Remember when Gourmet Burger Kitchen was virtually the only place in London where you could go for a halfway decent burger? I guess such a time really wasn’t all that long ago but it seems like ancient history given all the choice we have for burgers now. I reckon GBK deserves much of the credit (or should I say blame?) for creating the conditions that led to the burger mania that’s swept across London these past couple of years. And now that a few stars risen from the recent onslaught of burger joints seem to have eclipsed GBK in popularity and success, is the beefy trendsetter still worth taking a bite out of? Yeah, I’d say so.
I stopped by the newly opened GBK outlet at the N1 Centre in Angel last week to reacquaint myself with a brand that used to stand out in my mind as the best bet for a burger in London. I must admit, it had been quite awhile (a year … two years?) since I’d last dined a GBK. The place never really had fallen out of favour with me; I just kinda moved on to explore others options. So, I wondered how things were to be at the newly opened outlet. I’m happy to report that – as I remembered – everything was tasty and the sauces were especially delicious. The garlic mayo that once garnered so much publicity for the NZ-esque restaurant group still rocked – as did the gorgeous smoked chilli mayo.
All in all, I felt that quality remained the same (which I always considered to be rather high) but there’s a bunch of new stuff on the agenda giving even more reason to ensure folks keeping coming back …
The Capital: a new 4oz (100% West country beef) burger on the menu, a tasty one too. Featuring American cheese, crispy shallots, tomato, pickled onion, shredded iceberg and secret sauce (£7.95), I’d strongly consider having it again.
The Captain Cook: a fish burger with panko crumbed haddock, (great) tartare sauce, pickled onion and rocket (£8.75). Kemey was with me for the meal, and she had this. I got a bit – pretty yummy and a nice alternative to red meat.
“Naked” burgers: Yeah, without the bun and replaced with slaw and choice of a simple green salad or char grilled corn on the cob for an extra 50p. Kemey got her fish burger served this way. No great innovation here; still, Kemey loved having some corn with your meal instead of a boring bun. I ordered for her; asking for a “naked Captain Cook” felt very silly. Hooray.
There are a few more new items on the menu and other niceties in-store beyond what I listed, but I hope you get the gist. Fries and sides are still way better than average for London. Portions are ample. Shakes, massive and awesome. Service, friendly and rather swift. No complaints from me! And no reasons why burger fans shouldn’t pay GBK a visit soon.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Angel is located upstairs at the N1 Centre next to Vue Cinema, 39 Parkfield Street (just off Upper Street), N1 0PS. Situated right next to the cinema, the Angel outlet of GBK offers dinner and a movie specials and discounts. Ask at the restaurant for details.
Find out more about GBK at gbk.co.uk.
