- 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!
- I am a *sucker* for fried chicken. I can also convince myself that it's a healthier alternative to beef (or would have been before it hit the deep-fat fryer...pfffft details). So naturally, I 'needed' to review the infamous Waffle Burger on the menu of BIRD, the self-proclaimed free-range fried chicken specialists, to ensure you meat bun lovers had some lower-fat options around London town. Selfless, I know ;)
- Of course, my proposition of a 'light' burger is challenged by the fact that this is basically a double-serving, but again let's not get bogged down by semantics. Made up of two boneless chicken thighs, bacon, American cheese, hot sauce, and Canadian maple syrup, it's the fresh griddled waffles sandwiching your white meat that tastes most unlike a burger:
- But then again, what truly IS a burger.....is what some pretentious philsophy student pondered. I on the other hand, happily chomped through my plateful, as well as a spicy side of Cheesy Korean fries which overjoyed me to see combined my favourite Asian condiments (kewpie mayo and gochujang) with my favourite Western ingredient (fromage). Rare successful fusion:
- The Waffle Burger isn't for everyone. In fact I can already see purists complaining about misrepresentation. However, forget about a burger benchmark: if you woke up one day with a craving for some US-styled poultry soul food, BIRD has got what you need.
