[Review] Dip & Flip Burger, Clapham Junction

Dip & Flip is the latest twist on London's burger scene. It's tucked away near Clapham Junction on Battersea Rise and the restaurant/burger bar/gravy bar seats about 40 in a largely utilitarian space.

The glorious, eponymous Dip & Flip burger

I headed down on a Tuesday night to check it out...

Price:

Bacon Cheese Burger - £7.95
Dip & Flip burger - £9.95
Fries - £2.75

Dip & Flip is a sandwich and burger bar with lashings of gravy

Presentation:

Good. Burgers are served with bun-on, along with fries-inna-basket. The food is accessorised with a little Styrofoam bowl of gravy. The whole kaboodle is presented on a metal tray lined with Dip & Flip branded greaseproof paper - of the kind that has become de rigeur amongst some of London's most popular burger joints (P&B, MEATLiquor etc.)

I love the smell of gravy in the morning...

The burgers themselves look pretty good - shiny bun glinting in the mood lighting (it's 6.20pm) - and well proportioned. In fact the portions look pretty generous. So far, so good.

Bacon to the left of me, double beef to the right...

Toppings:

As a public service, I felt I ought to try both the Bacon Cheese Burger, and the Dip & Flip burger. You know, just to give YOU the full low down on the burgers available at Dip & Flip.

Bacon Cheese Burger toppings:
Great. Thick rashers of crispy, salty, streaky bacon are generously piled on top of a custom-made american burger cheese, which is melted onto the patty. The cheese is a nod to The Ship, Wandsworth, where one of the Dip & Flip guys had previously worked. Also worked in under the bun are ketchup and French's mustard.

Underneath the patty sits a brilliant layer of chopped white cabbage. I say a layer, it's a sprinkling really, but it adds texture and crunch to the bite through. Finally, spread on the bottom bun is a thin layer of mayonnaise mixed with pickle juice - which adds a careful dose of acidity to the whole burger.

It's burger time at Dip & Flip.

Dip & Flip Burger toppings: 

Great. The Dip & Flip burger takes the same structure as the Bacon Cheese Burger, but kicks out the bacon and replaces it with a layer of gravy-dipped roast beef. This is, quite frankly, a masterstroke. You've got a great cheeseburger AND a layer of juicy, moreish roast beef topped with gravy, mustard and ketchup. If it were a book, it'd be a page turner. I didn't want to stop eating it. 

There is also the same sprinkle of white cabbage below the patty, and the same dill pickle mayonnaise adding texture and acidity to the construction. 

Close-up cut-through of the Dip & Flip burger

Meat:

Hello Meat Win, it's been a while. This is a joint that takes it's beef seriously. The patties in both burgers are thick, caramelised, juicy, med-rare and moderately seasoned. In brief, they're great.

If I were a geologist, I'd definitely call these striated layers...

Bun:

The bun looks, feels and tastes to all extent and purposes like a Miller's brioche burger bun as used by big boys Byron Hamburgers, Bread St. Kitchen etc. We know from experience it can take some punishment from seriously juicy burgers, and for the Dip & Flip burger, it makes no exception. Even with a regular drowning in gravy, it retains shape and structure. Unlike my shirt.

Accessories:

Gravy. This is not just gravy, it's flippin' fantastic 3-day gravy. That's right, this gravy takes THREE DAYS to make. Time completely well spent in my view. The depth of flavour is mouthwatering, and it's completely moreish. I ended up drinking what hadn't already soaked into my burger, down my shirt and into my lap.

Here's a burger dip shot (slightly crappy photo, I know). Make sure you do this. You won't regret it.

Burger dip at Dip and Flip

Fries. Almost instantly forgettable. They're not bad per se, just compared to the burger and the gravy, they're not that special. They coated with chicken salt* which is a blend of a load of different spices, but they lack that crispness that I'm looking for in a good fry. But maybe slightly soggy is the point, as these chips do dip rather nicely in the gravy.

*contains no chicken

Overall rating: 9/10

Dip & Flip is a thoroughly enjoyable burger. It's clearly influenced by a number of burger joints in the capital, and it adds gravy. Glorious, moreish gravy. If Dip & Flip were a book, it would be Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five'. It's quick, it's compelling, and everything has lashing of gravy.

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