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The Folly – Cheeseburger (4/5)

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7oz British beef, Applewood cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise (£16.95)

Every month my girlfriend and I alternate whose turn it is to book and organise a date night. September was my month so I had planned an evening of going to watch an artist performance where a group of dancers were suspended on the side of St Paul’s Cathedral. It was quite an experience and 100% something I would never do. 

Following on from the artistic dance performance I had booked dinner at the Folly. A restaurant I had never been to before, but I was in for a very pleasant surprise. The service was a little slow to start with, but once we got a different waiter it was all a very positive experience. The burger was amazing, I would say the best of all the burgers I have had since I started this website. It was also rather cheap and they upgraded my fries to sweet potato fries free of charge.

Toppings 4/5

The toppings were quite standard for a cheeseburger. I did enjoy how the cheese was presented, melted over the patty but not just slapped on the patty, it looked as if they had cooked the patty in a small vat of cheese. The tomato slice was quite thick and could have done with being a little thinner. 

Patty 5/5

The beef patty was big and juicy. This is what I always wanted, just a big juicy patty. The patty was full of flavour and very enjoyable.  

Bun 4/5

The bun was soft and lightly toasted which adds a nice crunch, my only issue with the bun was its size. The bun was smaller than the patty and toppings, which resulted in the continents slipping out the sides.

Fries 5/5

I swapped the normal fries for sweet potato fries. These were by far the best sweet potato fries I have had in a long time. They were very crunchy and yet maintained their flavour. The fries were also included in the price of the burger (I shouldn’t have to state this, it should be standard). 

The Seven Tuns – Wagyu Beef Burger (4/5)

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Cotswold wagyu beef, cheese, onion ring. burger with fries and black garlic ketchup (£19)

A bank holiday weekend in the sunshine is one of the best parts of living in the UK. Being my mother’s birthday weekend it was slightly more unique. We decided on a nice dinner at the Seven Tuns. 

It’s not often I go for a Wagyu burger (primarily because of the price) but I decided to treat myself given the occasion. The food at the Seven Tuns is always good and I can’t say I have had any bad experiences there. In general, toppings are what make the burger, as a result, it’s nice to have a decent helping of them. Someone didn’t tell the Seven Tuns this, the lack of toppings was definitely the most significant letdown of this burger.

Toppings 3/5

There was lots of cheese (this seems to be a trend on more expensive burgers and I don’t know quite how I feel about this). The onion ring was lovely but apart from this there wasn’t much else.

Patty 5/5

A Wagyu patty is difficult to mess up, I was not disappointed with this patty. The taste was amazing and the patty was very juicy.

Bun 4/5

The bun was a seeded bun which was toasted. I enjoyed it as it was not over toasted so still soft on the inside. Unfortunately, it was quite flat and didn’t keep its shape. 

Fries 4.5/5

The fries were very crunchy and had a soft middle. They were also included in the price which is always a big plus.

Brewdog – Cluck Norris (3.5/5)

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Buttermilk fried chicken, avocado, red onion, Cajun mayo & coriander. (£14.75 + £3.50 for fries)

As it was a Thursday, I headed into the office with a slight spring in my step. Friday was the start of the bank holiday weekend, so I knew after-work pints would be enjoyed without the impending work day to follow. Upon arriving in the office my dreams of this were shattered, the usual ‘after-work pint crew’ were not in the office. Fear not, one of the biggest benefits of having a girlfriend is always having someone to do stuff with. 

Fast forward to Thursday night, a few pints in at a local Brewdog. I was starving and decided to treat myself to the Cluck Norris. 

Being a Brewdog you know what you’re going to get but unfortunately, the chefs appeared to decide that I needed fewer toppings and an over-crispy bun. Despite this, I did enjoy the burger and would recommend it.

Toppings 3/5

The small amount of toppings actually on the burger were very enjoyable. But I would not consider two pieces of avocado and two pieces of red onion much of a topping. I’m also not a fan of coriander so requested for that to be removed.

Patty 5/5

This was hands down the best buttermilk chicken patty I have had in a long time. It was a chunky meaty piece of chicken which had been cooked to perfection. The chicken was juicy and the outside was the perfect level of crunchy. This is going to be the new benchmark for buttermilk fried chicken burgers.

Bun 4/5

The bun was your standard seeded bun. It has been toasted but felt a little over toasted making it quite crunchy. Other than that it was soft and rather enjoyable. 

Fries 3/5

I am never a fan of having to pay extra for fries. I am yet to meet anyone who gets a burger without fries or a side of some kind, but they still insist on making you pay extra. Apart from the cost, the fries were amazing. They had a very crunchy outside with a soft and fluffy inside. I only rate them a 3 due to having to pay extra for them. 

Mezzanine – Black Angus burger (4/5)

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Black Angus Beef burger with smoked cheddar, dill pickles, caramelised onions, lollo rosso, homemade burger sauce, and chunky hand-cut chips (119 AED / £26.92)

This burger was purchased during a recent holiday in Dubai. Having never been to Dubai had only two expectations:

(1) It was going to be hot 

(2) Eating out would be expensive

With the second point in mind, I decided to tick something off my list, my first burger in the luxury category. 

Being my first burger in the luxury category (you can find the explanation of the luxury category here) I had my hopes set very high and due to it being the luxury category I knew I had to be very critical of it. The review might seem harsh as I appear to be picking on the smallest things but if I’m paying more than £25 pounds for the burger, I’ll be expecting great things. 

I was quite impressed with both the burger and the restaurant. The staff were very friendly and I didn’t have to wait long for the burger. The restaurant was in an idyllic setting, located a stone’s throw away from the Burj Al Arab (the world’s only 7-star hotel). It was a quiet location nested away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai’s busy streets. 

The burger was the right level of juicy without falling apart while eating it and the toppings were perfectly balanced. I would highly recommend the Black Angus Beef burger if you find yourself in the area. 

Toppings 4/5

All of the toppings perfectly complemented each other. Unfortunately, they were not spread correctly throughout the burger and I found myself with one big mouthful of caramelised onion and hardly any other taste of them from the rest of the burger.

Patty 4/5

I found the patty to be a bit dry, it was made up of two smaller patties. I often find the problem with two smaller patty’s they are overcooked and become dry. I would have preferred one bigger party. 

Bun 5/5

The bun was slightly dry but made up for that in its softness and it had lots of flavours. 

Fries 5/5

These were some of the best fries I think I have ever had. They were crispy on the outside but light and what I could only describe as fluffy on the inside.

Presentation 5/5

This section will only appear on luxury burger ratings as I feel it is an important part of the luxury burger experience.

The presentation was simple. The burger on the right, a small container with tomato sauce in front middle and chunky fries on the back right. The burger look exactly as you would imagine a perfect burger to look, the patty was covered in cheese with the perfect lettuce leaf slightly poking out from beneath it.

Shake Shack – SmokeShack (3.5/5)

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Cheeseburger with applewood smoked bacon, chopped cherry peppers, ShackSauce (£9.50 + £3.95 for fries)

The first of the ‘big’ chains to be reviewed, and usually one I enjoy. Unfortunately, they have managed to let me down.

My partner had planned for us to go Ice Skating in Canary Wharf for date night, something I hadn’t done in ages and I was looking forward to it. But being me, my only concern was where will we be getting dinner. We chose Shake Shack, simply due to its proximity to the rink.

Being Shake Shack, I had very high hopes. They are my go-to when it comes to decent fast food.

Toppings 3/5

I had very high hopes, applewood smoked bacon is one of my favourite toppings on any beef burger, unfortunately, they had overcooked it and it tasted more like hot cardboard than bacon. There was a generous enough helping of sauce to ever so slightly soften the bacon making it tolerable to eat. Other than the bacon the sauce, peppers and cheese were a delight to eat.

Patty 2/5

As mentioned in my Mr T review, I would normally pick a chicken burger where possible, but now and then I like to shake things up. Having gone for a beef patty at a fast-casual diner I am used to getting overcooked beef that is only edible due to the thinness of the patty, somehow Shake Shack managed to go the other direction by undercooking the patty. The very middle was still cold and I only didn’t complain due to the time constraint of the upcoming ice skating. The cooked parts of the patty were delicious and juicy, but I cannot pick and choose what to rate these burgers on.

Bun 5/5

The standard potato bun on all Shake Shack burgers is always a solid choice. They are very good at holding their integrity and don’t fall apart in your hands or get too soggy with sauce.

Fries 5/5

Even with the steep price of £3.95 for their infamous crinkle-cut fries, I cannot find fault with them. If you have ever had their fries you will know what I mean. If you haven’t I would highly recommend a visit just to try them.

Mr T burger

Swingers Crazy Golf – Mr T (2.5/5)

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Buttermilk fried chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, mayo, and hot pepper sauce on a brioche bun. (£11.50 + £3.50 for fries)

Being the first burger I have reviewed on this website it pains me to give it a low rating, but unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations.

Having gone to Swingers Crazy Golf near Liverpool Street for a work function we were promised food. There was a decent selection of burger options, but I had to go for my favourite kind, the old reliable, a buttermilk fried chicken burger. The wait was about 15 minutes which I was impressed with given the number of people ordering.

Being a fast-casual diner in a crazy golf establishment I didn’t have the highest of hopes, but I was expecting a semi-decent burger nonetheless.

Toppings 4/5

There was a generous helping of the toppings, the cheese was amazing and the bacon was the perfect crispiness. Unfortunately, the hot sauce was hotter than expected. I am usually able to handle hot sauce, but I found myself reaching across for my drink to try to help with the burn.

Patty 1/5

I will always pick a buttermilk fried chicken patty wherever possible. I tend to find the majority are good, with very few being exceptional and very occasionally I come across one that disappoints me. This was one for the latter category. The bread crumbs were soggy and there was only a very thin layer. It was cooked to a perfect level but I struggle to see how it was fried, it reminded me more of a home-cooked breadcrumbed chicken.

Bun 5/5

It was a brioche bun, need I say more?

Fries 2/5

The fries were not included in the price of the burger, no one likes paying extra for fries. I forked out the extra £3.50 and hoped it would be worth it. It wasn’t. They had hardly any salt on them and similarly to the patty they were a bit soggy and didn’t taste like they had been cooked in a deep frier. They also came with homemade tomato sauce (always a risky choice) which was lacking in flavour.