The Battle of The Burgers

Luckily this post isn't featuring the burger I made a few weeks ago (and then again last week for a wider audience) in the style of the famous LA restaurant Comme Ça's burgers (with secret ingredient of bacon fat), as frankly my burger would have won hands down!

We do have pretty much a head to head of MEATliqour, MEATmarket and Honest Burgers. Honestly, they were all delicious. There is little that can match, when you're in a burger mood, a really good juicy meaty burger, glistening with just the right amount of fat that threatens to leave rivulets of lusciousness dripping from your fingers.

I think where MEATliqour / market wins out is with the sides. The former with their incredibly amazing buffalo wings and "who would have thought that would work?!?" deep-fried pickles; the latter with jalapeno poppers. I'm a sucker for a good one, and these were killer. That said, Honest Burgers' rosemary salted fries are amazing too.

On the drinks side of things, I think it very much depends how you feel, and what the occasion is. MEATliqour has it's pretty infamous House Grog - where you wonder a) why you are paying that much for what seems a fairly innoucous drink and b) why on earth you're only allowed 2 per person per visit. And then it hits you, an hour later, that you're actually pretty drunk. In a giggly, happy, moving onto snoozy way.

MEATMarket on the other hand has "hard" shakes: mine maple syrup. With bourbon. And it was delicious. But if you're in a straight up "hand me a bottle of beer with my burger" mood, then you can't really go wrong with a bottle of Bethnal Pale Ale at Honest Burgers.

Something then for everyone really, depending on your eating, drinking and also your can I be arsed to queue for a table mood.

The Dead Hippie burger, "Poppaz" with ranch dressing and Hard Beige
shake at MEATmarket

Look at how good the Dead Hippie looks

Slight twist on the traditional jalapeno popper &
certainly no worse for it

Relative calm in Soho - Honest Burgers

Pretty straightforward menu, with a couple of daily specials on the chalk-
board

On this occasion the special was the "Welsh Burger" that had braised
& crispy leeks, 'rarebit' bacon & peashoots. It was delicious.

The house chips are seasoned with rosemary salt which is inspired -
they are gorgeous

All washed down with a couple of bottles of Pale Ale.

Bills come served in a tobacco tin which personally I found quite a nice
touch

MEATliquor's interior - it can get very loud, very dark & very brothel-
like, perhaps not the best choice for a romantic dinner à deux

The infamous 'House Grog'

I think this was the Dry Daiquiri. Or the Silver Angel. Very good,
regardless

'Bingo' wings with blue cheese dip plus deep-fried pickles with yet more
yummy blue cheese dip.

Our platter of food: Dead Hippies, Green Chilli Burgers, Fries & Southern
Style Slaw

Slaw & Fries - well you need some vegetables right?

Green chilli cheeseburger

If I'm honest, and I add chillis to a lot of food that I cook, there were
too many (take a look at the top bun - coated)

The Dead Hippy: MEATliquor's take on the Big Mac (& it's goooood)

Getting darker...

Somehow the 2 per person limit on the Grog's didn't apply. I think we
outfoxed them.

I will happily go to all of them again, and again. Firmly on the agenda is also MEATmission, the new place opened by Yannis Papoutsis that takes reservations. Hurrah!


MEATmarket: Jubilee Market Hall, Tavistock St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8BE
Honest Bugers: 4a Meard St, London W1F 0EF (and also Brixton)
MEATliquor: 74 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0BA