[PREVIEW] The 1/3lb Bacon Cheeseburger from Kua’Aina, Soho

Yes, that is quite a char isn’t it…

[REVIEW] Fish Tacos / Luardo’s / Brockley Market, London

The only other London burrito slingers to our knowledge that serve a fish taco are Wahaca.

Much as I love Wahaca, they have a tendency of being a bit snooty toward Californian Mexican fare, then putting it on their menu and botching it.

The Luardo’s version is far closer to tacos we’ve had in SoCal. The Coley is nicely cooked but the liberal amount of lime juice, mango, coriander and wonderful creamy guacamole brings a little piece of the west coast to a wet car park in Brockley. Without any local point of comparison then, we can say quite conclusively that these are the best fish tacos in London.

Sadly, the fish taco is only available on Saturday lunchtimes at the moment, and not during their more popular Whitecross Market or Eat Street residencies. This is because it’s nowhere near as popular as their standard meaty burrito options, which is a massive shame.

Fish tacos are a great differentiator for Luardo’s now that the London burrito scene has become so shamelessly identikit. Let’s hope they roll them out more regularly. And that people buy them. Please buy them. Supply and demand and all that.

• Simon.

[BURNS NIGHT] The Rib Room / Knightsbridge, London

The one sixteenth of Scot that resides in me absolutely bloody loves haggis. And whisky. So I was very excited to get to preview the Burns Night menu at the Rib Room in Knightsbridge. It’s lopped on to the side of the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, just round the corner from Charles and Nigella’s. No, seriously, it’s their local restaurant.

And we can see why. Although we don’t have the right kind of Italian automobile to do Knightsbridge properly, we like to visit the 1% from time to time. The Rib Room is most famous for its Sunday lunch (£55 set menu), but also has a jawdropping wine cellar and humidor.

The haggis here is beautiful, served with a wonderfully pink loin of venison. My favourite course was the cullen skink - an interpretation really, served like a croquette with scallops. Lovely.

Needless to say, the service was impeccable, as you’d expect for the postcode.

If you’re looking for a Burns Night blowout this week, then the Rib Room should be your first port of call. The menu is £50 per person plus wine, and you’ll definitely be wanting to partake of their fine whisky trolley afterwards.

• Simon (who was invited to review the Rib Room).

★[BREAKFAST] Hawksmoor / Guild Hall / A Sausage Sandwich to Die For

So good I had to write it up twice.

I’d just like to make a quick concession to the Sausage Sandwich with French dip. What is this French dip you ask?

A French dip sandwich, also known as a beef dip, is a hot sandwich consisting of thinly sliced roast beef (or, sometimes, other meats) on a “French roll” or baguette. It is usually served au jus (“with juice”), that is, with beef juice from the cooking process. Beef broth or beef consomme is sometimes substituted.

Source Wikipedia

This is the second French Dip I’ve had in London, the first being from Yianni at the Meatwagon when he was still in Peckham.

What you need to know is that they are great. The Hawksmoor sausage variant is one of the best sandwiches of the year, and just adds to the arsenal that is the Guild Hall breakfast menu. The bread, sausage and gravy are an incredible morning combination.

Another quick mention for the boiled eggs with anchovy soldiers - perfectly soft and the soldiers are perfectly crisp sticks of umami. And also those baked goods are still incredible.

Best breakfast in town.

[SANDWICH INSURRECTION] Keu! / Shoreditch / London / Banh Mi

This is a fantastic Banh Mi spot. Pick up the pork belly example and be amazed.

“Everyone is so busy buying ‘organic artisan’ food from Broadway Market that the pie ‘n mash shop is empty. This is a TRAVESTY people.”

• Rob, a few weeks after the Superette popup.

Reviewing a popup is pointless and annoying. We went. You might have gone. You probably didn’t. You certainly can’t go now. So here’s a few pictures instead.

We enjoyed ourselves. The golden buns were fun, but serving burgers in boxes doesn’t help them maintain their shape very well.

A messy, busy, noisy night. We were there early, so didn’t suffer the wait that others did.

And London, don’t forget your pie ‘n mash shops.

[FOODTRUCK REVIEW] Anna Mae’s II / Eat Street

Finally, I get my hands on Anna Mae’s Pork ‘n Beans.

The pork is as good as you’d expect it to be, and the portions are generous for the price.

What sets them out though is the quality of the homemade BBQ sauce. Thankfully it’s not too sugared and has enough heat to it. And they’re sensible enough to have Frank’s Extra Hot on hand if needs be.

Be sure to check out Rob’s thoughts on the Mac ‘n Cheese, and if you’re anywhere near King’s Cross on a Thursday or Friday lunchtime, then get your ass down to Eat Street.

They’re doing sterling work for street food in London.

[REVIEW] Kangaroo Burger & Buffalo Wings / The Blues Kitchen / Camden, London / What’s that, Skip?

The most important thing you need to know about the Blues Kitchen is that they serve London’s most authentic Buffalo wings.

• They get the Frank’s-to-butter ratio right.
• They’re freshly deep-fried.
• The bleu cheese sauce seems to be devoid of chemicals.
• It’s served on a table that’s far, far too big.
• They only bother to fling two or three sticks of celery on the side.

They are literally perfect in every way. A medium portion is £6, a large plate £9. This might not quite be proper sports bar pricing, but worth a visit just for this one single dish.

They’re also doing a season of weird burgers. Made with odd meats and stuff. We went for the Kangaroo. The bun is wrong, there was no cheese and the onion overpowered the whole thing. Sadly I came away still not knowing what Skippy tastes like.

They’re also doing that Lexington-style thing of having loads and loads of whisky behind the bar. Everyone seemed to be drinking Beck’s. A waste.

Ignore the accoutrements. Ignore the terrible service and overcharging waitresses. Ignore the fact you can’t order a Seven & Seven. Certainly try to ignore the bluesy musak. And definitely ignore those silly burgers.

Just buy some of those wings. They’re a real find.

• Simon

[BURGER] The Hemingway / London / Good fries out East

I was quite drunk by the time I decided to order this, and it was dark by the time it showed up.

Since other pubs near Victoria Park have started to hit their inevitable pre-Olympian decline, the Hemingway is my new favourite. Escaping the city for a quieter pint on a Friday night led to an evening spent outside the Hemingway soaking up the spring sunshine.

I was really surprised at the quality of this burger. No disrespect to the Hemingway - I’ve had a highly serviceable Sunday roast there - but the ability to serve up standard gastro fare doesn’t always extend to the burger.

It does here though. A stubby chunky patty arrived with a wonderfully melted cheddar enveloping it. The fries were pretty amazing too - properly crisp and seasoned in the Benelux tradition.

The Hemingway is Victoria Park’s best pub, and this burger is just another indication of how right they’ve got it.

• Simon.

The Hemingway

84 Victoria Park Road

London

[OFF MENU] The Goodman In-n-Out Double Double Tribute / Goodman / London

How totally annoying. Here we are posting about a genuinely amazing tribute to BA fave In-n-Out. And no, you can’t buy one.

We just had to post this because it was so very, very beautiful. A fitting homage to one of the best fast food burgers of all time, right down to the animal fries. But it’s bigger than the real thing.

Thanks to William for sorting this out, and John for overfeeding us so amazingly well.

• Simon

Goodman

Maddox Street

London