PrintGourmet Burger Kitchen Is Not Bad for the UK
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
St. Pauls, Unit 4, Condor House, St Pauls, London, EC4M 8AL; map); (020) 7248 9199; gbkinfo.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Inconsistent but potentially decent burger using fresh ingredients and grass fed beef.
Want Fries with That? Yes, they are crispy and flavorful
Price: Hamburger £5.85, cheeseburger £6.85, variations priced from £6.80 to £7.85
Notes: Mon. to Sat., 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun., 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
48 additional locations throughout England, Scotland and Wales
I have never had much luck dining at Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK). It frustrates me because the UK chain started, somewhat improbably, by a chef from New Zealand, seems to have the potential to deliver a decent burger. Yet something always seems to come between me and such an experience. And I assure you it is not for the lack of effort on my part: I have visited GBK's on Maiden Lane and St. Paul's in London as well as in the lovely seaside town of Brighton. Last year an otherwise commendable burger was marred by an odd, gassy flavor from the grill. More recently a burger ordered medium rare (only because they "don't do rare") was closer to medium well, with half of the patty being completely cooked through. Despite the fact that GBK ostensibly does not cook burgers rare, that is precisely how another burger, which was actually ordered medium, was delivered. It was a happy accident as it was the best burger I had there.
The inconsistencies are maddening because there is much to like about GBK. The restaurants are clean and modern, the system—order at counter, take number, food is delivered to table—is efficient and speedy, and the kitchen lives up to the restaurant's name by using only fresh ingredients. GBK's website proclaims, "Our freezers are for ice-cream," which is how things should be. The basic burger at GBK comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, and relish. In order to further live up to it name, GBK offer all manner of variations on the basic burger, such as Mexican (sour cream, avocado, spicy kidney bean salsa) or Pesterella (pesto, mozzarella). How about a Kiwiburger (beetroot, egg, pineapple, cheese)? I generally avoid such burgers, preferring to focus on the basic beef or cheeseburger.
The beef is grass fed Aberdeen Angus sourced from Laverstoke Farms. The grill can put decent hash marks on the burger as well as a nice crust, but only at the expense of rareness. While the burger achieves a respectable level of succulence, when not over cooked, it has, by virtue of using grass fed beef, a rather rubbery texture. It also lacks the the rich, full mouth feel of corn-finished beef. In terms of flavor the GBK patty is milder, with a restrained and subtle herbaceousness, than other grass fed beef I have tried.
The sourdough bread is fortunately neither very sour, nor too doughy. Impressively studded with sesame seeds, it is pliant and golden-hued and provides a good vessel for the sandwich innards. There is no denying the quality of the supporting ingredients: Vibrantly colored tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and crunchy onions are all very fresh.
If you get a cheeseburger don't expect the cheese to be melted. The thick slab of tangy, nutty cheddar sweats a little, causing the exterior to get mildly gooey but the inside will be firm. The cheese is too sharp and flavorful for a burger, obscuring the beef. The synthesis of burger without the cheese is good, the beef-to-bun ratio is close to perfect, and the rabbit food is also in good proportion. The burger does not really benefit from the tomato relish that is applied by default, but it is innocuous enough to not detract from the overall experience.
The skinny fries are decent by UK standards and very good by US ones. While I have yet to sample a burger here that comes close to even a run-of-the-mill burger back in the US of A, the chips in the UK are universally excellent. The ones at GBK are flavorful and crispy. They also offer thick cut chips that also looked very good, although I did not try them. The milkshake, on the other hand, was about the worst I can remember consuming. It had a disconcerting saccharine-like sweetness combined with an odd flavor that reminded me of the generic, watery supermarket brand ice cream sold across the UK.
GBK would be easier to recommend if it were more consistent. At its best it is a decent burger using fresh ingredients, served within a clean, pleasant environment. It won't compare favorably to most burgers in the US, but within the context of UK burgers it is certainly near the top of the food chain.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Recently Commented On
Recently on Slice
A Hamburger Today is part of the Foodblog Ad Network. To advertise on AHT or across a network of food-related weblogs, visit Blogads.com.
7 Comments:
What makes fries so good over there? What do they do different? is it the cut of the fry or do they double fry them like pom frites?
stewmeat at 12:04PM on 12/16/08
Nick, from one Serious Eater to another, when I read this headline, I gasped and told everyone in the office you were a liar! But having read your article, you are spot on. Most notably, the words "rubbery," and "restrained" ring the most true. UK milkshakes are mostly milk, which is disappointing for American nostalgia, and the beef definitely just doesn't hit the same spot that an American beef burger does--which you articulated very well. But the worst part of GBK is the occasional bite of gristle, which I would inevitably encounter once or twice in every burger. You're right--it's clean, and fresh, and creative, and I continued to go in the hope of something great to satisfy my inevitable ex-pat craving. Also, it should be noted they have a plethora of vegetarian burgers. I've replaced it with Oxford Organic Burger Co., which is closer to what I know and love than GBK. Try it if you're ever in Oxford.
Kerry Saretsky at 12:18PM on 12/16/08
I've been to GBK a few times (I work just near St Pauls) and I've never had any gristle, but then maybe I'm just lucky as I've always had a burger thats quite rare and rather tasty in there - mind you I wouldn't class myself as a burger expert by any means!
I had a burger in the Fox and Anchor in Smithfields a few weeks ago which was fantastic and came with goose fat fries if you're looking for somewhere with the best fries in the UK!!!
If you're looking for a good milkshake in the UK the best I've had is in Leon
Iheartcupcakes at 2:52PM on 12/16/08
I've not had a bad experience at GBK, but then again I'm out in the burbs, and not rushed in city proper. I do think the burgers at the Fine Burger Company are better, and so are their milkshakes! They also do 2 types of chips - English chips and French fries. Love their onion rings.
london_janice at 2:58PM on 12/16/08
This is a good writeup, and fairly matches my two experience at GBK. To me, it's as if someone at GBK read a written description of a burger, but has never had a good one. It's a good heroic effort, but falls short.
I've had good burgers in the UK, but not there.
The fries, however, are quite good.
kaszeta at 5:41PM on 12/16/08
@stewmeat I think it is a combination of quality produce - English potatoes are very flavor full, unlike the average Idaho potato which has really been bred for quantity and blandness- as well as a long tradition of deep fat frying.
@Kerry I have fortunately not experienced the gristle at GBK. I will be sure to check out Oxford Organic Burger Co if I am in Oxford.
Nick Solares at 4:56PM on 12/20/08
ok, the secret to the perfect GBK burger is to order the JUNIOR burger. It's plenty big by burger standards, and the ratio of everything is much better. The cheese on these is always perfectly melted and fused to the burger, and I really must say that it "reminds" me of Shake Shack style burgers. It gets nice and greasy with the cheese.
Been here for 3 years now, and UK beef pretty much disgusts me in any other form, but I keep going back to the Jr. Burger at GBK.
Picklejuice at 3:39PM on 12/22/08