The new American meat joint you have to visit?! It certainly has a lot of hype around it. Its mantra,
'No reservations'
And
'Our Qing policy is straightforward and we believe fair: If there is a Q when you arrive, you join the end of it.
NO exceptions, EVEN if your friend / date / boss / probation officer / master / gimp is already inside. Ta.'
Now I am all for fair but why can't you just book if you want to- This is a bid to make it something you've just got to try. The crème de la crème of burger joints. A tact which many new, hip restaurants seem to be going for. Clearly it works to pull unsuspecting food lovers in making them sing for their supper as it were......Anyway I digress.
Braving the coldest of the UKs' weather we decided to check it out. Meat =good, Liquor= good. Surely it deserves to be tried even if it does involve a 45 minute wait outside in minus conditions. Spirits were generally high outside with other hungry mouths desperate to experience the talked about burgers. Most had thought ahead and already held a canned alcoholic drink in their hand, to kick start their Friday night. We didn't think to put our beer jackets on so huddled together and stayed positive. (Ok, I did moan about the cold a few times.) If you do go, there are heaters outside but it seems they are for aesthetic purposes only as they were not even turned on. No expense spared for cold would be customers. Please, please turn them on Mr/Mrs Meat Liquor owner it would be a happier wait.
Luckily we were beckoned in to a table for 3, jumping 10 people in the queue among groans and yells of its not fair- all in good jest may I add. I wish this was because we were celebs but no most groups were larger or smaller than their table required.
The interior was wooden and shabby/run down cool. Done up as a low budget set of a Butcher's shop, come retro graffiti den. Think plastic room dividers with red paint splattered across it. The restaurant atmosphere was buzzing with many a happy customer tucking in to their food. I was glad to be inside and be that little bit closer to the delights I spied being carried by extremely good looking and thin women (groan.. not what you want when you are about to stuff yourself silly). Nevertheless we squealed in anticipation at the thought of more meat than we could dream of.
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| The Cocktails |
First up were the cocktails and boy did they have an interesting list. I selected the Perfect Lady (right in picture above), a cocktail with gin, peach, lemon and egg white in, other cocktails were served in jam jars. Tres trendy! Clara had a very strong yet very delicious Bourbon based cocktail to go with the American diner theme which made me exclaim out loud at the strength of it. I loved all three cocktails and wish I could have worked my way through the list, highly recommended.
On seeing the food menu we instantly decided to attack the food guns blazing. We ordered all three appetisers consisting of a huge pile of chicken Buffalo wings with cheesy dip. Deep fried pickles with dip and chips with chilli and cheese on top. A dieter’s nightmare, our heaven! Remember the tray fills the table so this is a lot of food. The wings were finger licking sensations, the chilli was spicy and deliciously sloppy and dare I say 'dirty'. The verdict is still out on the deep fried pickles, they were good but do we need to batter even the poor vegetables? (They are in my room 101 along with battered Mars Bars)
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The starter for 3. Top to bottom; Buffalo Chicken wings (blue cheese dipping sauce), deep fried pickles (garlic dipping sauce), chilli cheese fries.
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Feeling full to say the least we waited in anticipation of the famous burger - consisting of two patties in a seeded bun with all the trimmings- and to be different I went for the chilli hot dog. Another tray arrived. Deep breathe........ And we launched in. Fantastic-Smokey sausage with more minced beef and jalapeno chilli and melted cheese smothered on top of a bun 'Very dirty'. The burgers were burgers- they added a grease coating to the lips and whole mouth. Nothing to complain about and you are supplied with a large roll of kitchen paper. These are good burgers, however, not in my opinion better than any other burger joint, but still a huge cut above the burger van. The coleslaw was hardly touched by us but I liked it and needed its green goodness- although more mayonnaise was needed (don't think of the calories). What can I say about Onion rings? Well they were large and crispy! Meal done we patted our bellies and reclined a little- waiting staff checked we were ok as Clara slipped into a food coma. (Us? Eat too much? Never!)
This is honest food; it is not trying to dress itself up on a plate with fancy garnishes or minute bite-sized pieces. It is a proper 'I am hungry give me a goddamn big burger' joint. Describe beautifully here on another blog it's,
'Slag food at its best.'
This restaurant is suitable for a laid back night with friends, no frills and no fuss, just fun. I could imagine it being good for a hangover feed at the weekend too but only when the hype around it dies down perhaps! Do not take a date here unless he/she expresses a desire for grease and a large portion of meat (no dodginess intended). A first kiss would not be on the cards once the grease lip gloss is applied and the smell of fried food has stuck in the hair and clothes.
I would return but perhaps for more cocktails (which impressed me) and snacks before a night out in central London.
