Review of 'Burger & Shake'

I am not entirely sure where I heard about Burger & Shake but if I remember I will be thanking them wholeheartedly - Absolutely delicious.

We visited Burger & Shake on a Friday night after a local event nearby at about 9:30. It is a bit tricky to find on the side street just up from Russell Square tube station but worth the search. A small restaurant with seating for perhaps 40 at a push with a few tables on the left and booths to the right. The furnishings are basic yet comfortable with tiled walls and a tin ceiling. Grabbing a table for two we browsed the A4 paper menu…One side is dominated by burgers though also a “Fish Finger Sandwich” (which looked very tasty indeed when the diner sitting next to us ordered it - obviously fresh and smelled incredible), as well as chicken and vegetarian options are also available (a very reasonable £6.50 to £9). Hot dogs in the bottom right look delicious too (£6.50 to £8.50). Flipping the paper over we see a number of sides, drinks (including normal shakes and hard shakes) and three deserts. The service was enthusiastic and prompt, arriving exactly when needed at the table and not hanging around unnecessarily - Friendly and very helpful, showing an obvious love of the food on offer.

Having been given good advice (from who?) I chose the “House Burger” (£8.95) - “180g beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, American cheese and sweet cured bacon with our mustard and horseradish ketchup sauce” which was probably the best burger I have had in my life - The thick burger patty was a perfect “medium rare” (yes, we were asked) that was slightly crunchy with the grilling. The sauces and toppings were absolutely delicious and a perfect brioche-style bun. The bacon was perfectly crispy and added a nice slightly smokey touch. I savoured every bite. Wonderful. I ordered a side of “Sweet Potato Fries” (£3.50) which was quite a good sized portion and, also, absolutely delicious - Perfectly fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside that did not feel all that oily. These never got soggy even though we savoured them for quite a long time. On another tip off I also had a side of 4 “Buffalo Chicken Wings” (£4.95; Noting that “4” wings is actually 8 pieces since each wing has two parts) but this was slightly disappointing with no real flavour coming through from the wings that were also not crunchy but were quite spicy in the “hot buffalo sauce”. The few small slices of celery on the side were accompanied by a fairly bland blue cheese dip.

My companion had the Cheeseburger (£7.50), “180g beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, our burger sauce and American cheese”, which she found amazing but did look fairly longingly at my burger…I think she was jealous of the various sauces and toppings.

Sadly, we were too full and it was too late to have any of the desserts or the shakes (sigh). It was getting late as they closed at 10:00 and it was about 10:30…We were the second last group there. At £32.86 (including a 12.5% service charge added onto the bill) it was quite a bargain considering we actually had more food than we would normally for dinner (the extra wings were a killer but I just HAD to try them!).

If you are looking for what has to be the best burger and, frankly, all around best American fast food restaurant, look no further. Made with love and offered with great prices - Make the trip to Russell Square.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2016-07-22

Cuisine: American/British

Address: 47 Marchmont Street, London WC1N 1AP

Public Transport: Russell Square

Location: London (England) - Holborn

Map:

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7837 7718

URL: http://burgerandshake.co.uk/