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