Restaurants

Ultimate Burger
Budget choice
Ouch! Squeeze past the queue, between the densely packed tables, and inch on to one of the angular stools at the window here and you’ll still have to watch your head throughout the meal, thanks to some annoyingly dangled light fittings. Ultimate Burger’s ergonomic problems don’t just apply to the decor. Though its food is visually impressive, with shiny sesame-seed buns, fat slices of tomato and lawns of green leaf, the burgers’ sheer girth makes them difficult to eat. A slick of brown fat spurted from our bacon cheeseburger; the over-puffy onion rings left behind blobs of yellow goo. There was one final surprise when a banana milkshake became ice-cream as we reached the bottom of its metal pitcher, rendering it impossible to drink. The menu promises interesting ways with lamb, chicken, and grilled mushrooms and aubergines (for vegetarians) but – state-of-the-art mexican burger served in a folded flour tortilla aside – this was a big, fatty let-down.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009

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Posted by GirthEater.com on 15 Jun 2009 22:32
In a restaurant that seats 50+ people, there are indeed 3, count them: 3 seats where one could conceivably have issues with the lighting--if one were a complete dolt.
Getting over the "ergonomic" problems, and on to the heart of the matter, Ultimate Burger serves up quite a tasty burger. This coming from an American who knows burgers, and, in fact, a Texan.
In Texas, we know about burgers that have a little girth. I suggest the correspondent stick to soy burgers at some lightweight establishment. A real hamburger needs some thickness so that the meat retains some of that icky brown fat, we call "juice", which is where you find the good flavor in a burger.

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Posted by Gavin Smith on 24 Apr 2009 16:15
I have to agree with your correspondent's view. A group of colleagues and I (party size: 13) went to Ultimate's Tottenham Court Road restaurant to celebrate/commiserate a colleague's departure.
My initial impression upon arrival was good; the decor was relatively nice, there are different 'zones' and it was relatively quiet. There were plenty of people buzzing about (we went at lunchtime). However, we had to queue to order our drinks and it took a while for them to deal with us.
In fairness the food was quick to arrive (my colleague having ordered by telephone in advance) and we were seated relatively quickly. However, I would echo your correspondent's view re presentation; the burger looked very appetising but was in fact somewhat dry in taste. The 'house fries' at £2.50 cost nearly the price of a house yet the portion size was tiny, served in a cup-style dish.
There seemed to be a mix-up with a colleague's order and the waitress's response could at best be described as 'cold' and at worst 'rude'. I
think it was eventually sorted, but not due to any real interest on the part of the waitress. Of course, this was rather annoying, especially given that they added a 10 per cent "service charge" without enquiring as to whether we were happy with the service.
To summarise, therefore, the food was passable but, sadly, this restaurant does not live up to its 'Ultimate' title. In fact, I think Burger King does exactly the same thing at a fraction of the cost.
Best to put down to experience and save your money by going to Burger King. Those on a budget might opt for McDonalds, but whichever way you're guaranteed better than an Ultimate!

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