Gooey, sweet and savoury smashburger

Burger source 

My friend Simon was adamant that this pop-up shop shaped burger restaurant was a paragon, nay an exemplar – for all other burger shops to follow, and his favourite burger shop in all of Bristoldom. He then proceeded to get very nervous when he heard me describing my ‘process’ – god, I’ve got a process now. What have I become? Were any of his fears merited?

Let’s get into it.

The order 

I had the St Werburger, and am only now regretting not asking what that means (Google suggests it might have something to do with the city of Chester, as St Werburgh is the patron saint of that self-same city – notable for not being Bristol – but perhaps Google’s other suggestion – that it is a reference to the Bristol neighbourhood of St Werburg – is more likely). It featured double beef patties, smoked bacon & caper aioli, Monterey Jack cheese, chipotle ketchup and confit shallots. With their skin-on fries, natch.

The meat of it 

I do like a basket burger. There’s something about the basket that immediately sorts most of the presentation challenges any burger might have. It looks good – a generous portion of fries, a glossy bun with a very melty, very tidy-looking double stack. Visually, this is douze points so far.

In cross section (we had to ask for cutlery and got their only set – it’s that kind of place, which is all for the better):

Let’s go through the stack. The bun is holding up to a very juicy patty, despite being soft in itself. There’s a peek at the chipotle ketchup and its promise of sweet, vinegary heat. The patties themselves are big lads, thicker than you’d expect of a smashburger and lacking the crenellated edges that make all really world class smash burgers remind you of the Fjords of Norway.

The beef is loosely packed, coarse ground and cuts like butter. The cheese is melted in an unctuous layer, amplified by a generous portion of the mega savoury caper and bacon aioli. The bun flops into submission, soft and fresh, but manages to hold on to structural integrity nonetheless. It carries a reasonable heft and really needs a taste now.

First bite… its soft; hot and fresh (the kitchen is about 5 feet from where we are sat). The cheese and aioli and sweet confit shallots and vinegary kethcup add a depth and contrast of flavour that wallops you in the tastebuds. It’s hard to process, as there’s so much going on and yet – in all the glorious mess of it – there’s a coherence. The ketchup cuts through the salt bomb and adds sweet contrast. The beef (whether it is truly dry aged or not, I have no idea) carries a light funk, adding complexity and depth to every bite. The shallots and aioli, are balanced and tempered by each other, and all of it wrapped in the gloriously soft and inexplicably, irrationally robust bun.

It’s an incredible gestalt. I have to force myself to take smaller and smaller bites, to eke out the pleasure of it. And then, when forced by the mantle I give myself as burger don, to critique it – I had only minor, minor notes:

1. Smash the burger harder into the grill. Let’s get those burger fjords, and crunchy bites!
2. Go slightly lighter on the toppings. There’s a lot going on. onions and ketchup played the same functional purpose, we could have simplified, or at least made it slightly less messy.

That’s it. Very close to a paragon.

On the fries… we saw them slop a floppy portion of skin-on fries straight into the fryer from a soft, non-freezer bag. This made me worry that they would braise more than fry and struggle to get crunch. I was partially justified on first taste – there’s something slightly stale and chewy about the fries, despite them also being fresh from the fryer. That said – it was a relatively minor complaint. Many of the fries were crispy enough, they seemed well cooked (if not well all well prepared,). The seasoning was fascinating – I think cumin, paprika, salt and pepper? Really distinctive and interesting and extremely moreish. Next time, freeze them first broskis – get them dried out and full of ice crystals and they’ll taste fresher and even crispier.

Monkey finger rating  

Bun –  4.5/5  – held it together despite heavy opposition
Build – 4.5/5 – bit heavy with the mayo
Burger – 4.5/5 – harder sear
Taste –  4.5/5 – really jolly nice 
Sides – 3/5 – hit by the stale-ish fries, redeemed a bit by the seasoning   
Value – 4/5 – £19 for burger and lemonade, ish.  

Burger rating – 4/5 – really jolly nice. 

The deets 

Well worth the mile or so stroll from Bristol Temple Meads station. And what a lovely city.