Rating
Appeals To
Burger and slider enthusiasts who want a slightly different take on American style cuisine, at a reasonable pricepoint and minus the ‘Americana’
Those looking for a burger joint without some of the pretensions and looooong cues that many others make you put up with
People who want to know what an originally Lebanese burger outlet is like (hint: it seems no different)
Cuisine
Burgers & sliders – American style, Lebanese interpretation…
In A Word
Solid
When it’s burger time, I am prepared…
I had maintained a steady pace all morning and had rationed myself well into the afternoon. My lunch was blueberry yoghurt, two Milky Way bars and a handful of dried mango. By 4pm that afternoon even the stapler loitering on my work desk began to look tantalising but I persevered, my aim to be that special kind of ravenous needed to appreciate a good beef burger.
In hindsight my very temporary starvation may have seemed a bit excessive (or pathetic) but I uphold that there are few things more satisfying than devouring a burger when you are stomach howling hungry. I had been assured a gourmet experience with a 7pm evening date at Soho’s latest burger joint ‘Brgr’ and in keeping with the Geneva’s convention mandate on food reviews I decided to be appropriately hungry to truly value my meal.
Burger-ing is a movement that has found solid footholds in London and with its back leather furnishings, dark cherry oak wood paneling and attractive female waitresses in monochrome uniform Brgr is Soho’s sophisticated English take on an American classic.
We were directed to our seats and I amused myself by studying the menu and making eyes at the burgers that were being manhandled by fellow diners who packed the restaurant. Our waitress apologetically informed us that due to a problem that had occurred in the kitchen our meals would take a while. And a while it did take, about 50 minutes in fact. I may not have mentioned it earlier but I was pretty hungry, and when our third apology was forthcoming I was ready to cut up and eat a waitress.
Fortunately (for the waitress), our meals eventually arrived and annoyance disintegrated when we saw how cutely they had been displayed. With three shot glasses matching our three mini burgers and a pile of crunchy fries making up the side, the food was quirkily presented along a rectangular metal tray.
The Food
To celebrate the arrival of our meal we started with a shot. I have always associated Jack Daniels with Memphis Blues singers and manic depression so was apprehensive when taking my first swig. However the Pickleback, bourbon mixed with dill brine, was surprisingly smooth with the accompanying pickle providing a tangy contrast.
Our first burger was a tender blend slider with barbecue sauce. The beef was succulent almost to the point of being soft whilst the sauce provided a zingy sweetness that boded well with the patty. We decided to cleanse our palettes with another shot, this time an amaretto mixed whiskey. Topped with a maraschino cherry it sated my sweet tooth whilst softening the roughness of the alcohol.
We then moved on to the chicken slider with bourbon glaze, a burger that should have been at least three times bigger. This is where Brgr excels, the combination of grilled chicken breast and a glaze that blends honey with whiskey creates a beautiful taste. It is a stand out piece of food and Brgr warrants a visit based on this slider alone.
Our last burger was the bacon and vintage cheddar, smoked beef and flavour infused it was a pleasant way to finish our main meal.
After allowing a decent time to settle our stomachs, and deciding to forgo our last shot as we both had school in the morning and brain cells to keep a flimsy grasp of, we picked our desserts. I chose a strawberry cheesecake which could only be described as ‘glop’. Heavily crammed into a sundae glass it was thick to the point of tasteless.
Jack decided he was a modern day dessert revolutionary and ordered the signature burger, a medium rare steak served between two crisps of lettuce. The beef was deliciously smothered in a mild mushroom sauce that subtly contrasted the richness of the meat.
The Verdict
I have burgered semi-frequently and it can become mundane and formulaic, but Brgr drops many of the pretensions that some of the other joints seem to adhere to. There are none of the queues of Meat Liquor or Patty & Bun and though it lacks the chutzpah of Burger & Lobster, prices are reasonable with our meal coming to about £40 for two people.
Like many other beef bars in London this restaurant falls into that weird dining purgatory of neither being fast/convenience food or a leisurely experience. You are not necessarily there to soak up atmosphere but rather to appreciate a series of great burgers made with buccleuch beef and then quickly make your exit. I would recommend Brgr for a first date or somewhere to grab a bite before watching a film.
