#FtLionAwards 2021 Burger of the Year shortlist
After the #FtLionAwards 2021 Best Veggie of the Year (proudly sponsored by the hugely impressive, family-run restaurant in east London’s Forest Gate, Kicthen 37), we continue with Best Burger of the Year.
As with every year, you have the chance of voting for your favourite on our Instagram and Facebook pages. We want you to either: 1) vote for the following nominees, or 2) let us know both your favourite drink and the place you had it, all on our Facebook and/or Instagram pages.
BILL OR BEAK
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Bill or Beak in London’s famous Camden Market have been around for a while, but only recently went fully Halal. And with only two burgers on their menu, you can imagine the level of thought, attention to detail, and refinement invested into a menu as limited as theirs.
What made their Smashed Patty Cheese Burger stand out from the crowd was the evident experience and expertise translated over into patties that boasted three indispensible characteristics: 1) caramelisation that assures some textural contrast; 2) that umami taste of quality beef; 3) properly seasoned meat, which so many others criminally overlook. Add to that the sweetness of the caramelised onions and a copious amount of gooey cheese, all encased in a pillowy-soft brioche bun, and we couldn’t get enough. Absolutely superb!
BURGER LDN
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Of their selection of burgers, Burger LDN in Whitechapel, east London, offered this superbly executed Classic Burger LDN, whose 3.5oz patty boasted that caramelised exterior one looks for in such burgers, simple ingredients that allowed the quality of the patty to shine, and all presented in a freshly-made seeded bun, which are brought in on a daily basis from another long-established business in Rinkoff Bakery.
CHICAGO GRILL
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Chicago Grill in London’s Shepherd’s Bush have been around for quite some time; and the reason for that too can’t be bettered expressed than their deliciously meaty The Steak Beast.
The delicious steak meat therein, coupled with the Halal turkey rashers, pepper, melted cheese, salad, mayonnaise, red onions, all served in a fresh brioche bun, made for a very satisfying eat.
CRAZY BURGERZ
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Crazy Burgerz in both Norbury and Morden, south London, served the only fish burger to be shortlisted this year. The level of work put into this was another story.
They’ve created the Classique Corriandrum by diligently combining three types of fish on a daily basis to create this mouthwatering burger, with a thick patty smothered in a lightly tangy sauce to compliment.
EGGOLAND
Eggoland in central London’s Fitzrovia already has a veggie burger up for consideration. And the restaurant continued to impress too, with us being unable to separate between the following two.
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This Feeling Decadent duck burger was just on another level, with a face-down fried duck egg, which, although relatively the same size as a hen’s, actually offered a yoke that’s 1.5 times larger than its competitor.
As such, when that yokes deep, earthy richness was combined with the familiar umami-meatiness of the tender shredded confit duck, along side the sweetness of the caramelised onions, we were confronted by memorable sandwich.
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And this Eastern Charm was defined by an astoundingly tasty lamb patty, that wasn’t so much succulent as it was dreamily buttery in texture. The face-down fried egg succeeded in lubricating everything beneath in the gooey richness of the yoke.
We couldn’t get enough of the light tanginess of the mint yoghurt, which eventually gave way to the earthy sweetness of that egg, with specks of pepperiness coming through courtesy of the harissa butter and mixed leaves.
LAWLESS CITY BURGER
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The Lawless City Burger in London’s Canning Town was a food cart that presented us this Japanese-inspired Rebel of Tokyo that boasted a marinated fried chicken fillet, shiitake mushrooms, mirin onions, panko, and a house-made KiKi teriyaki sauce.
With such exotic ingredients that brought the sweet and sour together in equal measure, this was an example of a burger that separates itself from the chaff.
SMOKE DADDIES
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Finally Smoke Daddies in London Balham had this extraordinary A Bone To Pick, which is essentially their House Burger topped with a huge dino bone, that entirely enthralled us.
Given its minimum 10-hour cooking process, pulling out the bone from this single beef short-rib was simplicity itself, making this an Instagrammer’s wet dream.
We found three ways of eating this: 1) you can either extend your mandibles and get stuck into a bite that’ll have your eyeballs rolling back in meat-induced ecstasy; 2) removing and taking a bite of the rib followed by one of the burger; 3) or more boringly, enjoying them as two separate meals. A fun eat and truly delightful.
