Tongue 'n Cheek, Belly Connection Burger: 7.25/10

• So Nose-to-Tail style burgers are a thing. It's not necessarily going to be everybody's thing, but it is a thing. And Tongue 'n Cheek, an Italian inspired street food vendor, are well-known on the London scene for their 'heartbreaker' patties, made of 50% ox heart and 50% dry aged beef. Having been raised to eat whatever I was given, a part-offal burger sounded un-scary and intriguing - and now having tried it, I can confirm there's nothing to be afraid of, mainly because it tastes pretty much like a normal gourmet patty!!

• Catching Tongue 'n Cheek at the KERB street food market at Kings Cross, you can choose from a range of 'heartbreaker' burgers with some innovative non-standard ingredients, including chimichurri sauce, watercress, Njuda spicy salami, and Japanese Kewpie mayo. Loving this originality, plus not having a brioche bun in sight!!

 

• As a massive Food Perve, I could have watched this dude grilling patties all day long.....but I had a Belly Connection burger to review: a chunky mound consisting of a 'heartbreaker' patty, pork belly, melted gorgonzola, pimiento mayo, pickled red onions and gem lettuce.

• A solid eating experience, there was nothing not to like and I had no trouble polishing off this bad boy. However, despite the exotic offal-mixed patty, the Belly Connection didn't leave much of a memorable impression. Same with the Rosemary Fries, in fact:

• Completely inoffensive, enjoyably filling, but again, lacking the wow factor.
• If you run into Tongue 'n Cheek, it's not a bad option for fresh, quality burger & chips with a twist, plus you get to support a small independent food producers - and hopefully that'll leave a good taste in your mouth!