Disclaimer: I didn't pay for the food or drinks on this visit to Guerilla Burgers. I was a guest of the restaurant on their launch night.
If you look at the banner at the top, you'll see a burger, some crinkle cut fries and a branded cup filled with a mysterious liquid. That meal was from Shake Shack, possibly the benchmark for a great burger for yours truly. The bun is fantastic (a potato roll, something you never seem to see in this country) and more importantly the meat is of a great quality, speaking for itself with just a bit of salt and pepper added (and some butter, of course). With that in mind, can anywhere in London even come close? Well, the Big D at Byron took the crown of London's best for me, but sadly that was only on a limited appearance. The burger from The Hawksmoor therefore still retains the crown, though I've heard good things about the effort from Goodman. These burgers are all in the higher price range, though, whereas Guerilla Burgers is aiming at the £4-6 market.
The house rules. Dated, so they supposedly change daily (minus green points!). I think this is a fun way of explaining things, though on this day the house rules also served the purpose of being a form to fill out, with questions on first impressions; negative aspects, and positive aspects; whether you'd recommend the place to friends. I was busily writing things down throughout.
Skaters. Not sure why they're called 'skaters', rather than 'sliders' which I'm more familiar with, but that's an aside. Minced British beef (not sure of the composition, would guess brisket) in simple white buns. Nothing else, just meat and bread. Very brave, and rather difficult to even tell how good the meat was with a burger so small, but they were decent. Juicy and with a good flavour to the meat; the buns were also a winner, softer than they look and in proportion to the patty. I'd like to see if this is the case with the full sized burger, but for now the bun is a definite plus point. The burgers were actually better with some of the salsa (red stuff in the foreground), though my girlfriend preferred the tarragon dip (background). The salad on the plate is a little bit pointless. Some fried onions and some sliced gherkins would be very welcome here. Overall, quite satisfying.
Crinkle cut fries. These came without salt on them, which I don't like, but it's a minor point. These aren't very good. They remind me of school dinners. Not a fan of the crinkle cut fries here, or at the aforementioned Shake Shack.
Sweet potato fries. Yes! These are delicious! Good mixture of sharp, crunchy ones and thicker, softer numbers. Clean tasting, not at all greasy. Wonderful, especially with some of their 'Cajun powder' (a mix of paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and other things) dusted on top, and then dipped into mayonnaise.
Chocolate brownie sundae. I didn't try this, so I'll let Samantha write some words: YUM YUM! Great dessert. Chocolate ice cream with pieces of brownie dotted all over the place and topped with cream and then chocolate sauce. A sugar overload! The brownie pieces were wonderful. I'd eat this every day for the rest of my life. Good job, Guerilla Burgers!
Guerilla Burgers didn't blow me away, but I will return, to try the fish tacos in particular. I'll also have to try the full sized burger, because as I said before, I don't think you can tell too much from slider-sized efforts. For now though, the positive aspects are clear: the sweet potato fries, the incredibly welcoming and eager-to-please staff, and the desserts. Enough reason to return, for me, though I'll avoid the crinkle cut fries on my next visit.
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