BRGR Co on Wardour Street, Soho - The Lebanese Invasion.

BRGR.CO is another joint that launched as part of a spate of burger-focused openings in London at the tail end of 2012. Situated at the top of Wardour Street, just off Oxford Street, it's a burger import from that well-known Lebanese burger capital, Beiruit....(!)

BRGR.CO Soho 6oz Burger

BRGR.CO it opened its doors in December 2012 to a host of early and somewhat mixed reviews. I've given it a few weeks to settle into it's stride, so it was time I hit it up with a regular burger chomping dining companion to give you my account of BRGR.CO, Soho.

[Recipe] Bareback-style burgers

Following the In-N-Out pop up in London back in October 2012, where I took down a double double animal-style burger, I thought I'd take the idea of grilling burgers with a condiment to something a whole lot more British - horseradish.

So here's my take on an animal-style burger - I call it bareback-style.

Disco Bistro French Dipped Steak Burger at The Rising Sun, Carter Lane, EC4V 5DY

Disco Bistro EC4, in The Rising Sun on Carter Lane is another in the well trodden path of pub residencies. Other burger joints have done the same - FattBurger in Soho, Burger Breakout on New Oxford St (neither worth share of your wallet), and previously Patty & Bun in The Endurance, which has now gone permanent.

Disco Bistro EC4 French Dipped Steak Burger

As it happens, Disco Bistro is pretty convenient for me on a lunchtime, and following rave reviews from their BurgerMonday offering, I thought it was well worth heading down for a lunchtime burger to see what the fuss was about.

[Preview] Burger & Shake, 47 Marchmont Street, London, WC1N 1AP

Burger & Shake opens its doors this weekend on Marchmont Street, just around the corner from Russell Square tube station.

The Burger & Shake House Burger

I have to admit to being a little turned off by their marketing efforts - the 'sexy burgers, triumphant hotdogs etc.' stuff, but heading along to the preview I going to admit that I'm quietly impressed.

Patty and Bun Burger Bar, 54 James Street, W1U 1EU

Patty & Bun's effervescent proprietor, Joe, is back. But this time it's no fleeting pop-up, this time it's a permanent home for Patty & Bun on James Street, just North of Bond Street tube station. As Patty & Bun flew straight into my Top 10 best burgers in London list when he first popped up, this is exciting news indeed...

Patty & Bun Burger Bar - 54 James Street, London W1U 1EU

Meatliquor Zombie Double Cheeseburger: London Burger Roundup #11

This week's London Burger Round up features a special from MeatLiquor...the Zombie Double Cheeseburger.

Zombie Double Cheeseburger from MeatLiquor

[Review] Burger Breakout at The Old Crown

Burger Breakout is situated in The Old Crown on New Oxford Street, across from the site on which the former 'Ultimate Burger' restaurant resided (and which is now a Prezzo). I'd heard a lot of buzz around the Burger Breakout pop-ups over the summer, and was keen to take a down a burger or two to see what all the fuss was about. 

The Burger Breakout Whiskey Beast Burger

So on a Tuesday lunchtime, I gave them the Burger Me! once over, and so here's my take on Burger Breakout... 

Bar Boulud Piggie Burger: London Burger Roundup #10

We've hit double figures with our round up of London burgers from London burger loving readers of this blog, and this week we have the highly rated Piggie Burger from Bar Boulud!

Lucky Chip revisited at The Sebright Arms

Lucky Chip has long sat in the top tier of my Top 10 list of the best burgers in London, and I've spent many happy hours spent chowing down on them both at Netil Market, and in The Sebright Arms. 

Lucky Chip's Kevin Bacon burger

So I thought it was time to take another look at Lucky Chip at The Seabright Arms, and who better than burger veteran, and dining companion, Louis (@tuckandvine on Twitter)  to guest post for Burger Me! and give his thoughts on how they're doing....

The London Burger Bash at Camden Brewery

Q: Take a BurgerMonday and supersize it. What do you get? 

A: The London Burger Bash (#LBB) at Camden Brewery. Great burgers, great beer, and great company.

[Review] Burgers and Lobsters, actually Just Burgers

Burger. Burger. Burger. Burger. Lobster. Burger.

The people behind Goodman (check out my review of the Goodman burger, which currently sits in my Top 10 London Burgers), have given London the Burger & Lobster chain. 

20 quid's worth of Burger at Burger & Lobster

So, does the Burger & Lobster Burger stand up in its own right, or even up to the Goodman burger? For context in the 'Over £20' category for burger and chips we currently have the dire and terrible Gaucho Burger ...let's find out how B&L fares.

The Thirsty Bear Burger Challenge taken on by Randy Santel

Adam Richman at Man v Food has a lot to answer for. 

[Pop-Up] The Day In-N-Out Burger Came to London...well, Hendon.

It must be a joke, right? I mean, it MUST be.

In-N-Out, cult burger joint from the West coast of America with the iconic red and yellow arrow logo, who haven't even made it to the East coast, wouldn't do a pop-up in London, right?

And definitely not for just 4 hours, right?

And if they did, it certainly wouldn't be in a greasy spoon called Florence Cafe, on Vivian Avenue, in Hendon, right?

WRONG. They did. I went. And it was glorious.

[Review] Bleecker Street Burger

Since July, team Bleecker St. Burger have been serving up some of London's cheapest street food burgers from their black and silver truck, popping up all over the capital in places like the Exhibition Road festival, Eat St. and most recently at Kerb nr. King's Cross where I FINALLY managed to catch up with them...

Make mine a DOUBLE.

Named after Bleecker St. in NYC, these guys know their shit when it comes to good quality, simple burgers - in fact there are only three burgers on the menu. The Cheeseburger, the Double Cheeseburger, and the Tofu Veggie Burger. Scratch that. There are only two burgers on the menu, and I had them both.

Burger & Lobster and FattBurger: London Burger Roundup #9

This week the London Burger Roundup slaps Fattburger and Burger & Lobster on your plate...!

[Launch] Sliders and Hot Dogs from The Shoreditch Butchery

The Shoreditch Butchery is located off Old Street, on the site of XOYO, and is the latest venture by Columbo Group, which also own a few individual venues dotted about London. 

Slider Trio (pic courtesy of dave_rowlinson)

It launched on Wednesday 26 September and so I sent some Burger Me! fans down to check out the vibe. In (more or less) their words, here’s the low-down:

[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. 

Burgers at The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street

The Thirsty Bear on Stamford Street, just by Waterloo Station, is owned and operated by the Robot Pub Group. It's an iPad-driven pub, and the concept is simple, yet massively effective....

Enjoy a pint of Meantime Pale Ale while you peruse burgers on your inbuilt iPad

Red Dog Saloon and The North Pole: London Burger Roundup #8

This week on the London Burger Roundup, we have some burger love in strange places from you fabulous burger pic submitters, the Red Dog Saloon, and The North Pole, N1:

Wimpy: Burgers for the Blind

I've spent a fair bit of time volunteering as a guide for the visually impaired in the past, and so when I was sent an inspirational piece of marketing that incorporated burgers AND support for the visually impaired, I felt I just had to share it! 

Wimpy have created a great experiential marketing stunt to promote their braille menus in South Africa, by writing a message for 15 people with visual impairments into their burger buns with sesame seeds. A campaign that generated buzz and 800,000 reads from the blind and partially sighted community!

I haven't had one in years, but my memories of Wimpy are all about plated burgers with knives and forks, and 'proper' table service. It's nostalgic, it's comforting, and though I'm sure I'll have a different view of their burgers today, bravo Wimpy for reaching out to the visually impaired!

Workshop Coffee: Don't let the name fool you, the burger is pretty special

Workshop Coffee has recently rebranded from its old incarnation of St. Ali, and sits at 27 Clerkenwell Road, between St. John Square and St. John Street. It's the kind of place I could sit for hours, sipping a cold Camden Brewery beer, watching the beautiful (and sometimes freakishly odd) people of Clerkenwell hustle by...

Workshop Coffee Rare Breed Burger

Sadly I don't have hours, I have lunchtimes, and so I arrived at the business of chowing down on the Workshop burger. A burger that's been under the radar for far too long...

Red Dog Saloon: The Bad, The Bad and The Ugly.

Red Dog Saloon is perched on the corner of Hoxton Square, but its faded faux western facade, and brightly lit interior feels out of place amongst the low lit counter culture bars that surround it.

I was out for a couple of drinks on a Monday night and happened to be around the corner from Red Dog Saloon. I'd heard some mixed reviews of the burgers so it was a great opportunity to give it a Burger Me! once over.

Price:

Bacon cheeseburger £8.50
Blue cheese and bacon cheeseburger £8.50
Fries £2.75
Onion rings £2.75

Presentation:

All the burgers came lid-on, plated with garnishes of coleslaw, a thick finger of pickle, beef tomato, and a leaf of romaine lettuce. This is a burger where ALL the salad is out of the burger, which seems to me a bit of a cop out, or maybe a way to make the plate the burger is served on look less empty.

Toppings:

The bacon cheeseburger was topped with a miserly attempt at a topping. This consisted several pieces of dry and curly streaky bacon plonked on top. The American cheese wasn't much better being barely melted onto the meat. 

Meat:

A 6oz chuck patty apparently cooked medium rare is the core of this burger. It wasn't. In fact it's barely pink in the middle. It is seasoned, but the ground beef feels overworked and slightly sludgy.

Bun:

Godawful. What could have been a dense squidgy bun on first glance turns out to be a dry, untoasted gag-fest. What moisture might have been left feels like it's been leached out by a combination of heat lamp and old age. The only redeeming factor was my pint of Camden Meantime IPA.

Accessories:

Fries were fine, actually not bad at all, but the onion rings were massively disappointing. The breadcrumb exterior is dry, like the bun, and almost cold with a slimy, half cooked thick ring of onion inside. Unappetising. Coupled with a thousand-island style sauce that had been out so long it had formed a firm skin. Almost unpalatable.

Overall rating: 4/10

This burger scores a dismal 4/10 - the sludgy meat, the offensively dry, untoasted bun and unsauced toppings being bad enough crimes in themselves - coupled with a complete lack of interest in making a half decent attempt at palatable food. I visited on a Monday night, around 8.30pm, and the place was packed, so I doubt this review will do much to deter the hordes. 

The most interesting thing about Red Dog Saloon is I've had fans of the blog beg me to add this joint to my list, and others tell me to avoid it like the plague. I've also had their chef in charge of their Twitter account respond to my disappointed comments from the evening letting me know 'something must have gone wrong'. It may well have done, but when a place divides opinion like this (50% of the time it works every time...) there's a consistency issue that needs sorting.

[Competition] Win Tickets to Two Nights Only at The Exmouth Arms

It's almost here.

Two nights only, the burger-focused evenings from James Morgan and Chris Todd [you know, the one I wrote about a few weeks ago] have their tickets going on sale at 19:00 on Thursday 23 August. To be in with a chance of grabbing one, keep your eyes peeled for the link on their twitter account http://twitter.com/twonightsonly and their facebook page, and make sure you don't miss out.

There is, however, another way to get your hands on some. Burger Me! has two tickets to give away to two avid readers of m'blog. To enter the draw to win a ticket, simply sign up for the Burger Me! mailing list.* I'll draw the competition over the Bank Holiday weekend and two lucky winners on the mailing list will win tickets!

To recap, here's what your ticket will get you: 

Dates: 
19 and 20 September from 19:30

Location: 
The Exmouth Arms, 23 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QL

Tickets:
Tickets on sale from 19:00
26 tickets available per night
£40 per ticket


Ticket price includes:
Perfect Storm cocktails by Kraken 
Pale Ale by Camden Brewery


Starters:
Angels on Horseback
Crayfish Thermidor
Wagyu Tartare


The main event:
The Forty Burger (Black Label beef as used in the Minetta Tavern Black Label Burger)
Fries
Fried Oxtail Donuts
Onion Rings
Coleslaw


Dessert:
Chocolate Brownie

*Don't worry! I'll be holding your email address in a secure vault that it won't be able to escape from, except occasionally when I'll send you the details of something really cool - like free tickets to a burger pop-up, or the chance to win stuff from the Burger Me! shop. 

Betjamen Arms and MotherFlipper: London Burger Roundup #7

The latest London Burger roundup, submitted by you. This week we have a cheeseburger from The Betjeman Arms, MotherFlipper, and an unknown joint near Bond St...:

[Advance Preview] Dirty Burger. A Dirty Little Secret from Soho House

Three words: Filthy. Dirty. Burger. 

This is Soho Houses' Dirty Little Secret. It's also what you get from the latest burger concept about to kick off in Kentish Town. I was invited by Louis to join him on launch evening. What you are about to see is pure filth.

Burgers from MotherFlipper and Patty and Bun: London Burger Roundup #6

Today's London Burger Roundup features burger porn from the ubiquitous MotherFlipper, and the recent Patty and Bun pop-up at The Endurance, Soho:

Elliot's Cafe: The burger that blew my socks off

How could I avoid visiting a natural wine burger bar pop-up in Borough Market? Especially one which involved Elliot's Café, a well-respected and much raved-about restaurant located in Borough Market, just down from the Market Porter pub on Stoney Street. This burger pop-up market stall, in conjunction with RAWfair - a celebration of natural wine from growers who want to demonstrate the power of wine without additives - has a simple proposition: Sell the Elliot's burger, with their fries, alongside glasses of great wine. 

My kind of pop up.

Elliot's Burger in Borough Market

FATTBurger at The Sun and 13 Cantons, Soho

FATTburger is currently in residency at The Sun and 13 Cantons in Soho, having previously popped up for several months in Dalston, and it's yet another another burger concept to hit the streets of Soho this summer.

Double Fatt Piggy burger

Having had a weekend where I'd popped into Burger Bear, and missed out on Burger Breakout, it was a Monday lunchtime when I popped into Soho to sample the Fattburger wares with trusty #teamburger regular Alex (@eatingsoho). 

London Burger Roundup #5: Goodman, Kua'Aina

Today's London Burger Roundup features burger porn from Goodman and Kua'Aina:

Burger Bear at Red Market London

Set on a development site owned by a 5* hotel, Red Market can be found just off Old Street roundabout. It's a fully licenced area with its own bar, a pile of street food stalls - a couple of original giant Banksy's, and a Burger Bear. 

The Grizzly Burger from Burger Bear, Red Market

Burger Bear is a steak burger concept from Tom, who's a relative newcomer to the burger scene (I know, Tom is a popular name for those in the world of burgers, but he's in good company for Tom from Byron and Tom from Honest Burgers are supporting the evolution of good burgers in London). He'd been at Red Market for a couple of weeks when I visited, and had just finished a series of evenings serving at Zoo Lates - London Zoo's evening festival.

Sex, Bombs and Burgers: A Book Review

When I have some rare down-time between relentlessly exploring London's growing burger scene by seeking out the Best Burgers in London, and creating my burger-themed recipes (like my recent homemade American Burger Cheese), I like to read. Not for me stories of pirates and treasure, nor international intrigue and mystery, nor anything by E.L.James. 

No, I like to read books about burgers.

[Pop-Up Alert] Unreal Burgers for Two Nights Only

There is no doubt there are some great burger joints popping up in London right now. 

The Spectacular Patty & Bun has just finished it's latest run in The Endurance, Soho, the Lucky Chip Residency at The Seabright Arms on Hackney Road is well established, and their Slider Bar has just opened in Covent Garden too. There are also a host of others appearing, Burger Breakout, Burger Bear, Fattburger, Tommi's Burger Joint, Burger & Lobster, and Dirty Burger - not to mention Honest Burgers coming to Soho and Daniel Young's BurgerMonday events...

In the midst of the burger frenzy, I've caught up with Chris and James, a duo who have an 'unreal burger experience' in their sights, and a point to prove.

London Burger Roundup #4: Honest Burgers, Meat Market

Today's London Burger Roundup covers a stacked burger from Honest in Brixton, and a dripping burger from Meat Market in Covent Garden

Sloppy Joe Burger at the Wenlock and Essex

Every now and again a burger pops up that's so filthy gorgeous you have to let the pictures do the talking, and one of them has popped up at the Wenlock & Essex in Islington.

The sloppy joe burger at the Wenlock and Essex

Chef James Morgan is somewhat of an unsung hero of mine, his attention to detail in all matters burger-related is impeccable. His braised fore-rib burger catapulted into my list of Top 10 best burgers in London after sampling it several times, so when I heard he'd put on a Sloppy Joe burger as a special, I was gutted I wasn't around to sample it. The good news, however, is that with massive amounts of positive feedback, he has finally put it on the menu full time so I popped up on a Friday lunchtime to see what the fuss was about...

London Burger Roundup #3: Byron Hamburgers, The Ad Cod, The Diner

Today on London Burger Roundup, a blast from the past with the Gizzmo burger from Byron, The Ad Cod Cheeseburger, and The Diablo from The Diner:

Doing the Quadruple Burger Dash at Bar Boulud, One Hyde Park

Bar Boulud, for those who haven't ventured into Knightsbridge recently, is attached to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, next to the Candy Brother's white elephant luxury development on the corner of Hyde Park. And it's pretty posh, they even have a guy standing outside to open the door for you. 

After a host of diary clashes (mainly mine), I'd organised to dine with Dini (@dolcedini on Twitter), and we agreed to hit all four burgers at once to see how they compared against each other.

London Burger Roundup #2: Mother Flipper, The Stag

Today's London Burger Roundup features a cracking Mother Flipper burger, and some action from The Stag in Hampstead:

London Burger Roundup #1: Patty & Bun, Lucky Chip, Haché

Today's London Burger Roundup features YOUR burger pictures from Patty & Bun, Lucky Chip, and Hache...

Submit Your Burger and Feature on the Burger Me! Blog

That's right, as the community of burger lovers grows, Burger Me! is now taking the very best of your London burger restaurant pictures. Submit your burger pics and I'll be featuring them in a regular London Burger Roundup post on this blog.

The rules are simple:

• Go to the Submit Your Burger page
• Tell me about your burger pic - where's it from, what's in it, and why it's great
• Attach a great picture of your burger (try to avoid blurry, out of focus etc.)
• Hit Submit

I'll be featuring the best ones on this blog, and across other social networks - so once you've submitted, keep an eye out for your burger in lights!

The Joe Allen Secret Off-Menu Burger

It's been a while. I mean, I've eaten in Joe Allen before, back waaaaaay before I started this blog, and certainly at a time when the subtleties of burgers were lost on me. But I haven't had the incredibly 'secret' off-menu burger that no-one else knows about and is only passed on in whispers to the most privileged, seasoned Londoner.* It's a regular in Daniel Young's Top 10 list of best burgers in London and it's been one I've been wanting to try for a long, long time.

Joe Allen's secret burger, sticking its tongue out at people who don't know about it.

Short Term Residency: Patty & Bun at The Endurance, Soho

A quick heads up to burger lovers who can make it down to The Endurance in Soho, as Patty & Bun have a mini residency there for the next few weeks. 

Serving up the very popular Ari Gold burger from their pop-up in The Doodle Bar in Battersea, as well as specials such as the Foghorn Leghorn Chicken Burger, and the Smokey Robinson Burger, this is well worth a visit, if only to say hi to the effervescent Joe Grossman - the inspiration behind Patty & Bun - who will be taking your order behind the bar.

The Smokey Robinson Burger at Patty & Bun

Slip Slider Away - Mishkins, Covent Garden

Mishkin's is located on Catherine Street, off Covent Garden and right next door to the Opera Tavern (check out my review of the Opera Tavern Iberico Pork burger), and it's a kind-of Jewish deli with cocktails...

The Mishkin's 3oz Slider

I've heard a lot of good things about the place so as I was meeting my friend, Steve, a regular partner in burger crime, to sample the wares at Joe Allen for dinner, I decided to take on a quick slider while I was waiting for him to arrive.

Cheeseburger jerky, anyone?

Just last week something rather interesting dropped through my letterbox - jerky. 

What, you ask yourselves, is Hamburger Me to do with a pack of jerky? Well, it just so happens this jerky is cheeseburger jerky. CHEESEBURGER FLAVOURED JERKY, PEOPLE!

Cheeseburger Jerky from Billy Franks

Sent from the office of Mr William Yates, under the name of Billy Franks: Gourmet Jerky Snacks, is a vacuum packed 40g bag of jerky.

Smash Burgers and Homemade American Cheese

A title tells a thousand words...no, hold on, that's not right.

Actually in this case it is.

I've been doing some home burger experimentation in preparation for Burger Off!, a big BBQ I'm holding in the summer for some of the members of #TeamBurger, London's ace, crime fighting* burger eating elite.

And the menu today is smash burgers with homemade American Cheese.
*they don't fight crime.

Pitt Cue Co: Is it a burger or a meat sandwich?

Pitt Cue Co is a BBQ joint. 

You've probably heard about it from people much more BBQ-y than me. I was here for one sole purpose - to get my chops around the monster that is The Big Ode.