Gentle mustard heat on a dry-aged double cheeseburger – mwah š¤š½
Burger source
Blacklock is more of an institution than I realised. Specialising in āchopsā of all kinds, I didnāt even realise it had a burger on the menu till James suggested it as a destination, and (having accidentally gone to the wrong branch in Soho before I got to the Covent Garden branch) I found two separate venues independently, joyously busy. Post pandemic, and in the midst of a cost of living crisis, it felt like a nostalgic trip to 2019 (those heady days).
Its origin is distinctly unburgery, however; it was founded in tribute to the āchophousesā of 1690s London, where people apparently came in search of meat off the bone for the extra flavour that offered (not imagining 1690s London as London at the height of its culinary progress, butā¦). As well, apparently, as the inclusive, accessible, unpretensiousness of it all (not sure how much of that has endured, this place is a little fancy-schmancyā¦)
The order
The āBlacklock burgerā was the sole burger option, a double cheeseburger āBlacklockedā with onions caramelised in a āhealthy glugā of vermouth. A side of beef dripping fries was a mandatory add-on. The restaurant does pre-mixed cocktails at tremendous prices – Ā£7.50 for an Old fashioned feels like excellent value in a venue that will charge a tenner for a gin and tonic. Andā¦ spoiler alert, we shared the white chocolate cheesecake that was on the pudding menu.
The meat of it
The burger presents well. Perfectly assembled, two thin (2.5oz?) patties are covered in melty cheese, oozing with burger sauce, and a perfectly toasted, sturdy, seeded burger bun holds its ground. The burger is topped with a thin layer of pickle and the aforementioned onions.
In cross section, the meat has dashes of pink. Itās not quite a patty smash but itās also not full on, thick, cook-till-medium beef patty. The stack holds up. It looks good. Iām excited.
Thereās a good smell to the burger, but little heft – itās indulgent, but not excessive. First bite – the bun gives way, the soft meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender, the slick, hot burger sauce sets your taste buds tingling with a gentle, mustard induced heat and youāre hit with the savoury, soft, dry-aged meat flavour rolling around your taste buds and olfactory system all in one. Itās sumptuous; well seasoned, well balanced, delicious.
Minor points of criticism; the burger could have used a sharper sear – thereās no crunch, I miss me that textural contrast. And there could have been a smidge more beef – just to improve the bread/meat ratio (the bread is robust and very present). More than one of us (we had five burgers at the table) were feeling wistful for a little salad, or some fresh onion, or something – to add a bit more sweet freshness to the burger. The pickle doesnāt quite manage this – itās lost in a sea of burger sauce and isnātā¦ well, isnāt very pickly. And the onion is completely lost in the flavours of the meat and the burger sauce.
The fries – did not give a good first impression. They lookā¦ wan. Pale. Anemic, even. But they are cooked through, and well seasoned. Thereās a good amount of both crunch and chewy, potatoey goodness in this (modest) portion. The beef dripping theyāre fried in adds a really unexpected depth of flavour. But thereās a slightly strange texture to these chips. They take some chewing. Still, enjoyable, and improved by a dunk in the mayo.
The Old Fashionedā¦ was OK. I donāt know if I love Old Forrester as a Bourbon – it was smokier and more bitter than I was expecting. I wonder if someone held back a bit when mixing the sugar into this one.
I finished the meal with a bright, fresh, lightly fizzy red Italian dessert wine – a Brachetto. It tasted of Summer, and paired beautifully with a massively excessive but delicious white chocolate cheesecake, shovelled with jolly ceremony into my bowl at the table from an outsized Le Creuset dish. SHARE ONE, between two. We saw a couple on a date getting one each and felt a pang of empathy for their chances at after dinner romance, should they complete the meal.
Monkey finger rating
Bun – 4/5
Build – 4/5
Burger – 4/5
Taste – 4/5
Sides – 4/5
Value – 4/5 – I expected, with the drinks, for this to be pricey. But at Ā£33.33 a head, including service, two drinks, and two courses for all of us, well ā it felt reasonable.
Burger rating – 4/5 – a solid option
The deets
Blacklock is all over. Find your nearest one here. And if youāre meeting someone at the āCentral Londonā one, check if youāre going to the Soho One (on Great Windmill Street), or the Covent Garden one (not on Great Windmill Street, but an unpleasant 12 minute walk through the crowds of Leicester Square away inā¦ well, Covent Garden).