[Review] Saucy Chip at Jerusalem Bar & Kitchen, Rathbone Place

Festival food turned Fitzrovia kitchen residency Saucy Chip popped up on my radar courtesy of their PR bods a few weeks ago. Launching very softly earlier this year the sauce-focused comfort food outfit has slowly been building a following among the local creative crowds - and is putting a few smiles on faces of people in the know.

Based out of basement venue, The Jerusalem Bar & Kitchen on Rathbone Place (hop-skip-jump from Oxford St. and Tottenham Court Road) not only can you get your fix of sweet nourishing American-style diner food with a trolley of sauces to satisfy you wildest condiment desires, but the beers are crafty and the bar is suitably low key too.

Here's my take on what they have to offer.

Price: 

Bacon cheeseburger £11 (inc chips)
The Saucy Devil burger £11 (inc chips)
Great Balls of Mac n Cheese - £5.50
Rock and Roll Chips - £7
Kick Ass Chilli Cheese Chips - £7

Presentation:

If you had a ruler (and it wouldn't surprise me if the chef did) I don't think this could be a straighter or better proportioned burger. Everything is in harmony from the melting bright yellow cheese to the glistening glazed bun and caramelised patty. The burger sits slap-bang in the middle of saucy chip's branded greaseproof paper and in my humble view is a sight to behold.

Toppings:

I want to start with the bacon, because it's epic. It's bacon but not as you know it - it's actually a bacon crumb sprinkled on top of the party and then sealed with melted cheese. You get a brilliant crunch on the bite through and a hit of salt and umami. Boom. Everything else has it's place, the mild melted cheese looks good and rounds the flavours off, whilst the joint secret SC sauce and ketchup add plenty of complementary flavour. The pickles were inconsequential and the gem lettuce is light touch (although chopped would distribute that SC sauce better.

Meat:

Let's start with the cooking. It's a nice surprise to get something med-rare these days, and this has come out a treat. The beef patty has been seared on a flat top grill (cloched with the bacon and cheese) and there's a decent amount of caramelisation. The patty blend is 50/50 chuck and brisket so you get a great beefy hit with plenty of fat and juice to boot. This is a Meat Win folks...

Bun: 

Having served through a load of different bakeries with varying degrees of success, Saucy Chip have ended up with a bit of a different bun to the usual (excellent) Miller's demi-brioche. Instead the burger is wrapped in a glazed buttermilk bun from the Sally Clark bakery, which delivers a subtle sweetness whilst retaining an edge of  acidity that prevents it being cloying. It's pretty decent, although could do with a touch more toasting to add a bit of of crunch.

Accessories:

Dirty fries. A massive portion of Rock and Roll Chips(glorious thick beef gravy covered proper chip shop chips) and an equally heart stopping Chilli Cheese Chips drenched with a hearty beef chilli. I will say no more and leave you with this image...

Oh. And Great Balls of Mac & Cheese. Amazeballs.

Overall rating: 9/10

Saucy Chip gets an overall rating of 9/10, which boils down to three really great things - the bun, the beef patty, and the great burger chemistry that make this a stand out new entrant to London's burger scene.

These guys are at Jerusalem Bar & Kitchen for the summer, so make sure you take the opportunity to get involved. And don't forget the macncheeseballs!

Get the full menu here: http://www.jerusalembarandkitchen.com/menu/.