6/10 - The Fence, Farringdon Road, London

Location: The Fence is a quasi-pub/restaurant located on Farringdon Road, close to Farringdon Tube station. 

Price:

£9.95

Presentation:

Good, split bun with huge pile of mixed leaf salad, cherry tomato and red onion on one side, handmade beef patty with bacon and cheese on other. Good pile of skin on chunky chips heaped up against the burger.

Toppings:

Bacon and cheese. Generous 'tongue' of bacon (long and thick) covered by a single slice of melted cheddar. Bacon tasty, cheese tasteless. 

Bread:

Not good. Plain bap dusted with flour. Looked good and was slightly toasted so gave the impression of a job well done, but first mouthful confirmed it had been toasted because it was slightly stale. Dry and crumbly, didn't hold the burger and its toppings in place, allowing bits to fall out on each bite...bread fail.

Meat:

Oh dear. While the beef patty was homemade, reference should have been made to the coriander seeds liberally added to the beef. Burger requested rare, came medium-well done.  Meat fail.

Plate Accessories:

Good. Chunky chips with skins still on were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside - nice and hot, and flavoursome with the skins on.

Overall rating: 6/10


The Fence is a nice pub/bar, and its terrace is a great place to go in the summer, but sadly their burger has let them down. Cooking to order is such a key part of why I go out for food, if it's done badly that is a real let down. Tasteless cheese and a below-par bun all added to give this lunch a poor 6/10.