[Review] The Fat Cow Burger from The Old Red Cow

Every time I think I've ticked off every restaurant, pub and pop-up that has even a sniff of a burger around Smithfields, a new one pops onto radar. The Old Red Cow is just such a joint. It's an independent pub on Long Lane, Smithfield, and it serves just one decadent sounding burger. 

Fat Cow burger from The Old Red Cow

But is is any good?

Price: 

"The Fat Cow" burger with goose fat chips - £14

Presentation:  

Good. This is a good lookin' burger. Presented fully lidded with a pot of tomato relish and pile of goose fat chips, the griddle marks on the shiny brioche lid were a nice touch. The glistening patty in the bun looks thick and appetizing, and sets the expectations nice and high. 

Toppings/Bottomings: 

The chef at The Old Red Cow, Rob Macmillan, has kept his burger toppings purposefully simple. It's topped with a wedge of melted Ogleshield cheese, and some cubes of bone marrow, and both are glorious - it's very similar to the Hawksmoor Cheeseburger - with a great balance of nutty cheese and unctuous, beefy-sweet bone marrow.

However, this burger is slightly let down by bottomings. The 'Fred Bed' looks promising, but the effect of the chopped lettuce is spoilt by full slices of tomato and long thin strips of pickle. They pull out within the first couple of bites and are left dangling, gently dripping down my chin. The pickles could also use more vinegar to give added structure to the mellow toppings, meat and bun.

Meat:

Very good. The patty is a blend of 70% sirloin and 30% chuck, making a relatively lean burger patty - however this is then cut with bone marrow, pumping up the fat content and injecting a beefy kick at the same time. The patty is coarsely ground, and cooked pink (medium-rare), leaving you with a soft, moist and juicy patty to sink your teeth into.

Bun:

Good. The burger is wrapped in a cream brioche made with whipping cream, which makes for a fabulously light and fluffy bun, and one which complements the beef without being cloying. It's lightly toasted and robust enough to hold together in spite of the juicy punishment it gets from the melted bone marrow.

Accessories:

The Fat Cow burger comes with goose fat chips, on paper a brilliant idea, but in execution left a little to be desired. Unfortunately the majority were slightly undercooked and soggy. That said, the thinner pieces of potato were beautifully crunchy with an almost ethereal goose fat riff. Blitz 'em for a couple more minutes and they'd be perfect.

There's also a supporting pot of tomato relish, more a mellow tomato reduction than a ketchup, which I didn't get on with.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

The Fat Cow burger from The Old Red Cow is a jolly nice burger, and it's clear that both thought and quality have gone into creating it, but at the top end of the burger price range at £14, I wanted it to really blow me away. Get those fries up to scratch, and sort out the bottomings muddle and this could well be my new local favourite (alongside Disco Bistro, of course).

I'd also add that there is an AMAZING range of craft beers at this pub. So worth a visit for those alone.

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