Twitter Review:
Good burgers and great toppings and sides make this the best burger joint i've been to in London.
Full review:
I'm a bit of a burger monster. I've been to most of the burger chains, such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Fine Burger, that have sprung up around London in the last few years. Whilst they are a big improvement on previous efforts, for me none of them have really delivered a truly great burger that competes with the best i've had in America.
To be truly great the burger has got to be medium thickness, not overly seasoned and be juicy and cooked medium. So after hearing great things about Hache in Camden I thought I better give it a try.
I'd been for a few beers with friends in Camden and five of us turned up for dinner on a Saturday night. The restaurant was fully booked, but the staff agreed to let us squeeze round one of the outside tables.
The first thing to say is that the menu presents a truly impressive range of burgers and sides. They've got a great combination of burgers (beef, chicken, lamb, duck, venison, fish and vegetarian) and some original and appetising toppings, such as red peppers and goats cheese; chorizo and chilli jam; and jerk spices and Caribbean mango chutney.
Therefore choice was going to be difficult and I was going to get jealous at something my friend ordered!
In the end, I kept it simple and went for the classic bacon and cheese burger and as a table we decided to share some fries, onion rings and halloumi as well.
The place was packed, but service was friendly, quick and efficient and our food arrived in good time. There is something aethestically pleasing about a seeing a burger stacked high on a plate and when the food arrived it truly looked the business.
So how did the burger fair? Well it was cooked a perfect medium and was good, but for me it was just a little dry and not quite as succulent as i would have liked. However, the sweet cure bacon was thick, and crisp, the cheese was nicely melted and the ciabatta fresh and crusty. Overall it was a very good, but not quite great burger.
The fries were excellent - they were crisp, nicely seasoned with salt and not at all greasy. The onion rings were also very good and my halloumi fetish was nicely sated by some well grilled slices.
Out of my friends food there were two stand-outs: the crispy duck burger was fantastic - a classic combination of duck, hoisin sauce, cucumber and spring onion. Another highlight was the calorific chicken burger with cheese, bacon and honey mustard.
The bill was very reasonable (the burgers are typically £7-£10) and overall i'd say Hache is the best burger restaurant i've been to in London, but for me there is still room for improvement and it's crown could be taken by someone who can combine Hache's range and quality of toppings with a jucier burger...the challenge is on!