There is very little I can say about Lucky Chip that you probably don't already know. They have, after all, just had a feature written about them in none other than EasyJet's in-flight magazine. When a place ascends to the altitude of in-flight entertainment, this humble burger blogger thought it was about time, four months after Lucky Chip arrived at Netil Market, to finally schlep across London to see what all the fuss is about?
Location:I rocked up to the car park on a Friday night, following a journey from the city that included the Central Line to Bethnal Green and then the 106 bus to London Fields, with 'the brunette' at the very civilized hour of 7pm. From the outset the style, like the location, is off-piste.
Lucky Chip is a brand spanking new shiny burger trailer, complete with flat griddles, deep fat fryers, a big fridge, and a Ben and a Comar. Tables are laid out around the edge of the the car park - some under cover, others out in the open - and adorned with candles, French's mustard and ketchup.
Outdoor market-style covered structures offer some protection from the elements along the wall of the car park, and an array of old-fashioned memorabilia, from an old German departures sign (pictured below) to a classic 1950s cathode ray television and speakers on top of the burger trailer, offering a throwback to a time before Steve Jobs made technology stylish.
Outdoor market-style covered structures offer some protection from the elements along the wall of the car park, and an array of old-fashioned memorabilia, from an old German departures sign (pictured below) to a classic 1950s cathode ray television and speakers on top of the burger trailer, offering a throwback to a time before Steve Jobs made technology stylish.
Lucky Chip's menu is simple. It covers the classic burger, fries and onion ring options, whilst adding some funky (and tasty) twists to some of the the staples. Truffle oil sprinkled on your chips free of charge anyone? Beetroot flavour onion rings - sure why not, they're in season...
There is also the 'specials' menu. A mixture of filmstar-themed burgers. The Eastwood (a veggie option with portobello mushroom, eggplant and pecorino), The Selleck (pineapple, beetroot onion ring, oak smoked bacon), The Sheen (beer soaked onions, philly cheese, applewood smoked bacon), and the very special burger of the week The Danny Trejo, a stunning bacon chilli cheeseburger combination with chipotle mayo, tequila salsa, jalapenos and sour cream.
Price:
Bacon Cheeseburger: £6.50
The Danny Trejo: £8
Onion Rings: £3.50
Fries: £2.50
So I went ahead and had a Bacon Cheese to start and then had to give the Danny Trejo a go too. This review is based on the £6.50 Bacon Cheeseburger.
Presentation:
Stunning. Like the #Meateasy burger from the Meatwagon, on steroids.
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| Lucky Chip Bacon Cheeseburger. I've never seen something so beautiful. |
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| The brunette looking pretty chuffed with her burger. |
Outstanding. The bacon cheeseburger is topped with a thick breakfast style tongue of back bacon, and a mountain of melted cheddar cheese (melted under cloche). The bacon is satisfyingly solid and meaty and the gloopy melted cheddar has a teeth-champingly moreish taste to it, medium mature and mixing perfectly with the aged beef patty. The stars of the show sit on a bed of chopped iceberg lettuce, several deliciously crisp, crunchy pickles, and a generous splodge of ketchup and French's mustard mayonnaise.
Individually, each element is of top quality, together they form a divine 'ambrosia of the gods' burger that make the most elaborate adjectives clumsy.
Meat:
MEAT WIN! This is the perfect patty. Coarse ground, hand formed, griddle char-seared, heavily seasoned as it cooks so the bonds in the meat don't have time to break down before being seared, and perfectly cooked med-rare. Lucky chip have just changed their butcher from The Ginger Pig to a source in Devizes, as the meat is aged to a slightly longer 32 days, which in Ben's opinion edges the flavour of the previous patties they were using. This is a ruddy amazing MEAT WIN!
Bun:Superb. A glazed, steamed brioche bun that at the very least equals, if not outshines, the Meatwagon bun. The whole thing elegantly wraps around the ample patty and corrals the toppings holding everything together to the very last bite. The bun is soft, yet dense and scores and 11/10 for squashability!
Accessories:
Beautiful. The fries were soft, yet crisp, crunchy yet fluffy. The beetroot onion rings, inspired, sweet, crunchy and moreish. In fact another dining colleague was so enamoured with his onion ring he spent a good deal of time gazing into its golden crispy eyes.
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| Dave takes some time out to admire an beetroot onion ring. It must be love. |
This is a bloody amazing burger. The best I've ever had. Ever. And I've eaten a lot of burgers. A bacon cheeseburger is for life, and not just for Christmas.
There are a number of other burgers on Lucky Chip's menu, a bevvy of specials with tweaks to condiments and ingredients, so here's a tribute to some of the other stars of the show:
The Selleck:
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| The Selleck. A pineapple-y kinda guy (but no illegally short shorts in sight!) |
Danny Trejo is one of the most famous Mexican actors for several generations, but you'll know him as 'that Mexican guy' in 'From Dusk 'til Dawn', 'XXX', Desperado...the list goes on. His burger tribute draws on his Mexican roots, rather than that of his moustache (thankfully).
This burger is a stunning combination of tequila salsa, chipotle mayonnaise, smoked bacon, chilli cheese, jalapenos, sour cream and Lucky Chip's signature 32-day aged beef patty. All on a sesame-seeded brioche bun.
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| Half a 'Danny Trejo' burger |
So if you've managed to read to the end of this without being half way to Netil Market, I salute you, you're a stronger person than me.
Don't wait, just go. It is bloody brilliant. GO! This burger is very deserving of it's place in my 'Top 5 Best Burgers in London' list.
Oh, and it's only open:
- Wednesday & Thursday - 6.30pm till about 9.30pm
- Friday - 6.30pm till about 10pm
- Saturday - 12.30pm till about 10pm
- Sunday - 12.30pm till they run out (normally late afternoon or early evening)
