Tag Archives: burger

Tommi’s Burger Joint, Marylebone

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Tommi’s burger joint has made it to England all the way from Iceland, founded by Tomas Tomasson (you can see where the name comes from). The concept is simple: to provide visitors with delicious burgers made from the best meat.

The venue is a chic and shabby little eatery with mismatched signs and poppy pictures it feels like an eclectic European café. The outlet is just round the corner from MeatLiquor, making Marylebone a bit of a burger destination. The menus are minimal with just a choice of a few classic burgers, we chose cheeseburgers are were kindly allowed extra bacon. I’d recommend ‘Burger of the Century’ offer where you can get Cheeseburger, fries and soda for £9.40 or burger, fries and soda for £8.90. A meal for under a tenner is tricky to find in London, but here it is inevitable… there is nothing else to buy. (Apparently Shakes are coming soon.)

I found the simplicity of Tommi’s very appealing, no agonising choices between burger varieties or toppings, and no fuss or worry. Order your burger from the casual counter at the back, grab a drink from the fridge and munch, diners are in and out within 30 minutes.

So onto the burger: ground beef patty gets a whooping thumbs up from me, deliciously seasoned with a great coarse texture, melt in the mouth yumminess. The usual suspects make up the ensemble, slightly feeble helping of lettuce, tomato and red onion… I like a bit of crunch in my burger and would have appreciated a little more greenery, but that’s not a major complaint! Streaky bacon was extra crispy and delish and the American cheese is suitably gooey and generous. The bun is very soft and almost sweet enough to be brioche, it helpfully and effectively holds the contents together, super fresh and tasty. Usually I would leave half the bun due to unnecessary heaviness but Tommi’s bun was irresistibly good.

Fries are McDonalds-esque, but better, generous piles are heaped in cardboard boxes next to the burger. They are well salted and I thought ours were perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, softer inside. Mayo, ketchup and vinegar is available for squirting and there is plenty to go round.

We left feeling very content and planning a second visit. Cheap, cheerful and charming with excellent burgers, what is there not to like?

More information here: http://www.burgerjoint.co.uk/

Le Castiglione, Paris

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My hunt for the best burger continued on my recent trip to Paris. Asking around my trusted sources and scouring the web, I found that Le Castiglione was a very popular option with tourists, locals and celebrities alike. It was expert burger man Nick Andrews’ (of ‘Burger Me’) final recommendation on twitter that sealed the deal for me.

August is a month of quiet and calm in Paris, while everyone migrates south to Provence and the seaside; the shops shut, cafés close and restaurants remain eerily empty. Le Castiglione is an exception to the rule and continues to thrive in the summer months, testament to the quality and success of the food. This charming restaurant is located in the 1st district near Place Vendome and among designer outlets galore.

The cosy carpeted top floor is closed during August, I can imagine it would just be too stuffy in the summer heat. The more casual ground floor has a lovely ambience and excellent speedy service. With the outdoor seating, it is ideal for light lunches in the sunshine. We went along with one mission in mind… to investigate the famed Casti burger.

Before we could gorge ourselves, we were treated to cold drinks and delicious crusty artisan bread. Ravenous and tired from trekking around the city, I gobbled far too much of the bread and butter, forgetting my rule number one, “avoid bread, at all costs”, it was just too good to resist. Next light but generous sized starters arrived: a very fresh and flavoursome tomato and mozzarella salad for me and homemade crispy chicken dumplings for my guest.

There wasn’t much of a break before the burgers… we didn’t have a chance to even anticipate the epic feast that was imminently arriving. I noticed onlookers drooling as our giant Casti burgers were placed on the small table. There’s no time, space or necessity for salad in these burgers – instead the bun is packed full of a huge soft crumbly meaty burger, soft and juicy but not bloody (much too my relief), there is oozing cheese and a decent helping of caramelised crispy bacon (very moreish and utterly yummy) and then the overflowing creamy orange magic sauce, of which the ingredients and recipe remain a secret for all to ponder and debate.  We were so stunned by the scrumptious meal, there was no time to discover what made this sauce so special and why exactly the combination worked together so well. One thing is for sure, it is not a burger for the weak hearted, rich and calorific this burger requires a big appetite. Priced at 23 Euros it is not cheap, but for burger lovers it will be worth the cost. The burgers arrive with portions of soft and crispy frites, salty and delicious and perfect for dunking into the excess sauce. I was glad I’d had salad to start, as I feel this meat feast could definitely leave you in need of greenery.

Devastatingly we were just too full for dessert, instead I ordered a macchiato to revive my food induced weariness before returning to the streets of Paris. I’ve heard the puddings are magnificent at Le Castiglione and will definitely be returning to try out a selection of sweets.

Le Castiglione is your classic Parisian restaurant, all the food looks and tastes divine, but the secret of this café’s success lies with the juicy burgers which are rated among the best in this food obsessed city.

Visit the website for more information here.

http://www.lecastiglione.com/

The Refinery, cocktail class, Southwark

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Why have cocktails become a synonymously girly drink? I guess because they are often sweet, pink and served in delicate glasses. Or maybe just because of the reputation they have been given by familiar chic flicks and TV series. Somehow the brightly coloured filled martini glass has become the iconic girls symbol.

I feel sympathy for the Refinery, their clientele is 95% businessmen, and cocktails are definitely not top of their agenda – but I urge the men of Southwark to be a bit more daring because this restaurant’s cocktail list is worth trying.

A friend and I went along to have a one-on-one cocktail class with a fine mixologist from the bar at the Refinery. A long table had been set up with numerous glass pots and decanters, each containing a different, intriguing liquid or ingredient. In one area stood various fresh juices, another had cordials, pulps and purees, the prettiest area displayed cocktail adornments: purple flowers, edible gold dust and sprigs of fragrant mint.

I have been to cocktail classes before, but never have I experienced such a specialist and hands-on tutorial. Our expert teacher for the evening was Josh Kilpatrick. Josh made the class extra special – chatting to us about the background to certain spirits and the uses for different ingredients. It was immaculately planned and arranged, tailored to suit our needs and give us a well rounded mixological education.

We learnt how to make six of the specially designed Refinery cocktails and took turns to follow Josh’s instructions to create the perfectly mixed drinks. The reward at the end of each recipe? We got to indulge and drink it, so it was in our interest to follow instructions and make the concoctions correctly.

Princess Sparkles: We starting with the basics. A very simple Prosecco based drink that is very easy to make, flavoured with perfumed elderflower cordial and fresh sweet raspberries. Much like a Bellini, the cordial and fruit puree (any fruit can be used) is added to the champagne flute first and topped with fizzy prosecco, stirred gently with a long spoon before being garnished with a whole raspberry or two. I definitely felt a bit over-confident attempting this one… and managed to add too much raspberry and cut the fruit wrong… so it wasn’t the prettiest drink ever but tasted good.

Paris Flower: Not dissimilar to a Mojito this revitalizing cocktail is fresh and light. A blend with white wine and apple juice and jazzed up with plenty of torn fresh mint.

Marigold Martini: this is a quaint and pretty drink, a unique mix of flavours. I got to use my minimal arm muscles with some serious shaking… this cocktail, though different was very drinkable and was perhaps my favourite of the night. Ornamented with gold dust and a flower – it is a gorgeous drink to look at.

English Rose: this is a classic British concoction, refreshing and perfect for the summer months. The gin mixes beautifully with the soft rhubarb flavouring and St Germain elderflower liqueur (my new favourite spirit, it tastes and looks delicious). For this drink my friend was allowed to use one of the stunning giant cylinder ice balls which had been pre-made with a purple flower inside the ice!

After cocktail number four we paused momentarily to eat a delicious Refinery burger each and catch up on essential gossip. Josh returning with a new bucket of glistening ice was our cue to stop eating and start mixing again.

Skinny Pornstar: despite passionfruit being one of my preferred cocktail ingredients this was my least favourite drink of the night. I found the taste too sweet on the palate and not as interesting. Served with a shooter of Prosecco, the drinker can choose to drink each part separately or poured together as a longer drink… I chose to add the two together which created a fizzier fun cocktail.

Very Old Creation: This was the manly drink of the bunch, a twist on the classic Old Fashioned. This is a short and strong drink and is quite easy to make. A genius mix of Buffalo trace bourbon stirred over an ice boulder with pink grapefruit juice, angostura, rhubarb bitters and brown sugar. Despite the strong components I found I really enjoyed this drink with the sour bitter grapefruit and Bourbon balanced together beautifully.

We left the Refinery a little tipsy but with enough cocktail knowledge to start our own little bar! The men of Southwark need to swallow their pride and try these cocktails, they are worth the girly humiliation!

Visit the Refinery website here for more information.

http://www.therefinerybar.co.uk/