Brand spanking new MEAT WIN clothing and accessories range!

Whilst busily eating my way through the highs and lows of London burger life to bring you the latest info on where's hot to eat a burger (and where's not!), this burger blogger doesn't rest on his laurels. In conjunction with a very talented designer, I have been working on a secret squirrel project to bring some of your favourite Burger Me! graphics to life.

I am incredibly excited to announce that the first range of Burger Me! clothing and accessories is now on sale. That's right folks, very soon you could be wearing and sharing some fabulous burger inspired art! 

The Products:
Working in partnership with Spreadshirt, a well established online retailer with a large range of high quality clothing and accessories, I've created a quirky, burger-inspired range.

The Range:
So without further ado, I am really proud to reveal the MEAT WIN range from Burger Me! which includes the following products:

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MEAT WIN Chef's Apron
The MEAT WIN adult apron is an absolute classic. Sporting a white version of the MEAT WIN graphic, this apron would be the perfect gift for anyone who likes to sear big slabs of meat in the kitchen or on the barbie. This is the ideal present for that person who has everything.  

This apron is hard-wearing and completely machine washable. Available in Blue or White!

BUY MEAT WIN APRON NOW

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MEAT WIN Men's Boxer Shorts
Need I say more gents?! These MEAT WIN men's boxer shorts are 100% cotton boxers, printed with the MEAT WIN logo on the leg. The shorts have an elasticated waist band, double central pouch, and come in four different sizes - what's not to love!

BUY MEAT WIN BOXERS NOW

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MEAT WIN Men's Hoodie
As the autumn months begin to kick in, what better way to stay warm and fashionable than with your very own MEAT WIN men's hoodie.

Printed with the MEAT WIN logo on the chest, this hoodie will make you stand out from the crowd. This high quality, 80% cotton, 320g/sqm weight men's hoodie is lined inside with soft fleece to keep you warm whilst making a statement. Available in 6 colours!

BUY MEAT WIN HOODIE NOW

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MEAT WIN Organic Tote Bag
If you've already stocked up on aprons, hoodies and boxer shorts for the next few months, then why not take a look at our Organic MEAT WIN tote bag?

This rugged tote is made from 100% organic cotton, and has 12in handles to boot, making it easy to sling over your shoulder.

Not simply content with a monochrome version? This tote bag is available in a range of 6 fantastic colours, and with a white logo as well!

BUY MEAT WIN TOTE NOW

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The boring but important stuff:

This is all really exciting stuff, and top quality to boot, but I'm sure you're wondering what the score is with delivery, payment methods etc. Well here it all is:

P&P: 

£2.20 (for orders under £17)

£4.00 (for orders £17 upwards)

Payment: 

You can pay by any of the following methods: Paypal, Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Amex

Keep an eye out for Burger Me! on Twitter and on Facebook for exclusive monthly competitions where I'll be giving away an item from the latest range of Burger Me! designer clothing and accessories.http://burger-me.spreadshirt.co.uk/meat-win-chef-s-apron-A17449810/customize/color/4

Advance Preview: Diablo Burger at The Diner: Ganton Street, Soho, London

I was recently invited, with a couple of fellow burgerites, to preview a burger concept put together by the executive chef for The Diner's upcoming seasonal halloween menu.
 
The Diablo burger is an 8oz USDA beef patty, coarsely ground and consisting of a combination of cuts from the rib, sirloin, fillet and chuck. It is topped with pepperjack cheese, rashers of streaky bacon, and comes with fries. On the side sits a pot of blood-red (clearly highly oxygenated) devilish relish.

The Diner recommend this burger served medium-rare, so that's what we went for, and here's the low down:

Cheeseburger in a Can: A truly 'unique' experience

UPDATE - September 2011!
The cheeseburger in a can (immortalised on Twitter under the hashtag #CannedCheeseburgerTweetUp) is a story that is best told in pictures, with few words, and perhaps a video clip.

A Cheeseburger in a can. These grow naturally in the wild but are difficult to find and harvest, due to their rare nature

With more ingredients than your average salon hair product, the Cheeseburger in a Can is not for those with allergies

The Diner, 18 Ganton Street, Soho, London, W1F 7BU

Location: Another Friday, another London burger joint off Carnaby Street in Soho. The area seems to have more than its fair share of them, with Kua'Aina and Carnaby Burger Co. also within a couple of streets of The Diner, Soho.


So, The Diner in Soho takes up a huge wedge of real estate in the middle of Ganton Street, black fronted with buzzing neon sign glowing red/orange over the outside seating area, you can't miss it as you walk by. I had been wanting to visit The Diner for a while, but with three outposts completely equi-distant from me, I could never make my mind up which one to eat in. Well, as it happened a friend from the US was visiting and had spent the day wandering in Soho - what better excuse, I thought, for a trip to The Diner for that authentic American diner burger experience in London.


Price:
Double Decker burger, £7.70 (extra Bacon £0.80, extra Cheese, £0.70). Fries, £2.60. Total Burger and Fries: £11.80. (Onion Rings £3.10. Mexican Burger - £6.70).

The diner menu in it's full laminated, faux leather encased glory

Presentation:

Classic diner. Food arrived in plastic bowls lined with Diner-branded greaseproof paper. The burgers arrived lid-off with patties and toppings on full display. Fries and Onion Rings were plentiful. My American dining companion said it felt like home. I was happy.

#AdmiralCodringtonBurgerSwarm v2 - Admiral Codrington, 17 Mossop Street, London SW3 2LY

This is the second burger swarm I've been lucky enough to enjoy at the Admiral Codrington in the wonderfully sloaney South Kensington. If you missed the first one, here are the full details on Fred Smith's truly inspirational burger tasting menu at #AdmiralCodringtonBurgerSwarm mark one.

If the theme of the previous swarm was a tasting menu based on Fred's adventures across the US, then the theme of this one taking a poke at a couple of the classic McDonald's burgers, consumed by millions every day.

4/10 - Gaucho, Charterhouse Street, Smithfield, City of London

Location:
Gaucho in London is synonymous with Argentinian beef. They have a monopoly on the stuff. I was walking past their Gaucho Smithfield outpost just the other day, and as I'm always scouting for places that do a burger, and as I've eaten 35 day aged Argentinian beef steak at Gaucho a number of times, and absolutely love it, I made a bet their burger was going to be pretty tasty too!


The Gaucho visual identity is sleek and sophisticated (the colour black has long been used to market luxury goods based on its association with power and exclusiveness), and the interiors of their restaurants reflect that with dark wood tables, cow hide chairs, and subdued lighting. Even on table the luxury feel is extended with large shiny silver cutlery, brilliant white napkins, and thick cubed-crystal candle holders, all the way down the to cool, thin menus that concertina out to reveal their wares. Gaucho sponsorship of the London polo extravaganza lends nothing but gravitas to this exclusive brand postitioning. But sod all the marketing crap, do they make a good burger?

Only one restaurant in London offers this much cow hide

6/10 - BOOM, The Fast Fresh Burger Co. - Leather Lane, Hatton Garden.

Location:

BOOM is a burger van, situated on a pitch just along from Daddy Donkey on Leather Lane. On a recommendation from a friend, I headed down on a Friday lunchtime to give the Boom burger a Burger Me! once over.

BOOM, The Fast Fresh Burger Co. on wheels

Their menu - burgers for £4.50, what is there not to like!

#ByronBurgerUncleSamSwarm - Byron Hamburgers, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7BN

This post is all about a group of hamburger junkies, a top London burger chain, and a swarm. This is the second in a series of swarms that appear to be gathering pace across London, fuelled by the fires of Twitter, and a mutual love of good company, great burgers, and quality booze. 

Byron's Uncle Sam burger

Previously on Burger Me! you will have read about the #AdmiralCodringtonBurgerSwarm which involved a three burger tasting menu in the Ad Cod in South Kensington. The evening was great fun, and such a success that we decided to do it again (with a bit of persuasion from Anthony), but this time in conjunction with one of London's premier burger chains, Byron Hamburger. At time of writing this, Byron Hamburgers has around 17 restaurants serving burgers across London, and in fact I'd sampled their Big D burger before, on this very blog. 

8/10 - Kua'Aina, 26 Foubert's Place, Soho, London

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, SPAM.

If you are looking for the traditional Hawaiian meal of spam, then this won't be the post for you, instead you are much better off taking a look at SPAMJAM 2011, a Hawaiian festival for lovers of Spam. 
This post, instead, takes a look at Kua'Aina, a recently opened Hawaiian burger and sandwich grill just off Carnaby Street in Soho. I popped in to sample their wares over a Friday lunchtime, and meet the owners, ex-Lehman Brothers staff who bailed when it all went tits up, and hold Kua'Aina's UK and European franchise licence.

Location:
The blue and white façade of Kua'Aina's cafe front, situated on Fourbert's Place off Carnaby Street, stood out like a beacon of burger-filled joy on a day marked by torrential rain and grumpy tube travellers (let's face it though, when aren't they?). The cafe itself was smaller than I'd thought, a couple of outdoor tables either side of the entrance funneled diners into a relatively narrow pass, a chiller full of Luscombe's chilled drinks on the left, to the counter where the smell of grilling meat rises from the long griddle along the back wall of the venue. I didn't explore the downstairs seating area, but there is more seating below decks.

In spite of the rain, a steady stream of customers passed me as I braved the London monsoon at an outside table, dining with a colleague from an agency next door.