Brios Burger (American) – Ealing, London

THIS RESTAURANT HAS PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Brios is the latest addition to a number of Halal burger restaurants that have taken centre stage in the happening place of Ealing Broadway in west London.

Although they join Two Buns (whom we reviewed last week) and Siirgista Bros, history tells us that things haven’t been all that straightforward in recent times for Halal food busnesses in this area.

Having only recently themselves taken over from the short-lived Halal Turkish eatery Mythos, Brios will have seen the closure of Meat & Shake next door on The Green, BUILT Custom Burgers just down the road on the High Street, and before them Flamin Cow on Bond Street.

While the 37-cover venue boasts a large and eye-catching signage outside, it has cleverly retained a few of the previous establishment’s more distinct decorative features, such as the large wall clock downstairs, as well as making available the first floor which houses a wall-mounted TV.

With a menu that’s short and succint, Brios say they are “offering the tastiest and highest quality dining experience for an affordable price” with “dishes [that] are prepared fresh daily, with locally sourced ingredients”.

Brios Special Shake £5.00; Immune (Orange, Apple & Carrot) Juice £4.50; Kinder Bueno Shake £4.00

The milkshakes were executed well and to our likeing – leaning towards the thicker side and strong in taste as one would expect, with Brios Special being stronger in flavour than the Kinger Bueno.

As for the Immune fruit juice from their Healthy Special section, then it was certainly that: fresh.

Buns of choice: Charcoal, Beetroot, and Plain Brioche

The impressive thing about Brios which helps them stand out somewhat, is that they offer three types of buns: the increasingly popular charcoal, the stand brioche, and the peculiarly, though no less attractive, pink beetroot.

Brios Special Lamb Burger – choice of bun, fresh salad, cheese & choice of sauce, £8.00

Of course, we had to begin with their signature, and most popular, Brios Special Lamb Burger.

As with all minimalist burgers though, there’s no place to hide; everything requires to be executed with precision and of the exceptional quality.

This was a few marks away from achieving that, with the nicely grilled beef patty erring slightly on the chewy side, though covered in plenty of the American cheese we all love.

Similarly, the charcoal bun was a tad on the chalky side. In the end, we collectively came away asking the same question: what’s new (even if you take away the charcoal bun)?

Brios Special Chicken Burger – Choice of bun, fresh salad, cheese & choice of sauce, £8.00

Perhaps the only thing different with this Brios Special Chicken Burger was the exchange of the cattle with the poultry.

With the chicken turning out relatively tender and moist, this had the smokiness of the lightly charred chicken combining nicely with the burger sauce.

As a stand-alone, this was well made. However, given how fierce the competition is out there, and at £8 a pop, we would be expecting a little more by way of innovation and craft.

Chicken Shawarma Burger – Cheese & Fresh Salad, £6.00

Perhaps the surprise package was this Chicken Shawarma Burger, packed full of tasty strips of succulent chicken all enveloped in plenty of American cheese and sauce.

What made this the best of the trio had was again the distinct smokiness the chef was able to impart.

Given its simplicity, this required to be executed flawlessly; and it was. And at £6, this was better value too. Might they consider, however, elevating this a few notches with some additional ingredients though?

Falafel Salad, £5.00

A standard bed of salad comprising of roughly cut tomatoes and onions, alongside plenty of lettuce, and all doused in a dressing.

The star of the show just didn’t elicit much excitement, being presented in the form of four falafel discs which, despite having a decent taste, had a positively hard and crunchy exterior. We prefer our falafels with a delicately crisp encasing. These didn’t so much break apart as snap apart!

Chicken Wings (BBQ/ Peri Peri) – Small: £3.95, Large: £6.95

Good thing about Brios’ wings are their size. Attractively presented on a black slate, their two flavours of BBQ and Perri Perri were sprinkled in seasalt, which we didn’t quite get.

In any case, both variety of Chicken Wings, we felt, could have been a little less chewier in texture than they were.

As for the BBQ, then there was plenty of it brushed over the top, with a touch of heat coming through, while the Perri Perri turned out mild in flavour.

Sweet Potato Fries, £3.00

These rustic Sweet Potato Fries were superbly done, being presented with an uber-crispy exterior and a light and fluffy interior, which all culminated in a dangerously addictive side.

Peri Peri Fries, £2.50

Similarly, these Peri Peri fries were equally well made with a generous sprinkling of the peri peri seasoning giving this a little kick.