Mmm... Honest Burger Oxford Circus

Hitting a burger joint on a rainy Monday night with a vegetarian isn't going to be the best idea I've ever had. Luckily there were three of us and the vegetarian was outnumbered. Ha ha! And we'd had a fair amount of red wine so we just wanted to get out the rain and get dinner! I of course just wanted some meat.

I have actually gone to a burger joint with a veggie who allows himself a piece of meat very very occasionally. His quote from said visit that he 'felt like King Henry the VIII' was pretty funny. Maybe we were in for a similar experience?

My fellow meat eater and I were in for a bit of flack. But we were unaware of this at that point. Just a word of advice. If you like meat a LOT it's probably not wise going to a beautiful burger joint with a vegetarian, and newly upgraded vegan! Argh! Although credit to her...  The fact that she even walked into Honest burgers just off Oxford Street was a bonus. I love how secretly I was thinking that even though she didn't partake in the meat eating she was still supporting the cause by buying food!

I ordered the special. An homage to Spain that consisted of a concoction of meat like a cured ham atop a beautiful cheese and a signature beautiful honest patty, not forgetting a large roasted red pepper that added a sweet dimension to the burger. Oh and the lovely lovely rosemary chips.

My compadre went for the cheeseburger. We were very happy with our choices.

And the veggie ordered the chips. Meh. I'm not quite sure what to say about this. Except maybe it was my fault that I said how much I loved their rosemary fries. Hmmm I was kind of looking forward to trying a bite of the veggie offering. It wasn't to be. 

Three can be a crowd sometimes and this time it definitely was. My fellow burger buddy and I heartily tucked into our burgers with gusto. 

We were really enjoying the beautiful morsels of juicy meat tucked up into beautiful soft brioche buns, while the poor veggie just had a bowl of chips to tuck into. I know who was winning here. 

Unsurprisingly we got into a heated debate about the terrible carnage the consumption of meat was doing to our planet. 

Actually it was more like a vegan tirade against meat and whatever we said wouldn't have made a foie gras difference. 

That'll be the booze talking! 

Suffice to say I probably won't be attending any burger joints with a vegetarian again. Except maybe our King Henry dude.

All in all it was a particularly weird visit to a burger joint. But I came away happy, and full so job done.

Maybe next time I can take the veggie to Meat Mission and they can turn her into a Dead Hippie!!! Ha! 

Mmm... Honest Soho

Wow, well having had a boozy night out with some very lovely friends of mine I was hankering after a good piece of meat to nurse my hangover. I shall forever accept the fact that I am a greedy bitch. There, it's out there. We can all move on now.

So feeling particularly ravenous and a little hungover there was nothing for it except a good burger and one that is a little less dirty than my normal go to burger at MeatMarket.

Honest in Soho was just the button. The best burger in Soho. A beautiful burger joint just a stones throw from the best boozers, gay bars, sex shops and massage parlours. 

Honest is a little welcome delight nestled in the heart of it all on Meard Street.

My hunk of a man wanted a burger too so what better way to spend some quality time together than over a good patty and the most divine chips you'll ever have. 

I've come to expect the best, and Honest didn't disappoint. Normally shunned by a two hour wait, we somehow managed to drop in and there was a hallowed table ready for us immediately. We were on the up. 

This was one of those times when I wasn't concerned when we decided to order the same burger. I don't like sharing and my amigo here didn't look like he was prepared to share either... Although I am coming round to sharing a burger with this guy. That'll be a first!

Luckily we both went for the Tribute burger so no sharing just yet.

A beautiful chunky beef patty, bacon, American cheese, burger sauce, mustard, pickle, lettuce and onion. Quite a burger. 

Oh and not forgetting the tastiest rosemary salted chips. They are so brilliant. It doesn't normally happen but sometimes at Honest I forget about the burger because the chips are so good. And that's not because the burger ain't all that. Oh no. When I do remember about the poor lil patty sitting there dejected I take a bite and then remember that these things are both brilliant. Perfect together like me and my hunky friend!

So our burgers arrived and they were pretty special looking. This was my first burger outing with my friend and I was hoping to impress. He looked it. Phew! 

Now for the taste test! 

A pink patty, juicy and seasoned to perfection. The cheese had melted to a goo and stuck the patty to the perfectly soft brioche bun. The onions, pickle burger sauce and mustard all complemented the whole ensemble. It was a little dirty but not overly so. It was divine. 

I don't quite know what else to say as at that point I descended into a sort of like trance. Maybe it was a mixture of the hot burger and the hot boy. Ha. Who knows.

Boy that was a good burger.

Mmm... Stax

So after a pretty sweaty session in town we were looking for a new burger joint. Yoga session of course. Honestly what were you thinking??

We were in Kingly Court and decided we may as well make the most of the many restaurants around. Stax caught my friends eye and we made a decision to go there. 

The main items were of course the burgers. But Stax is all about the American Diner style of cooking, so there were loads of other things on the menu like fried chicken and green tomatoes... We were spoiled for choice. Also must mention that the proprietor is also the one and only Bea of Beas of Bloomsbury. I think we'll be in good hands! 

I of course went for a burger, the Big Stax. All I could imagine is a hot beefy man of a burger, rippling muscles and you know... A good grip.

Inside the brioche bun is a spicy sauce, maple glazed beef bacon, a 28 day aged beef patty, caramelised onion, lettuce, tomato and cheese of my choice, so I went for the Monterey Jack. My burger man is called Jack Stax. He's a crack shot, has guns of steel and rides a Harley! Ha ha. Sorry totally getting carried away! 

The joint was busy so we were told there'd be a wait for our food of twenty minutes, but that didn't sound too bad so we stuck around. 

The big fat patty arrived, and looked pretty epic actually. A nice shiny brioche bun with a hell of a lot of things inside it. Unfortunately my beef was a little overdone, even though I'd ordered medium rare. Poor jack had been at the sunbeds again. There were no pink bits dammit. The burger itself was juicy though and my first bite was a bit messy. Jack Stax had redeemed himself. That's how I like it! 

There was loads and I mean a shit ton of caramelised onion. The bacon beef, something of a surprise as none of us had had it before was unusual. Thin slices of beef, probably soaked in some sugar syrup and then slow cooked. Giving it a consistency similar to bacon. It's good but it almost overpowers the patty... 

It's a dirty burger. Dripping juice all in the basket. 

Like the titanic, the icebergs were a little large. A proper shredding of the lettuce next time I think and not so much of it. The slice of tomato was standard.

Cajun chips, are pretty spicy. With a dusting of rosemary... Which was a nice touch. Although really what's wrong with a nice French fry with no crazy stuff on it? 

I liked the slugs, also known as Fried gherkins. Pretty yummy, although the fried stuff fell off the gherkin at first touch. And that stuff was pretty yummy. I wished I'd ordered the fried chicken burger, because it looked real good. Poor Mr Stax... It was never gonna work out. I could tell he liked his motorbike more than me.

Not forgetting my Oreo cookie milk shake. Wow very yummy and thick and creamy. It was like a desert! Mmm tasty.

Overall a good visit. My burger buddies had mixed reviews, everyone agreeing the beef bacon was a little too overpowering on the beef. But the burger was a beautiful stack of meat so who could complain! 

Mmm... Lucky Chip

Even though everyone bailed and although I've a little burger date with an incredibly lovely friend this weekend I couldn't resist going and getting a cheeky burger this evening. It is of course National Burger Day. What kind of burger blogger would I be if I failed to get a juicy bit of meat today? Rubbish that's what. I would have to hang up my self appointed burger bitch crown, indeed!

So lacking a companion, which meant I could do anything I bloody well wanted and with the city calling me I decided that I could not hit a past haunt. It wouldn't be right. As much as P&B was calling me. I have the same problem with men! I keep going back just to be sucked in that little bit more, then I'm officially fat and hooked on meat. Tonight would be something new... Oh the PRESSURE. 

I've had a particular place on my hit list for quite some time. The revered Lucky Chip. Handily located in a pub just hidden off Hackney road. Unfortunately the pub was full of hipsters so I had to try and hide my disdain for their cut off shorts and morrissey style hair. I would pretty much do anything for a good bit of meat ;)

So I got there, and yes it's a pub. Brilliant. First things first beer. Second thing, checking over the menu. Brilliantly taped to the wall. 

One thing caught my eye, and it's name was Chuck Norris. I ordered that and fries. 

Two aged beef patties, mmm yum, with a load of other stuff in it. Chuck wouldn't care what the rest of the contents were, so neither do I! 

For those of you who do, they are as follows: American cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo, ketchup, onions, bacon and a seeded bun. Done.

It arrived and it was pretty large. Both slices of cheese had melted and the burger was a slider that's for sure... I could only see one patty and started to panic but then my faith was restored when I saw the second nestled underneath and middle slice of bun. Ooh this was a surprise. I like surprises! 

I started and although it looked a mess the cheese worked well holding the whole thing together. One thing I'd say that the cheese was a bit on the not melted enough so it oozes state. I'm guessing if I talked to a physicist they could tell me the exact right temperature to get that sweet spot. Hmm that's a future science project! 

Back to the burger. It was a while before my feeble hands managed to manoeuvre two patties into my mouth. I'm normally so good at that. But it was worth the wait. Meaty goodness... 

Yum. 

They didn't ask me how I wanted it cooked though. I'm guessing it was medium. Not bad, although I like my meat a little more juicy and pink. Like a hot man... Ha ha ha...

The burger got better and better, although there was a distinct lack of fatty oozy goodness running down my hands and arms. 'Twas a little disappointing. Although given the fact that I was alone in a pub surrounded by handsome hipsters and hipsterettes it was probably for the best. Last thing I want is to embarrass myself!

All in all this was a mighty fine burger, tasty melted cheesey meaty goodness. Clearly Chuck Norris can kick ass but he ain't dirty how I like it! 

Happy National Burger Day!

Love Burgerella xx

Mmm... The Deck

There's only one tried and tested thing that is a cure for a hangover, but unfortunately I can't put it on here for fear of being blocked for explicit content ;)

Anyway, so having moped about all day not feeling quite right after the St Agnes carnival I had to do something. Even the sea didn't tempt me in. So with only an hour or two before my train departure back to the diiirrrrty smoke I had to get some food. I excellently mentioned burgers and my friend knew the perfect place. 

Now firstly you might have guessed my pretties that I'm not in London. But down by the coast having some surf and fun times with new friends. So I hadn't really thought much about burgers for a bit.

Three days away is a long time. I was yearning for some tasty meat. Especially since I'd been exercising a fair bit surfing my butt off! My new favourite sport! 

So we hit The Deck, for a cheese burger and chips. The chef dude has worked in a fair few places around the area, according to my mate and all pretty good places so I was looking forward to my meaty delight. 

And delightful it was. A gorgeous seeded bun, just lightly toasted. Lettuce, tomato and cucumber, interesting addition!

The patty was big. Not a fat one that I couldn't get my mouth around. Although not that that would put me off of course. The bigger the better! 

Back to the patty, it was good. Well seasoned and cooked nicely. It was a tasty piece of meat. 

The cheese was scrummy and melted perfectly to the patty and bun and kept everything together. It was a lovely last dinner in Cornwall. 

If you're ever down in Perranporth check out The Deck. Scrummy. 

Mmm... Patty and Bun and Pitt Cue Co special

"I've got burger juice running down my arm!!!" She exclaimed! "This is better than sex". Naturally one might think that we're at some twisted sex party type thing but we're just at Patty and Bun on a regular Monday night. Although try telling our cute server, he reckoned it was Friday. Who are we to argue? 

We were in the queue for a lengthy time so we knew what we were ordering before we'd sat down! And by lengthy it was around an hour and a half wait. The queue was of epic proportions with most of those waiting patiently salivating handing round the menu. The atmosphere was excited! 

I went for the Big Patty Mac Stack and my friend who I've decided deserves the title Lady Burger went for the Beef by Dre. The music appropriately was a mix of old school hip hop and some classic dance tracks. PandB know the right tunes to play that's for sure. 

Of course seeing as Patty and Bun were teaming up with Pitt Cue Co we had to order the Caramel Ribs and fries that had a special Pitt Cue Co rub. 

The ribs. Oh man the ribs. They're cooked either really hot or for a long long time which has burnt off the fat and all that remains is the beautiful crispy meat. It has a hot kick to it. But it's sweet. A little like crispy duck but a whole lot better. I could have polished off a tray of them. But back to the burgers.

How could you be a vegetarian was all I could think as I tucked in.

Where to begin. Our meaty feasts arrived and were all wrapped up like a little gift from the kitchen and boy it felt like Christmas and birthdays all packed into one beautiful present.

Mine had a double patty with a slice of brioche bun in the centre. A little homage to the Big Mac perhaps. Who knew. But sorry Mr Ronald dude, your burgers have nothing on this delight for the taste buds. 

The patties were exquisite. Pinky and grilled and surrounded by a melted mess of cheese that had such flavour and a special sauce that kicked all the other burger joints out the back door. Lettuce and pickes slid about the place like my attempts at ice skating in the winter. They held on for dear life though, I give them credit. 

It was a giant burger, and every mouthful was a pleasurable experience. The juicy beef, the toppings and even the sesame seeded brioche bun. I ate and I was happy. 

My companion at one point said "I feel dirty but in the best possible way". And well I couldnt agree with her more.

I can't speak for Lady Burger, as we weren't in the mood for sharing (am I ever???) so stuck to our own burgers. But she tucked into hers like a happy kid on Christmas Day. So the Beef by Dre cleared ticked her boxes! 

Given my quest is finding the best burgers in town I can happily say I could stop looking now.

What?!? I hear you say!!! YES, you got that right guys. This is so far the best burger I've had in London. 

Patty and Bun and Pit Cue Co #3 

54 James Street, London W1U 1HE