Licky Chop

Licky Chop @LickyChops
Climpsons Arch, Arch 374, Helmsley Place London E8 3SB

I love the summer when the weather is like this (touch wood, sorry if I've jinxed it!). Eating Al fresco, and especially barbecue, really increases my enjoyment of social eating. However, most of the best BBQ joints in the city, like Pitt Cue Co, are inside. Bar a few pop up's and street food, there isn't enough to satiate my desires. 
Enter Licky Chop with their two wood fired oven behemoths. While it must be soo tempting to make a meat centric menu, LC give pride in place to some incredible vegetable dishes, as well as fish, and lesser used, but great tasting, meat cuts such as lamb belly, and onglet.

HKK

HKK (@HKKLondon)
88 Worship St, EC2A 2BE

There's a lot of history between me and Hakkasan. My first trip to the Hanway Place branch was a housewarming present from my family when I started at UCL - and my first Michelin starred meal. It started a long-standing love affair with the groups restaurants, particularly Yauatcha, their informal dim sum patisserie in Soho (easily top 5 restaurants for me). When I heard that former head chef Tong Chee Hwee was designing a bespoke tasting menu at this City-based outpost, I just had to go.

The US burger invasion: An Honest retaliation

Much has been made of the ever growing population of burger joints in London and the much deliberated 'fast food for the middle class'. With select cuts of rare breed beef, medium rare patties, brioche buns and fries doused in rosemary salt are common place, it has really taking off with the most popular places like MeatLiquor, Patty&bun, Honest burgers have hour long plus waiting times. Clearly this trend hasn't escaped the attention of those across the pond with Five Guys opening to align with Independence day, and Shack Shack from NYC, already synonymous with queues, the day after. Oh yes, and they happen to be within 300 metres of each other.

Both couldn't have asked for better burger beating news storm that surrounded George Osbourne and his Byron burger last week, with Five Guys and Shack Shack's openings being named dropped at the drop of a hat in every news article.

But what of the UK response, is there room for another 2 huge burger joints? Honest Burgers got ahead, under the radar, opening another branch this time in Camden Lock Market and hope to open another soon near Kings Cross. It was a heavy week for me, Meat Market on Sunday, the BurgerMonday from Youngandfoodish (including an phenomenal pastrami poutine), and then these three. I think I need a lie down...

Bain's Big Bacon Burger

We've gone through a far amount of burgers since starting this blog. Although I don't cook many at home, burgers are best with a few mates and drinks, I'd like to think I know what consitutes the making a a fine burger, from a juicy patty, bun to toppings. Introducing the "Triple B™ burger", I put together the following

• A good patty, I used The Butchery Ltd bone marrow burgers
• Demi-brioche bun, from St.John's Bakery
• Candied bacon, green streaky from The Butchery Ltd
• Blue cheese aioli, inspired by Big Dirty Burger
• Grilled lettuced, a la Pitt Cue Co
• Grill Tomato slice