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Is there no end to London’s appetite for burgers? Apparently not. This latest addition to the meat-in-a-bun landscape has opened close to Russell Square, right across from the Brunswick Centre. Looking like it’s been done out by Miró, the small space leans heavily on blue, such as banquette-and-booth seating in cobalt leather, and rows of wall tiles graduating from azure through to indigo. The wood floor adds warmth, as did our cheery Aussie waitress.
From a compact menu, you can pick up burgers, hot dogs or wings (plus a £20 ‘luxe’ option of lobster roll with fries), all executed with varying degrees of success. The ‘house’ burger scored top marks, with the use of piquant horseradish and a dollop of wholegrain mustard ketchup (not to mention melted cheese and sweet-cured bacon) elevating their take on the now-ubiquitous medium-rare patty and brioche bun combo to the top set. But our pork hot dog (there’s a beef option too) was on the fatty side, while ‘toppings’ of insipid sauerkraut and flimsy slices of sweet pickles did nothing to improve matters.
If hot stuff is your thing then the sides of buffalo wings, served breaded and baked (as they should be) with a pot of cooling blue cheese dip and batons of crunchy celery, aren’t half bad. And, as you’d expect, there are soft shakes (chocolate, salted caramel, strawberry, vanilla) and a ‘hard’ shake, dubbed the ‘Ovaltini’ – made with coconut, rum, tequila and malted liquor. It’s not a bad start for this Bloomsbury newcomer, but if it wants to play with the big boys, it’ll have to dig that little bit deeper.