Hawksmoor, Hawksmoor Hamburger: 7/10

• A well-regarded, up-market British steakhouse, Hawksmoor's flagship burger follows the same traditional, high-end ethos. If you prefer a tidy, refined meal in elegant decor, this famous hamburger and chip combo is right up your street.

Picturesque

• Another establishment where medium-rare is off the menu, the quality of my pink-cooked Longhorn beef patty was evident, but sadly masked due to it's quite dry, solid texture resulting from heavier-than-necessary cooking. A well-publicised and unique Hawksmoor addition, the bone marrow in the patty mix added both noticeable and distinct aroma and taste, delivering strong iron-y, liver-like elements - this ingredient is likely to polarise opinion, depending on your stance on offal!

• You can choose your fromage topping, between Ogleshield cheese or Colston Bassett Stilton. I went with the former, a sort of British melting raclette, which dutifully oozed whilst emitting waves of pungent wafts. Again, a polarising ingredient, given the alternative choice of Stilton doesn't leave much room for those who prefer a subtle cheese!

• The menu description makes no mention of these vegetable accompaniments, but the Hawksmoor Hamburger is topped by a thick tomato disc, sitting on sliced pickles, generous strips of red onion, and cradled by English lettuce. Fresh, but not worthy of further comment:

• Another customisation, there is a choice of sides: Triple Cooked Chips, Beef Dripping Fries, or an English lettuce & Herb Salad (pointless). I chose the fries, quickly regretting this on their arrived: pallid and uninteresting, these fries wholly failed to deliver the greasy, fatty carb-in-salt experience I was anticipating:

Booorriingg.....

• Overall, the Hawksmoor Hamburger is quintessentially British in it's proposition: use of high-quality ingredients, with simple composition, construction, and solid cooking methods. I ate without resistance, but for all it's reputation and hype, this burger was disappointing and truly underwhelmed - traditional doesn't have to mean plain!!