That, used to be my line. In response to the countless surprised "What? You haven't been to Meat Liquor yet?!" And yes, that was an unspoken principal of mine. I was certain I had already experienced the best burger and that nothing, nothing I'd eat at Meat Liquor or any other overhyped (and remarkably fashionable) burger joint would in any way match up to Daniel Boulud's DB burger in New York.
It certainly took me long enough, but last week I finally made it to Meat Liquor, the brainchild of Yianni Papoutsis, formerly of Meatwagon (formerly Meateasy - I know, I too wish he'd stop changing the name). Sadly, I never made it to either of his previous venues. But it's all about Meat Liquor now and from the looks of it, it will be for at least another couple of years. Despite the fact that I've only just managed to get to one of London's most talked about restaurants of 2011, after what seemed like a decade after everyone else in the city, I think I've more than made up for it by having been twice in less than a week. This act alone is a huge giveaway (to anyone that knows me) that my Meat Liquor experience was, in fact, not at all shoddy.
Seeing as I've given it a good three months since the opening, I was confident there would be an insignificant amount of queuing involved. I was very wrong. The hype of Meat Liquor was far from over. In fact, if my last two visits (one on a Wednesday and the other a Tuesday) were anything to go by, the urban legend that is Yianni Papoutsis' burgers has spread even further. The lines were as long as ever and the aromas that seep seductively out of the vents and double front doors meant that once you're within half a mile radius of the premises, there's no going back. It would take too much willpower to walk away, leaving behind that unbeatably beefy fragrance that would linger, haunt and taunt you for the rest of the night.
We eventually escaped the cold and entered what looked and felt unmistakably like a nightclub. I initially wondered, what on earth possessed Yianni and his interior designer when they decided that seedy red lighting, graffiti and offensively bright neon signs constitute good restaurant decor. For me it was more like a slaughter house cum brothel (with burgers)... but somehow, it works. The bar serves great cocktails, concocted by charming bartenders, at reasonable prices. When our waitress said 'Time of the Month'? in response to my request for a recommendation, I nearly slapped her. Luckily I caught on quickly and my cocktail was to die for.
When our burgers, along with a generous portion of french fries, onion rings, deep fried gherkins, an enormous mound of chicken wings and a dog bowl's worth of coleslaw arrived, I knew we had over ordered, but I was too excited. Besides, the low lighting, which partly obscured the endless stream of fat dripping from my burger and how soaked the grease-proof paper on our tray was from the deep fried everything, helped conceal the exact number of calories I was about to consume. This was one of Yianni's clever techniques - you can't quite see what or just how much you're eating.
The classic cheese burger was juicy and rich, and so was the Double Bubble, times two. The chicken wings were good but nothing to write home about, although they do have their followers. The onion rings were better than the fries, but neither could beat the deep fried gherkins. If the purpose of having gherkins with a burger is to inject sharpness to cut through the richness of the meat, this completely contradicted itself and I loved it just for that. My favourite details though, were the bottles of Blair's Heat Jalepeno Mango sauce (a perfect cocktail of sweet and sour heat) and the crude roll of kitchen towels placed on every table (when you have a burger this juicy, ordinary napkins do not suffice).
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Meat Liquor. The music was loud, the atmosphere was buzzy and casual, and the staff, though not quite as edgy or as cool as Russell Norman's lot, did an impeccable job. They were great at not rushing you out, all the while knowing that there's a never ending line of people waiting outside in less than amicable conditions. I loved the fact that once you're in there, you're allowed to forget about the glum-faced diners, standing impatiently with their mouths open, drooling on the person in front's hair, and hell you even forget you were one of them ten minutes ago. Now, unless I am mistaken, Yianni's is not only a burger worth waiting for but also a restaurant you can't wait to come back to.
After my Meat Liquor experience, I realised that Yianni did more than just serve me a finger-likin' good burger, he had also unlocked my inner burger-loving beast. The following Saturday I gave in and pursued my greedy little stomach to Hackney with the sole purpose of sampling Lucky Chip's version of beef in a bun.
Netil Market, located just a stone's throw away from the better known and more eventful Broadway Market, is a strange little place. It was around midday when we arrived at a small car park on Westgate street that had evidently been tarted up, somewhat shabbily, for its Saturday-only market. Lucky Chip's van was standing proud and tall amongst a cluster of stalls selling all sorts of vintage (or more accurately, second-hand) things including clothing, furniture and other decorative items no one seemed interested in buying. Aside from a vintage camera shop (which attracted a lot of inconsequential attention), the oyster and fishcake stand and the tiny coffee cart in the corner which acted as a sort of hors d'oeuvres and afters for Lucky Chip's offerings, it was apparent that the burgers really were the piece de resistance here.
I observed that there was a constant stream of people entering the market, with mouths open, stomachs rumbling; their pupils dilated as soon as they spotted the Lucky Chip van. But then they'd stop and abruptly turn left to do a ritual round of the market stalls they knew were selling all sorts of junk they didn't want. We did the same. Perhaps it was out of pity, or unconsciously, we didn't want to make it too obvious that we were LC virgins. But anyhow, all seemed to wind up queuing outside the green and silver box, embellished with two huge speakers and a tiny (I assumed) broken television perched on top.
The line was deceptively short. We ordered the El Chappo and the (Charlie) Sheen, which took skeptically long. But it seems the more lengthy the wait, the more rewarding the outcome. Lucky Chip's technique of steaming the patties before finishing them off on the grill meant the burgers were succulent, soft and tasty, yet surprisingly a lot less greasy than Meat Liquor's. For me, the winner was El Chappo's (smoked bacon, blue cheese, roasted jalapenos, aioli and cress) extravagantly salty combination, complemented by a welcoming kick of crunchy jalapeno and the bitterness of fresh cress. The (Charlie) Sheen, stuffed with applewood smoked bacon, Philly, aioli, cheddar and, star of the show, the beer-soaked onions adding a sweet and sour crunch, was also hard to fault. Despite the name, the chips themselves weren't so lucky - greasy but not crispy and unseasoned - but when the meat's that good, who cares about the veg?
So my conclusion is this. If you're in it for a really tasty burger with all the trimmings, including a lively, great atmosphere, pretty staff, pretty crowd and pretty darn good cocktails, then Meat Liqour will serve you well. However, if you're a straight up burger fanatic looking for a memorable meaty experience (minus the good fries), Lucky Chip is truly unmissable. It may have been the best moderately-priced burger I've ever tasted.
While I maintain that Daniel Boulud's DB burger is still by far the most accomplished - if you must know, he packs a layer of red-wine braised beef and a layer of foie gras between the most succulent minced beef - it weighs in at a whopping $20 (in addition to a ticket to New York). His Piggie burger at Bar Boulud in London is perhaps more accessible, but one can't deny it's no less than an extravagant treat. So, I have no choice but to eat my words. There may just be one or two burgers in London worth waiting in line for after all.
