[Review] Vigata Burgers, Kings Cross - A Burger of Two Halves

Vigata burgers is something of an anomaly. It's situated up the hill from Kings Cross towards Angel, on Pentonville Road and is ostensibly a pizza restaurant. Emblazoned with red livery and 'Ristorante Pizzeria', it's only when you get up close and personal with the menu that you notice there's a section dedicated to burgers.

Vigata Burger

It feels odd to have an Italian-style restaurant that also serves burgers - but then again, they serve pizza and burgers, what's not to love, right?

Price:
Beef & Bacon Burger - £9.50 (includes fries)

Presentation:

A bit 'pub' burger. It's been a while since someone has felt the need to skewer my burger, and I wonder why there's a need to here - especially with such a low lying bun like Vigata's. Steak cut chips finish this off all served on a rustic plate.

Toppings:

Lettuce, onions, tomato, bacon and cheese are all included in the beef & bacon burger. The only stand out, however, is the bacon - more gammon than back, it reminds me of bacon sandwiches at 3am from the 24-hour cafe in Smithfield market - pre cooked and seared on a charcoal grill before being slapped on the burger. The sharp onion and watery tomato slightly offended me, and the cheese had little flavour.

Meat:

Overworked and too finely ground. The patty was a bit of a let down. Boasting 6oz of 100% beef, the grind was barely discernible and disappeared into a solid mass - it's dense and slightly spongy and has the tinny taste of fresh mince that hasn't been aged. This patty needs a bit of work.

Bun:

And so we come to the tale of two halves. This bun is genuinely glorious. Using Caputo flour from Italy, the buns are baked on premises, to order, in their gas-fired pizza oven. The dough bakes to form a dense and charcoal-flavoured exterior, while the interior is super-soft and light. It was brilliant. I could have happily eaten the bun on its own all night. I understand they use this same base for the Vigata pizzas too, and I can imagine it works really well.

Accessories:

Steak-cut chips. These are rosemary salted - a method which seems to be more and more popular. These are fine, although I'd like a bit more crunch. They're quite good overall, so no complaints.

Overall rating: 5/10

Truth be told, the Vigata burger needs a lot of work. The bun is bloody marvellous, but the rest of the ingredients are letting the side down. The patty is poor, and the bacon is the only stand-out topping - unusually I've really enjoyed it, even though it's not crispy, but everything else is a bit of a mess. Sort out the beef next and you'll start to see the beginnings of a really great burger. And did I mention the bun...

You can find Vigata Burgers at 200 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9GX

Find Vigata on my Interactive London Burger Map