Coming up from the Barbican Centre, you pass the varied food stalls on Whitecross St. Market, which peter out as you approach Old Street. It's at this intersection where Jane Roe Kitchen lurks. It's suitably understated behind it's black-painted frontage, with a dark wood tables and exposed brickwork. It's been a couple of weeks since my last burger, and a while since I've written a review - so I'm looking forward to trying out somewhere new.
Let's see how we get on.
Sweet potato fries - £3.50
Onion rings - £3.50
Plated and placed on a sheet of grease-proof. The burger is low and wide and is set to be the star of the show. It's a decent looking, well proportioned burger. Golden brioche bun shining in the low-level lighting. Melted cheddar slowly dripping down the patty. But immediately there are some issues - the curls of gem lettuce cause stability issues - which are dealt with by the insidious insertion of a wooden skewer.
There are three major issues with this beef. The charcoal grilling, the seasoning, and the cooking to order. Let's address the first, first. As regular readers of this blog will know (hi, by the way :)), I'm a fan of my patties on the flat top grill. Char-grilling is still very popular, however, but for me it has two major issues - one is the loss of juice, the other is the acrid char lines on the burger which leave a bitter taste in the mouth and are particularly pronounced against the sweetness of the bun. Second - and no excuse for this - there was little discernible salt on the meat. And finally my 'pink' burger was...well, take a look for yourself.
Great sweet potato fries and crispy onion rings, decent portions and well worth your £3.50.
Understated promise that doesn't quite deliver. As I said at the start, it's promising and all the elements are there but there doesn't seem to be much love in this burger. It's an unfinished work with its heart and soul missing, which is a shame as I enjoyed the place, the locale and the service. But as you know, that counts for nothing on this blog.
And as an aside, who offers cheese as an add on with their burger? Honestly.
Price:
Classic Burger - £8.50. Added mature cheddar cheese - £1.Sweet potato fries - £3.50
Onion rings - £3.50
Presentation:
Plated and placed on a sheet of grease-proof. The burger is low and wide and is set to be the star of the show. It's a decent looking, well proportioned burger. Golden brioche bun shining in the low-level lighting. Melted cheddar slowly dripping down the patty. But immediately there are some issues - the curls of gem lettuce cause stability issues - which are dealt with by the insidious insertion of a wooden skewer.
Toppings:
The melted cheddar cheese on this burger looks the part, but the reality is it has little flavour and adds little to the burger. The salad is fresh, crisp and surprisingly flavourful, but the cold tomato is jarring against the warm burger and we've already picked up the structural issues with the lettuce - c'mon, just chop it. Pickle has a great crunch and a light pickling which is pleasant. It's just not that...exciting.Meat:
There are three major issues with this beef. The charcoal grilling, the seasoning, and the cooking to order. Let's address the first, first. As regular readers of this blog will know (hi, by the way :)), I'm a fan of my patties on the flat top grill. Char-grilling is still very popular, however, but for me it has two major issues - one is the loss of juice, the other is the acrid char lines on the burger which leave a bitter taste in the mouth and are particularly pronounced against the sweetness of the bun. Second - and no excuse for this - there was little discernible salt on the meat. And finally my 'pink' burger was...well, take a look for yourself.
Bun:
A decent, but ever so lightly toasted brioche bun was pretty decent. Some cracking on the squeeze, but it held together pretty well overall.Accessories:
Great sweet potato fries and crispy onion rings, decent portions and well worth your £3.50.
Overall rating: 5/10
Understated promise that doesn't quite deliver. As I said at the start, it's promising and all the elements are there but there doesn't seem to be much love in this burger. It's an unfinished work with its heart and soul missing, which is a shame as I enjoyed the place, the locale and the service. But as you know, that counts for nothing on this blog.
And as an aside, who offers cheese as an add on with their burger? Honestly.
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