[Burger Supper Club] The Forty Burger from Two Nights Only

A couple of months ago I was given the heads up on a Burger Supper Club from one of my favourite London burger chefs (check out his Wenlock & Essex Burger) that was going to kicking off in September eponymously for two nights only.

I offered some tickets to give away on the blog and given some pre-event info (check it here), but thought I'd give you an overview on how the whole thing went down, and why you should keep an eye out for tickets for the next one that is already being planned!

Hosted in the Exmouth Arms, Exmouth Market, the menu was a cracker, and I urge you to check out the designs for the evening by Limited Edition Design.

The menu and burger composition via www.limitededitiondesign.co.uk. 

The format was 'supper club', so the diners were split into two tables of 14, each laid out with placemats printed with the above image. 

Burger supper club-style dining 

Drinks for the evening were sponsored by Kraken Rum and Camden Brewery, which meant Perfect Storm cocktails (spiced rum, ginger beer, bitters, lemon and soda) were free flowing, and Camden Pale Ale was even freer flowing!

Kracking Rum

Camden Pale Ale...and a pan of coleslaw.

Starters covered the classics - devils on horseback, waygu tartare, and crayfish thermidore, the first two being pretty special (check out the marbling on the Waygu), and the crayfish thermidore being tasty, but in such small amounts it was slightly frustrating. But I was here for the BURGER!

Wagyu pret-a-manger, devil on horseback and a crayfish thermidore.

The Forty Burger. 

An outrageous assortment of well-executed layers complementing each other to build a fantastic burger.

The Fourty Burger from Two Nights Only

Let me talk  you briefly through the layers:

Rinkoff Horseradish Poppy Seed bun - a masterpiece from the Rinkoff stable - squishy and robust as standard, with a toasted poppy seed crunch, and hint of nose-tingling horseradish.

Aged Comte - tough to melt properly, but adding a smooth, nutty flavour with the slight bitterness of Gruyère. 

Braised, caramalised onions - a deep mellow layer - possibly too think - but spot on against the horseradish, pickle and comte. 

The beef patty - melted like butter, composed as it was of 40 day aged scottish rump, blended with USDA chuck, fillet, and  rib eye. Cooked perfectly pink with a ring of charring around the very edge. Magic!

'Slaw and tomato oil mayo - the chopped lettuce slaw is becoming ubiquitous in the London burger scene as it is so effective at soaking up errant juices. The tomato mayo is a new one, however. it gave a concentrated hit of tomato which beautifully countered the buttery beef and mellow onions. Brilliant.

Sides almost finished me off - excellent fries and onion rings (both excellent standard, in my mind similar to those at The Diner), and then the piece de resistance: a braised oxtail doughnut, served in a Krispy Kreme bag - it was divine. Lightly rolled in icing sugar, the bite-through gave a stunning mix of warm, sweet doughnut alongside the earthy braised oxtail. Speaking to chef James Morgan later, he lamented that of all the items on the menu, the doughnut had been the hardest to crack. I, for one, salute his diligence. It was fucking brilliant.

Two Nights Only - Oxtail Doughnut

Barely able to squeeze anything else in, great wedges of crunchy, gooey brownie finished us all off in style, and left us reclining, dangerously full, to finish off the rest of the booze. 

A big thank you to James, Chris, Steve and all the staff who showed us a great time. All in all this was a brilliant evening, with great company. An evening I'd urge YOU to get involved with next time the show hits the road.