was only three quarter full and the taste of the shake was a bit too floury for my taste.

Overall, Byron burger accomplish the mission that they have set out to do. They offer simple hamburgers, which go back to basics. A patty of top quality meat, in a bread that is neither stale nor soggy.

Rating: 5 out of 6

http://www.byronhamburgers.com/story/

Hamburger Review: Hamburger Union London

Hamburger Union at Leicester Square London

It has not been the first time I have been here. But as I needed to have a picture of their burger and see if my previous assessment had been correct, I once again tried a burger from Hamburger Union.

Now, the original plan was to go and test Fine Burger. But when I stood in front of their Bond Street outlet (which was still listed on their homepage), I had to discover that it was closed and another restaurant was setting up shop in the location. After calling them I found out that they closed several locations at the beginning of the year, and had two remaining outlets in London (Message to management: Update your website, regularly! Especially when you're closing 70% of your restaurants). Since I did not want to travel to Kings Cross, I changed my plan and settled for Hamburger Union, where I had gone once before.

Unlike in commercials, the pictures you see in this blog are showing the burgers just the way they are served.

Now, let us dissect the basic parts of a Hamburger. The way I see it, a burger consists of three parts. Number one and the most important aspect of a good burger is without doubt "the meat", secondly the bun, and last are the toppings.

The meat in their burger, although not the worst meat I had in a burger, was definitely frozen before. As you can see in this picture, Hamburger Union uses a "British bun" (I call it that, because this is the same kind of bun you would find on a pub hamburger here in Britain). It tastes stale, floury, and gets soggy because it has not (or can not) been caramelized properly. Why don't you use regular HAMBURGER BUNS???

As for the toppings; yes they were fresh, but that could not save the burger.

There are not many positive points to talk about except one; the Onion Rings side dish. Although they are probably not homemade, they taste just the way they are supposed to taste. Same goes for the fries, they taste just the way your average McDonald's fries do (if that was the intention).

Hamburger Union's product is far below par. Somewhere between the front door where it says Hamburger Restaurant and the kitchen, there was an error in communication about what this place is supposed to be. For a place that specializes in Hamburgers, this is simply not good enough, and reminds me of the pub's next door (of which there are quite a few at Leicester Square already). This goes for product quality, preparation, presentation, and even the service. Avoid this place, if there is a GBK close by, and you probably get a better value for money at the Burger King around the corner.

Rating: 2 out of 6

http://www.hamburgerunion.com/

Hamburger Review: Gourmet Burger Kitchen London

Gourmet Burger Kitchen at 50 Westbourne Grove in Nothing Hill.

What can I say?

They never fail to deliver. GBK get the Burger spot on. Unlike other gourmet burger restaurants they do not try to re-invent the burger by adding fancy bread, strange toppings, or experimental sauces.
GBK's burgers are simply designed, consist of fresh ingredients, and are cooked to perfection. The flavor and the quality of the meat are impeccable.

My order consisted of a Chili Burger, a portion of fries with the homemade chili sauce, and a vanilla milkshake, which cost 14 pounds in total. As mentioned before, the burger was cooked exactly as I had ordered it (medium rare) and the freshness of the ingredients could be tasted from the first bite. The meat is juicy, full flavored, and when you close your eyes you can smell the smokey, caramelized aromas from the grill.

Unlike other gourmet chains, GBK use a regular sesame Hamburger bun, and this is just what this burger needs. Quality-wise it is above the buns of McDonald's or Burger King, but it simply serves as a packaging for the meat; and does not add distracting flavors to the sandwich. The fries, as can be seen in the picture, are homemade chunky fries that taste fresh, and are crisp without being greasy.

A special treat is the homemade chili sauce. GBK offers several sauces on the side, such as Garlic Mayo, Blue Cheese, Satay, etc., but the Chili sauce is simply the best in my opinion. The Milkshake is delicious, freshly made, and comes in a well sized container.

Rating: 6 out of 6

http://www.gbkinfo.com/index.php

Hamburger Review: Ultimate Burger London

The Ultimate Burger SoHo London

Here's my fourth Hamburger Review. Today I visited the Ultimate Burger at 36-38 Glasshouse Street London. My order consisted of a cheeseburger, a portion of fries and a vanilla milkshake.
The burger is made from "traceable" Scottish Beef, and served in a fresh sour dough sesame seed bun, with lettuce, tomatoes, relish, and mayonnaise. In the beginning I felt that the beef did no smell particularly fresh. but later I found it to be almost delicious due to the relish which added sweet and sour taste explosions that went very well with the meat.

The "house"fries are nothing special, and are probably bought from a convenience food supplier. The milkshake on the other hand was very rich in flavor and tasted like fresh vanilla ice-cream.

Rating: 5 out of 6

http://www.ultimateburger.co.uk/

Hamburger Review: Carnaby Burger Co. London

Carnaby Burger Co. in Soho London.

I went to this place with my friend Marco on a Bank Holiday, and we were very surprised, but the place was very empty (possibly due to the financial crisis) and by the time we had our food, we were the only customers in the place.
Burgers range from 6 to 9 pounds and are served in a bun with lettuce and tomatoes. They are not coming with any side dishes, so these have to be ordered separately. The meat of the burger is mediocre and the design of the burger appears to be over crowded and cramped.

The cooking of the burger and the quality of ingredients is excellent. The service however is not. This place would surely benefit from a little bit more atmosphere.

Rating: 4 out of 6

http://www.burgerco.co.uk/

Hamburger Review: Holy Cow Lausanne

The second Hamburger review is that of the Holy Cow in downtown Lausanne. The burger joint is marketed as "organic" and "sustainable". Pictures of the farmer who is providing the meat as well as the backer who makes the bread are both displayed in the store.

Several burgers are offered made from beef, chicken, as well as a vegetarian patty. The bun is a made by a local baker from all natural ingredients and tastes a bit too much of a whole-wheat bread than a burger bun for my taste. All burgers are served with chips, although french fries are planed to be on the menu soon.
Overall the taste of the burger is alright, but the portion size is rather small. With a price of 7 CHf it's good value for money considering the quality and freshness of the products.

Rating: 3 out of 6

http://www.holycow.ch/

Hamburger review: Lausanne Palace Hotel

So here is my little Burger review. I will review different type of Gourmet Burgers in this bit.

The first Burger I will present is from the LP Bar of the Palace Hotel Lausanne. It costs 28 Chf; and is served with French Fries and coleslaw.The patty is made from ground beef that is placed on a piece of lettuce which separates it from the bun. The top piece of the bun is placed on the side and has tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions on it. This burger may not compete with other specialized burger places, but chefs gave it everything a burger needs and do not try to make more out of it just because it is served in a hotel. It has a proper burger bun, fresh toppings and the meat is fresh and cooked and served just the way it is ordered by the customer.

The best part of the meal are probably the fries, which are fresh, crunchy and taste spectacular. Overall it may be a bit expensive in comparison to other burgers, but once you had it you will sure appreciate it.

Rating: 3 out of 6

http://www.lausanne-palace.ch/en/restaurants_bars/bars/lp/index_static.php?idIndex=150&idContent=142

The internet password for the Palace Hotel is: LausanneLPSPA