Meat Liquor - why do you guys think??? [London]
Went and had the famous Dead Hippie burger from the new Meat Liquor joint on Welback St...I hate to say it, but it seriously wasnt that great, the burger was wayyyy overseasoned. Personally find the house burger (the one that used to be secret) at Spuntino's to be much better, didnt need any sauce or anything on it.
Am I the only disillusioned one??
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Went a second time yesterday and enjoyed it again.
The burger is way greasy, but I still found it pretty delicious. I rate it as something similar to what would be available at an American burger chain (think Johnny Rockets or Fatburger). Not mind-blowing, but a solid example of a diner type burger which is otherwise unavailable in London.
The wings were pretty good again -- this time the chicken must have been a bit plumper because they weren't mini, and the same goes with the chips -- they're making McDonalds type fries instead of really thin shoestring potatoes. The mac'n'cheese is off the menu now.
Our server was great, and the lineup outside only took about 5 minutes (on account of it being around 3:30pm).
I'm quite often in this area and am usually at a loss where to eat so am definitely keen ML opened.
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re: brokentelephone
PhilD
Dec 24, 2011 10:23 AM
Headed there on thursday before Christmas at mid afternoon, no queue and spare tables. As others have said I thought to service was sweet but pretty useless - we had to flag down waiters for everything.
Cheeseburger was OK and I wouldn't mind eating it again. Deepfried pickles OK but preffered the onionrings. The burger is very, very greasy. I recognise this recretes the "traditionl US" style but is it liked because of this link to a style of cooking or because it makes it a better burger? I assume the "greasy" burger of the classic american diner is a result of the burgers being cheap food. So is a better burger a burger with better meat and less grease. Or is it less about the taste and mre about the mythology. Thoughts?
I followed this burger with one at Opera Tavern the same day and thought it was significantly better "food" but cleary not the nostalic radhouse burger.
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re: PhilD
zuriga1
Dec 24, 2011 12:17 PM
I think that the usual, traditional hamburger found in the States for the years I lived there was made with a cut of meat we called 'chuck.' It has a great deal of fat in it and thus the greasy result. As people got clued in to the risks of fat in the diet, many burger places started using less fatty cuts such as sirloin - a dryer hamburger and not as juicy of course. Chuck was always a fairly inexpensive thing to buy and did make for cheap meals. It's also used for meatloaf.
American minced beef, from what I remember, is now graded by fat content such as 75% beef, 99% etc. but I may be wrong about this. One forgets!
The website Young and Foodish has one article rating all the burgers in London.
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re: PhilD
You pose a heavy question, PhilD.
Do I like ML simply because I (sort-of) grew up eating this kind of burger? Probably, but I do like to think my preferences aren't wholly shaped by nostalgia.
The best hamburger I've ever had was in Amsterdam at the Hotel Pulitzer. Was my opinion shaped by smoking loads of dope? Probably!
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re: brokentelephone
I was there about a month ago, around the time of the initial hype. I went around midnight on a Friday night with two friends and we all had the dead hippe burger with fried pickles. I have to say it was pretty good - the pickles were addictive! A tad greasy yes, but that's what you expect from a burger, right?
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re: Nii
PhilD
Dec 30, 2011 02:09 AM
"A tad greasy yes, but that's what you expect from a burger, right?" - thats the crux of my question, everyone seems to accept that as fact but is it? Ceratinly it is the standard for a lot of burger places in the US but is it really the best burger or just an imitation of a type of burger. Defiately tasty, definately fun, but is is a definative burger, or are burgers with better quality beef and less fat better? I undestand lower quality meat and more fat is better if you are in the business of selling them, but is it really better than the top quality wagyu burgers sime place are now selling?
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re: PhilD
But the cheaper cuts of meat have better flavour, and fat is a good thing as it carries that great flavour.
I think wagyu is massively overrated; I had a wagyu burger and it didn't taste of much. My fillet-eating friend tells me I'm missing the point and it's all about the texture. But I prefer flavour over texture. Give me a rib-eye over a fillet any day of the week.
It's personal preference at the end of the day.
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re: spli
PhilD
Dec 31, 2011 08:44 AM
Totally agree it is personal taste, and totally agree bad wagyu is bad meat and does not make good anything (and there is no standard for wagyu so in reality it can be anything). But I do wonder how much the twitter hype gets in the way of taste and how much personal taste is influenced by fashion. In London burgers all seem to be "authentic American" and greasy is good, in Sydney last year it was all Wagyu and flavour (although I see the uber-trend of US diner and fast food Korean getting a hold there as well).
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Wasn't overly impressed. The burger was okay, but the chicken wings were awful... Mac and cheese was yum.
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re: cookiebitch
Mine yesterday was on the salty side and boy was it greasy, I felt like I needed a shower after. Funnily enough I thought the Big Apple hot dog was greasy as well due to the oil coming off the onions. Would like to know how these compare to what you get in the States?
The texture and flavour of the burger were great, in particular I liked the chew involved on some of the coarser bits of beef. Fries were ordinary and I would recommend the fried pickles or onion rings instead.
If anyone's looking for a cheap meal off Oxford street I recommend their starter of chilli fries which were a massive portion for £5.
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re: expatlondon
I went last night with a few friends.
Totally backwards experience to expatlondon. Our wings were quite good, and the mac'n'cheese was inedible. The wings were tiny and despite not being overly crispy, we really enjoyed them. The meat was perfectly tender, and the buffalo sauce was light and quite vinegary which really set them apart from most places in London. The mac and cheese was waaaay overcooked (the macaroni were honestly as big as penne due to overboiling).
The burgers were all really good -- I had a dead hippie and thought the double thin patties were great (i prefered them to my fiancees single thicker pattie), the bun was crispy with a slightly chewy interior, and the pickles and toppings were all very nice.
We had one of each side, and everyone loved the deep-fried pickles. They're in an almost tempura batter with a side of blue cheese dipping sauce and the combo of everything was really excellent. As were the onion rings, and the super skinny fries.
Our only qualm was the awful service -- our waitress knew nothing about the menu, forgot what we ordered, and was essentially useless, albeit very sweet.
Afterwards, I didn't feel excellent but that is to be expected after any meal with 4 deep-fried sides and a very very fatty burger. His meat must be a 30% fat becuase even after cooking to medium it was dripping.
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I've not been to Meat Liquor but I've eaten Yanni's burgers before. I do think they're excellent, the patties are fantastic and I can't offhand think of burgers I've had that are significantly better.
At the same time there's no doubt that the guerilla dining hype results in rather elevated expectations. Not tried the Spuntino burger though.
›18 Replies-
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re: zuriga1
Yes, It is a really stupid name. It's his take on a Big Mac. Have had one or two before but not at Meat Liquor. I also really don't like the amount of jalapenos he puts on the Bobcat Burger - far too many and they detract from the taste of the meat. Don't even know if know if he serves Bobcats at Meat Liquor because I haven't been.
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re: brokentelephone
zuriga1
Nov 18, 2011 10:59 PM
I have to agree that the rolls are something special and pretty distinctive to Phila. The meat has to be shaved just right, too. I can't remember now what type of cheese is usually used. I'm glad I ate tons of them as a kid and now I don't miss them (or hoagies) all that much. I lie.
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re: brokentelephone
It's not just amoroso rolls... and no one puts green peppers on a cheesesteak. it's with or without which just means with or without friend onions. Some places use cheese whiz, some places provolone, but most use american cheese. the best cheese steak shops gut the rolls (pull out most of the bread filling to basically leave just a crusty shell and leave more room for the meat and cheese. Born and bread in Philly and raised on cheesesteaks.
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re: expatlondon
zuriga1
Nov 20, 2011 05:20 AM
Absolutely... no peppers in a real cheesesteak. By the time my kids went to uni in Phila, long after I'd moved away, they were putting cheese whiz on the fries. I guess things morph a bit. I've been alerted about Pickle and Rye in East Sheen. Apparently they do Philly cheesesteaks as the owner is from 'our' town. I'll get there, too.
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re: cathodetube
zuriga1
Nov 20, 2011 09:08 AM
Are you picking on me? :-) Back in the Stone Age, when I first got married, we got a meat grinder as a wedding gift. It was so big and we had a tiny graduate student flat, but I kept it and probably used it once or twice over many years. If I made my own, which I would never bother with now, I'd probably use a cut with some fat in it and In the old country, I think it's called chuck. I'd rather put things on the hamburger rather than in it, except maybe for some spices.
I'll check if it says what Heston uses for his. I think the package just said 'different cuts of meat.' Maybe sirloin mixed with chuck would be nice.
I seriously counsel people not to load up on too many high fat foods, starting when they are young and to get their lipids checked, even in their 30's. It saves on big health problems later in life. Off soapbox.......
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re: cathodetube
zuriga1
Nov 20, 2011 12:02 PM
Never made a cheesesteak as I knew it would be inferior to anything I'd eaten growing up in Phila. Luckily, life took me back there quite often until I left to move here, so I had many fixes over the years. Even better in some ways than the cheesesteak is the famous 'hoagie' sandwich, the best was always from Lee's Hoagie House. I've never had anything again quite like that.
I don't have an outdoor grill over here and my husband doesn't eat beef very often, so I have to usually do my hamburger eating solo and in a restaurant.
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re: cathodetube
zuriga1
Nov 18, 2011 10:57 PM
From what I remember from the packaging (now thrown away), the HB hamburger is made of different cuts of fantastic beef that are mixed together. Who knows? It did have a nice taste and was not too huge, which I liked. I sometimes put some cheese on top and melt it.
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re: zuriga1
i highly recommend the burgers delivered by the east london steak company
http://www.eastlondonsteak.co.uk/the-...
i found they compare quite favourably with those on offer at meat liquor, using excellent beef and different cuts in each burger
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