Fatburger – Camden (Revisit)
We were recently contacted by Fatburger in Camden who requested that we give them another go, ensuring us that considerable all round improvements had been made since our last visit.
Despite raving about their Buffalo’s chicken wings in a review we published only a month after they first opened in May of last year, our biggest criticism was of their burgers, which we unflatteringly described as having “no imagination [and] no taste”!
We finally got round to giving them another try.
DRINKS
Premium Shakes – Oreo Cookies & Ice cream (left), Reese’s Peanut Butter (right), £4.50 each
The last time round, we had some disappointing strawberry shakes. This time, we opted for their premium range, and we’re happy we did too.
The Oreo had good flavour, was smooth and creamy, and above average.
The Reese’s Peanut Butter wasn’t as sweet, but far better in consistency. This was thick and tasty with the taste of peanuts coming through well.
BUFFALO WINGS
Their wings comprise of 14 sauces, which range from Hot ? Mild as follows:
Death Valley, Scorchin’, Carolina Fire BBQ, Hot, Asian Sesame, Red Hot Ranch, Cajun Dry Rub, Coconut Jerk, Medium, Honey Garlic, Lemon Pepper, Sweet Bourbon BBQ, Sweet Teriyaki, Mild.
TOP: Asian Sesame (left), Death Valley (right). BOTTOM: Red Hot Ranch (left), Sweet Bourbon BBQ (right)
Taster (6) £5.50, Small (10) £9, Regular (16) £14, Large (24) £21, Sharing Platter (48) £41.50, Large Sharing Platter (100) £86
Just look at all that lickable marination! And that’s precisely what we did – shamelessly lick it all up!
The Asian Sesame (AS) was well marinated: sweet, sticky, full of flavour and addictive.
As for Death Valley (DV), then be WARNED, this is NOT for the faint tongued! It takes time for the tangy chilli to catch up with you; but, once it does, you better be prepared for burning lips and watery eyes.
The Red Hot Ranch’s (RHR) chilli marination was noticeably different to that of Death Valley’s with a hint of sweetness to it and lots of tang.
As for the Sweet Bourbon BBQ (SB), this was deliciously sticky with the BBQ flavour coming through strongly.
Fatburger certainly knows how to do wings. If we were to rank these, and bear in mind there’s not much in it, then it’d be: 1. SB 2. AS 3. DV 4. RHR.
Chilli Cheese Fries £4
Ranch Dressing (top-left), Honey Mustard (top-right), Blue Cheese (bottom)
Worth an order these!
The cheese was strong and plentiful with a good amount of spice to the con carne. Very good!
SAUCES
As to the sauces: all in-house and quite delicious.
The best being the Honey Mustard, then the Blue Cheese, and lastly the Ranch Dressing, though again, not much in it!
BURGERS
And so we come to the most important part of the review, a point at which Fatburger, as we said, bombed the first time round.
For those fastidious lot: this fast food restaurant sources fresh halal beef from well known meat suppliers, IMS Of Smithfield Ltd, which has been around for some 40-odd years.
Chicken Sandwich £6, Meal £10
The smell of herbs emanating from this well seasoned and superbly cooked, succulent chicken is the first thing that’ll hit you with this burger.
Yes, it’s simple. But, for what it is, it’s a pretty tasty one.
So tasty, in fact, that one Lion considered it to be the best burger on the day.
Rancheros Burger £8.50, Meal £12.50
The smell of the jalapenos came through well with the Rancheros Burger.
And while you get a big kick of spice from the hot sauce, the over-medium-well egg was a good addition which went well with the tomato and crunchy lettuce.
Overall a very succulent patty with tasty bits of caramelised meat on the outside of it.
Quad Burger with Cheese and Beef Bacon £11.50, Meal £15.50
And what a deliciously moist 4-tier burger this was!
The meat was succulent with almost a crumbly like texture to it. And in spite of its size, not overbearing either.
With the pickles coming through nicely, this juicy large burger had a sweet undertone to it with all the flavours combining very well.
For a fast food place, this Quad Burger is better than most so-called gourmet burgers out there.
