The Florence, Herne Hill

Note: I didn't pay for this meal. I was a guest of the affable @thepubgeek.

I'll be honest: I had no idea where the hell Herne Hill was until Yianni and his Meatwagon rocked up in the garden of The Florence. Ten minutes from Victoria; fifteen minutes from Farringdon; not quite the arse-end of nowhere I thought it would be, and in fact quite a nice area with one big selling point - the aforementioned pub. The sort of pub that a lot of the people I went with for the first time agreed would be ideal as their 'local'. Despite inviting Yianni to turn on his cast-iron flat-top griddle (and allowing him a regular spot, Meatwagon fans) the Florence also employs a kitchen crew who cook up pub staples. As well as items 'in bread' - sandwiches, to you and me - they serve 'smalls' which are suitable for sharing, 'mains' which slightly larger plates and 'afters', oddly placed near the top of the menu - the belief that they will log into your memory as you're scrolling down plays a part, here. Another confession to make here: I have no idea what is on the menu apart from the things I tried. I came back to try two things in particular. The fried chicken - made to the Thomas Keller recipe - and the burger, recently tweaked after a staff visit to the Meatwagon.

Fried chicken (£6). You know that tired old quote about how 'pizza is a lot like sex'? Same applies for chicken, to be honest with you. Scrawny, battery-farmed chickens who are fed toenails and kicked about - pretty undesirable. Give them to my mate Colonel Sanders and you'll get some guiltily delicious chicken. Let's say you have two pounds in your pocket, a rumble in your stomach and a desire for multiple toilet visits the next day: go to Sam's Chicken. That isn't to say that you can't get good fried chicken though. You just have to use fresh chicken, have patience and follow the recipe of a 3* Michelin Chef. Inspired by the recipe from the fantastic volume Ad Hoc At Home, the team at the Florence put it straight on the menu. Crispy batter gives way to wonderfully tender chicken - juicy and perfectly cooked, spiced with paprika and seasoned well. A massive flick of the V at the poor old Colonel.

As would seem the trend these days, I was really here to try out the Florence's burger (£7.50). Two patties (about four ounces each, I would say), mature cheddar, lettuce, onions, sliced gherkins and a couple of sauces on the side. An impressive sight, but I immediately noted that it was too tall. Burgers that are too large to fit in your mouth aren't pleasant, and even with a bit of squishing the burger was still vertically-disproportionate. @tehbus, Samantha and I decided to dissect our burgers, going for some of the beef with a knife and fork. The 21 day aged chuck had a good beefy flavour, and it was seasoned well, with appropriate levels of salt and pepper. Surprisingly the patties also housed a crust, belying the capacity of the cooking method (chargrilled); a bite past the caramelised exterior led to 'noodled' beef mince, a hint beyond medium. The other components of the burger were of a varying standard, but mostly good. Despite being a Kraft Singles fan, the mature cheddar was a welcome accompaniment, working well with the aged beef - the musky notes complementing each other. The bun, a sesame seeded brioche from Miller's Bakery, is the right side of squishy and holds together well. The rabbit food on the whole is decent, though the lettuce is rather flappy and ultimately too large for the burger. Some shredded iceberg lettuce would suit better, but it's not a major point of consideration.

Two sauces are provided on the side: a home-made Sriracha copy, and a Special Sauce knock-off. The Sriracha is the nice kind of spicy - it mellows out and tingles at the back of your throat, rather than landing an unexpected punch. It could do with some added vinegar or some sugar to give it another dimension, but it's a good effort, and the roasted pepper flavours are very nice indeed. The Special Sauce is also a great, playful attempt. Mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together is undeniably delicious, and it just works so well with a cheeseburger. I'm a big fan.

Standard autopsy shot. I think that's with only one patty.

French fries (£2.50). Good for frozen, unlike at Lucky 7. The aioli provided was nice, with a mellow garlicky taste.

With great ales on tap, a superb beer garden and an amazing pub dog - named Barksdale, after the character in The Wire - the Florence is a firm favourite of mine already, despite being on the other side of London. Add to this list regular appearances from the Meatwagon, and I suspect they will be seeing a lot more of me, for some of that superior fried chicken, too.

Bar Boulud, Knightsbridge

The excitement of Daniel Boulud opening a London outpost of his successful New York City restaurant Bar Boulud (beware of the horrific music) was evident when it was announced sometime last year. Twitter, as is the snowball nature of the medium, went into a frenzy. I only had one question on my lips: would Daniel be bringing his DB Bistro Moderne Burger with him to London? Well, the answer to that is yes he will, but for now he offers up three burgers on the London menu (once again, navigate to the bottom left to turn off the offensive music). The Yankee burger is a grilled beef patty with iceberg lettuce, tomato, sweet onion and pickle served in a sesame bun; the Piggie crucially includes BBQ pulled pork; the Frenchie goes gourmet and includes confit pork belly as well as other things that aren't suitable for a hamburger.

Marcus and I decided to go for the £20 lunch prix fixe, to get a bit of scope from the menu. The prix fixe fortunately included the Yankee burger and I had to try the hamburgers which have garnered a lot of praise recently, in the midst of a sort-of 'hamburger renaissance' (or even a naissance) in London. As Daniel himself once said: "I would like to think I may have been at the forefront of the burger renaissance". I assumed I would be in safe hands.

The prix-fixe menu. It seems to have changed slightly since the first week or two of opening. Three options for each course, three courses for £20. Seems a good way to go at lunchtime.

Soupe de pois. Chilled pea soup, toasted croutons, carrots and peas as part of a 'spring fricasse', rosemary cream, mint garnish. A generous portion of refreshing soup to match the season.

Enough about soup, I was here for the Yankee burger. Usually £12 (add £1 for cheddar cheese; no Kraft available, unsurprisingly...) it falls under the same price range as Goodman and is slightly cheaper than the burger at the Hawksmoor. Let's lift another quote once uttered by Daniel Boulud, on what makes a great hamburger: '1. Great bun, well toasted. 2. Great, juicy meat, well seasoned and cooked just right. 3. Fresh garnishes; the lettuce and tomato should be top quality.' In order: the bun here is great. It's utterly superb. One of the most aerated burger buns I've ever had the pleasure of holding/biting in to - air pockets for miles, a good structure and a taste that doesn't detract from or overshadow the burger. A good burger bun should be like Daniel's fellow countryman, Claude Makelele; you don't notice what it's doing, but it does the job well and keeps everything moving. That it is baked in-house is no surprise to me. In fact, most things here are made in-house, except the ketchup which I am informed they are "working on."

The second element that Mr. Boulud claims is needed for a great burger is the quality of the meat. Good quality, of course, but it also has to be juicy, well seasoned, cooked 'just right'. I ordered mine rare. It came out medium/medium-well. Marcus ordered his medium. It came out well done. I tried the old 'squeeze test'. It failed. In fact, it was so cottony and dry, I envisaged a fly or some dust coming out, like I was in a cartoon. I suspect they are using meat which is slightly too lean, but I also suspect that attention wasn't paid to the cooking (chargrilled) of our burgers; they were close to burned on the outside - which provided a needed crunch, albeit an unpleasant one - and cooked too much in the middle. These weren't cooked 'just right', I'm afraid, and it was a struggle to finish the burger in all honesty, despite there being evidence of good, Aberdeen Angus meat (from Smithfield). On the final element, Daniel claims that the garnishes must be top quality. The lettuce here was crunchy and fresh, but the tomato was, as is commonly the case, flabby and watery.

Some may ask why we didn't send the burgers back. I'll say this: if a kitchen so well drilled can't get a burger right the first time it is sent out, then that's what I'll judge it on. If I sent it back and the replacement was perfect, the first attempt would still play on my mind.

Unlike the disappointing burger, the frites were outstanding. Thin, hot and crispy, they were some of the best fries I've ever eaten.

Gateau chocolat-framboise. Chocolate cake with raspberries: a bittersweet, high quality chocolate mousse; raspberry jam; Sacher biscuit; a scoop of raspberry sorbet. Unbelievable dessert. Haute cuisine seems to be all about taking a flavour and elevating it to levels beyond its capacity - using an ingredient at the peak of its life and concentrating the flavours into a package that is extraordinary to eat. The raspberries here were incredible, complementing the bittersweet chocolate mousse in an age-old marriage of tastes. The gateau was a success, falling on the right side of sweet, with the Sacher biscuit providing an enjoyable crunch at the base. The raspberry gelato, a somewhat refreshing aspect. It even had some fancy-schmancy gold leaf on it, just to show you they mean business.

Fresh baked madeleines (£4). Freshly baked and once again, exhibiting some true skill from the kitchen. Soft, light and a joyous accompaniment to an excellent espresso (£2.50). A high note to end on.

The bill. Around £64 for the both of us, great value for the food on offer, despite a disappointing burger. The starters and the desserts were fantastic, and by all accounts the burger is usually good, so I suppose we were perhaps unlucky with a slip in concentration from the kitchen. I'll be back to try out the fabled DB Bistro Moderne Burger soon.

Greenwich Union, Greenwich

Another week, another burger review. This time, Greenwich Union, on the recommendation of one of the guys from The Ginger Pig in Borough Market (read his unbelievably good blog here). Butchers know about meat, right? And meat is an important component of a burger, yes? To say I had high expectations would be an understatement; I had hopes that this burger would be better than Disneyworld on Christmas Day.

As well as their evening menu, Greenwich Union offers up a lunch menu of one dish meals: risotto, lasagne, a burger and some good looking fish and chips.

Meantime Helles (£3.40). One of the biggest pulls of the pub is the beers on tap (not to mention the respectable selection of bottled beers, including Sierra Nevada). With a small, exclusive selection including this Helles and a chocolatey-tasting Stout, there's obvious care taken into maintaining the pipes. I won't claim to know much about beer, but this is a pretty good pint, which went well with the burger.

Homemade 28 day aged Angus burger, tarragon mayo and chips (£7.90).

Homemade 28 day aged Angus burger. On arrival, everything looked up. Literally. A seriously vertically blessed burger; the bun was as tell as the enormous patty of beef and I'd guess it would weigh in easily at ten ounces. Additionally, it looked like the very good burger from Goodman. I attempted to grab it and eat, but that was not going to happen. Even the squash and shove method (squash the bun, shove into gob) didn't prove successful. In the end I had to cut it across and work my way through it. The first bite - a long time coming - was a confusing one. The meat tasted good, but the burger was entirely dry and mealy. Ah, breadcrumbs, my old foe. I hate breadcrumbs. They don't belong in a burger at all. There's a reason the best hamburger patties contain just beef, salt and pepper. Another aspect of the patty was the mustard, cooked (grilled) into the beef, which was a nice touch but couldn't save a dry and tiresome burger. The bun did nothing to help either, being rather stale and overwhelming the meat inside; a real challenge to get through, despite it's sourcing from Rhodes Bakery. Steaming would soften this bun and make it more pleasurable to eat. The rabbit food (lettuce, onions, tomato) were fresh and supplied a crunch that was lacking due to the grilling, rather than flat-top griddling of the meat. This burger could easily be a lot better and it's an admirable effort, but too much has been done to it, too much messing around. Simple 80:20 chuck, salt and some pepper; steam the bun and you have yourself a good burger.

Autopsy shot. I requested it medium, which didn't matter as it came out well done and unfortunately seriously dry. If the burgers are going to be cooked to this temperature, then more fat is needed in the blend (75:25 or thereabouts) to allow more juice to run through.

The remains. A serious amount of crumbs from the burger, which tried it's hardest to make me lose at Jenga. The tarragon mayo, in the little bowl, is seriously good though.

Chips. Probably triple-cooked, from the texture, these proper Maris Piper, skin-on chips are a joy. Crunchy on the outside, fluffy and soft inside, they hid a taste and revealed a crunch that showcased a deft hand at frying.

Despite the disappointing burger, I like Greenwich Union. If this was my local pub I'd be in there as often as possible: amazing chips, great beers on tap and free wi-fi. With some adjustments they could also have a great burger on their hands, for a decent price, but as it stands there's too many mistakes holding the burger back. This visit also came a few days after my first Meatwagon burger, which has somewhat ruined other London burgers for me - it's that good.

The Meatwagon, Peckham

My top three London burgers, as of 9th April, 2010, 1pm:

1. Goodman

2. Hawksmoor

3. Byron (best widely available)

My top three London burgers, as of 9th April, 2010, 1.05pm:

1. The Meatwagon

2. [SIGH]

3. [SIGH]

The London burger scene is definitely getting better. I even wrote an article saying as much on the quasi-biblical A Hamburger Today hamburger blog. Additionally, I often write about burgers on here (namely Byron and Goodman, as recent examples). The banner for this blog features an image of a great burger; I like hamburgers, and I've started liking them in London a lot more than I once did. A visit to the highly elusive Meatwagon on the hottest day of the year so far has blown all competition out of the water, far exceeding my expectations and delivering a truly fantastic burger. London's best, in fact, and at a price which makes a gruelling 90 minute journey to an industrial estate in Peckham well worth it.

Yianni Papoutsis. The half-Greek, half-Irish, carpenter/caterer with a desire to improve London's slowly blossoming street food scene. He knows about burgers, having travelled around the US of A on a search for brilliant food at low prices, in curbside locations, sampling some of America's best hamburgers en route. He cites the trucks in Los Angeles and San Francisco in particular, as big sources of inspiration. He pitches up with The Meatwagon whenever he has time off his day job, and plans to open more regularly in the longer days of summer. Here he is pictured with a six or seven ounce wad of chuck (just less than 20% fat; more on that later) just about to go on the grill. Also, note the Casio F91W on his left wrist, a classic watch (also worn by Sam of Mooli's).

The cooking process. Yianni places a ball of meat on the 30-year-old cast iron flat-top griddle and then squashes it down into a round patty with the palm of his hand. When asked how hot the griddle was exactly, he smiles and says "fucking hot." Good answer: the extreme heat of the cooking surface produces a crust that only griddle cooking can, skipping the charcoal-grilled taste for a superior crunch to the outside of the patty. The griddle can hold up to four burgers at a time, and all burgers are cooked "with a little bit of pink in the middle", though requests can be made for rare or otherwise. On the blend, Yianni bypasses the usual ratio of 80:20 in his freshly ground, locally purchased 28-day aged chuck in favour of a slightly leaner blend. He cites the reason that a fattier patty of minced beef will retain slightly unpleasant globules of uncooked fat if done rare, whilst his blend guarantees juiciness and a good eating experience no matter how it is cooked. Liberally seasoned with just salt and pepper after being squashed, Yianni flips the patties and then adds two slices of American cheese. Not Kraft Singles, but better, and he isn't letting anyone on to his cheesy secret weapon.

Steaming the cheese into the patty with a lid. A lid! I bloody love lids, I really do. No one else seems to do this in London, but it is an essential component to creating an environment where the cheese can steam and properly melt into the meat.

The cheese in all its melted glory.

The buns. A truly contentious issue with all burgers in London. A bit of meat this good needs a good bun, and Yianni has sourced the best burger bun available in London (well, for this type of burger, at least). A brioche bun would be absolutely wrong here. The bun is a soft sourdough, toasted and then placed on the meat for the final few seconds of the cooking process. A pleasure to eat, not distracting from the meat but complementing it and retaining its structure until the last bite. Hardly a surprise that Yianni and the local baker he sources the buns from took about three months to perfect the recipe.

Ready for the rabbit food, gherkins and the sauces. You can ask for your burger without any of the toppings if you wish, but a cheeseburger with 'the works' comes with shredded iceberg lettuce, dainty rings of red onion, French's American mustard and Heinz ketchup. You need to make sure to ask for gherkins, as some strange people don't like them. Another plus point: no watery April tomatoes. Brilliant.

The finished article, before being placed in some paper. If you want your burger for later, they'll wrap it in foil for you, otherwise a bit of paper and you're ready to go.

(Photo by me)

(Photo by Samantha Newbery. Note the difference in the quality of the photos!)

Cheeseburger (£5). Glorious, absolutely something else. The well-seasoned cast iron griddle gives the meat a good crunch, and the quality of the meat shines through. Slightly nutty and impossibly juicy meat enveloped by creamy and well-melted cheese, whilst the mustard and ketchup do not detract from the ground chuck whatsoever, instead adding welcome fruity and sweet notes. The onions and lettuce are crunchy and fresh, completing a delicious package. Note: the bun does look slightly too big for the meat in this picture, but it is perfectly proportioned. Each bite includes a bit of each component, all working wonderfully in synch.

Autopsy shot. Perhaps more well done than I would have liked, but even at medium-well it was still juicy and I had to dance like Michael Flatley to avoid the juices dripping all over my Air Force 1s. Seriously though, look at that goopy cheese. Amazing.

Not pictured: 'Bobcat Burger' (£6). So called after The Bobcat Bite in New Mexico, which has a Green Chile Cheeseburger on their menu. Like a regular cheeseburger, except some freshly sliced green chilli peppers which are fried in butter are placed on top. Seriously good, with the flavours of the chilli overcoming the initial heat kick.

Philly cheesesteak (£6). Yianni, despite being a dab hand at making cheeseburgers, also dabbles in other American favourites such as cheesesteaks, tacos and even Korean Fried Chicken! The cheesesteak here has a few points that would probably make a South Philadelphian shake their fist angrily. First of all, the bread: rather than a soft, sub type Italian roll, Yianni a chewy and soft baguette. The cheese: no Cheez Whiz here, instead more of that high quality American cheese, nicely melted with the meat. Speaking of meat, Yianni uses seriously good rump, from the same butcher he sources the chuck for the burgers, and slices it thinly from a large piece just before throwing them on to the griddle. They get a nice seared crust, whilst the middle of each sizeable slice is tender and juicy. The griddled peppers and onions add a welcome crunch and acidic sweetness to every mouthful. Insanely, this is only £1 more dear than the predictably poor effort from Subway.

The Meatwagon is probably the most exciting thing on the London food scene for me right now. Perhaps one thing that can be said about this operation, though, is that the elusive nature of Yianni's burgers aids the burger experience; the thrill of the chase, following him on Twitter and awaiting an announcement of an appearance, then going to an industrial estate in Peckham - they are all part of the Whole Burger Experience. Would a bricks and mortar Meatwagon be less exciting and would people be less inclined to trek there? Perhaps, but the proof is in the eating, and Yianni's burgers are the best around.

The 'George Hamilton' at Byron, Soho

Note: My dining companion for this meal was Marcus, who writes Ain't No Picnic, a blog dedicated to all things hamburgers. Keep track of his blog; he has plans of opening a proper burger van in London sometime soon.

The outlook is positive. Burgers in London are getting better. A culture seems to be developing and people are taking hamburgers more seriously. No longer will pre-ground, frozen and cheap meat on a crap bun with watery vegetables be accepted; it's an insult to all of those who dedicate their lives to making great hamburgers, documented by people like George Motz and written about daily on A Hamburger Today. If you read my post on Goodman which I published last week, you'll have read that I found what I would consider to be the best burger in London. That isn't to say though, that there aren't contenders (Hawksmoor being an one that comes to mind initially, for the price point). In fact, I'd be willing to state that one could separate the burgers in London and rank them by style, using the AHT guide as a point of reference. Goodman, therefore, would be the best Steakhouse/Fancy Pants burger in the city. Byron, which launched a two month trial of using 'American' (read: orange, plasticky, essential on a burger, 'Kraft Single' style) cheese would, in my opinion, come under 'Fast Food Style' and would easily come out on top. A regular visitor to Byron, I have enjoyed their burgers in the past, but moaned about the mealy and overly-floury bun to anyone who would listen. Using cheese supplied by Cheese Cellar, the 'George Hamilton' as it is colloquially known promised to make a good burger even better, but would it make up for the loss of the short-lived Big D? I had to find out.

Courgette fries (£3.00). This choice drew an excited exclamation of "good choice!" from our waitress. One bite and I couldn't believe I'd never tried them, despite visiting on numerous occasions. Clean taste of frying, the crispy and well seasoned courgette chips were a welcome side. A better bet than the skin-on chips or the meek fries on offer. Seriously moreish.

Cheeseburger (£7.25). The standard Byron patty comes topped with two slices of 'American' cheese, which is nicely melted and has a mild, creamy flavour. The good quality meat is well seasoned and has a nice charred flavour, but as Marcus pointed out, there's no way you will get an even cooking when using this technique. A flat-top griddle would insure this, but is it worth sacrificing the beautiful smoky flavour of the coals for a better crust? I'm not sure. One thing I am sure of - and I'm sorry for going on about burger buns so much - is that the bread is simply not a good enough match for the filling within. The quality of the meat demands a better bun, or at least one which is steamed after toasting, by putting a lid or an upturned bowl on the buns whilst they're on the grill. Ultimately, it's not enough to detract from a seriously enjoyable burger experience, but it's a gripe that is ever-present, though the average customer probably doesn't study types of burger buns (Martin's Potato Rolls would be exquisite with this burger).

Oh yeah, and another thing: the pickle spear. Slice them so that they're round and put them in the burger. People that don't like gherkins can pick them out. They're essential.

Autopsy shot. Perfectly medium-rare, as requested and appropriately juicy. Good grilling skills on show from the kitchen.

One last delicious morsel.

The total bill for two burgers, two root beers, one shared bowl of courgette fries (I'm so glad they don't call them zucchini fries) and one espresso was £24.75, and we added £3.25 for the service, which we were told is distributed between the front of house and the team in the kitchen, quite sensibly. This brought the total up to £28 for the two of us, a few quid shy of the final bill at Goodman a few days earlier. Was the burger at Byron as good? No, but nearly. If they can sort the bun out and the issue with the gherkins, then it'll certainly be up there, and the introduction of the American cheese is definitely a step in the right direction. Right now, I will just repeat what I've said before: Byron is head and shoulders above anything else as widely available in the city, and is a good option at the price range.

Goodman, Mayfair

Note: The pictures in this blog post were taken by my friend Danny Morris with his Bronica SQ-A.

If you've ever read a London-based food blog before, you'll know all about Goodman, with their hamburger in particular garnering a lot of praise from foodies. For those of you who are die-hard Will Eat For Money fans, swearing that you'll never set eyes on another blog, then let me explain a couple of things. Goodman is located on Maddox Street, a side street branching off Regent St and is what some may call a 'steakhouse', whilst others prefer to avoid the Angus trap and dub it a 'steak restaurant'. Whatever you wish to title this Russian-owned, American-inspired restaurant, it promises fantastic, USDA prime quality meat which is dry-aged in a specially built room in house. After attempting to make a reservation the night before and failing to get a table as they were apparently fully booked, we decided we would attempt a walk-in and found, to our surprise, that the restaurant was half-empty. Or half-full, with a 100% hit rate of men in suits. Feeling under-dressed and overly-indie in my customary checkered shirt, we sidled in to a table at the back of the dark-brown/leather heavy restaurant, perusing the a la carte and set lunch menus. The set lunch seemed a good value at £15 for two courses (with a £3 supplement if you wanted steak, so lets just say it was £18 for two courses) but we were here for burgers. Ordering a Meantime Pilsner (£4) from the waiter (who wore the same clothes as the chef that day, how embarrassing) we continued to pretend we were reading the menu before we each placed an order for a medium-rare burger with grilled onions and crispy bacon. The extras here are free of charge, and you have a choice of the aforementioned onions and bacon as well as sautéed mushrooms, a fried egg or some cheddar cheese. My recommendation would be to skip the temptation of ordering a burger with everything, as the meat speaks for itself and you won't want the unnecessary toppings hiding that flavour.

The Goodman burger.

The Goodman burger autopsy shot.

The burger was an unbridled joy, and halfway through I mumbled that the 50% of brioche bun and loosely packed, juicy meat sandwich I had just eaten was probably the best example of the genre I'd ever consumed. My dining partner, who had advanced in his eating, wiped down his nectar-drenched forearms and claimed that, without wanting to reveal anything, the other half was just as good. The 'rabbit food' (lettuce, tomato and [red] onion) were fresh and crunchy, working well with the luscious meat. Condiments included ketchup, mayonnaise and strong, sinus-clearing English mustard, sensibly served on the side. The burger did not need anything added, not even a smearing of Special Sauce, as it was perfectly seasoned and the prime offcuts spoke for themselves.

Goodman chips.

The chips which accompanied the burger were huge, man-sized chips. With a crunchy exterior on about 30% of the chips, I wasn't thrilled by them, but they did retain a good flavour and the pillowy, white potato beneath the often limp skin was a pleasant enough accompaniment to the burger, and a good vehicle for the sauces on the side.

The final bill for two burgers, chips and two beers was £36 (including an already added-on, 'optional' service charge of 12.5%, at £4). We decided to skip dessert, to the surprise of our friendly waiter, who took a look at me and said "REALLY?" when I claimed I was full.

The question which arose when we were finishing up was not a new debate: is a burger meal ever worth £12, or £18 if you figure in the service and a pint of beer, with no starter or dessert? I was firmly in the 'yes' camp, claiming that it was basically a minced up steak, in which you could quite clearly taste the provenance of the meat and it was perhaps the best burger either of us had ever had. My friend couldn't agree, stating it is a burger, the food of the everyman and it simply should not cost £12. For comparison, a burger and some chips from Byron will cost you about £10, and that's just for the basic burger, as the price would slowly increase if you were to include extras such as cheese or bacon. The famed burger from The Hawksmoor goes for £15, or £16.50 if you include some of the incredible smoked streaky bacon. 

Ultimately, Goodman now stands at the top of the London burger pile for me, and actually may surpass the stunners I had in New York City from Shake Shack and Corner Bistro. It's hardly a surprise though, as the burger was the culmination of two weeks of burger geekery in which I read through the story of In-n-Out and George Motz's superior volume Hamburger America, whilst also checking A Hamburger Today religiously and keeping up with the Ain't No Picnic burger blog. Motz uses the term 'whole burger experience' to describe a great burger which is enjoyed in the right setting and I was completely in that mindset eating this burger.