Reviews
In the last couple of years, several gourmet hamburger bars have opened in London. Their mission: to dispel the fast-food myth that burgers must be rubbery, painted with fake char-grill lines and contain at least one variety of woodland animal. Hamburger Union, arriving fashionably late to the party, is a welcome addition to the gourmet burger fold.
Hamburger Union's burgers are everything they should be: dark and slightly bitter from char-grilling on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The robust bun does not self-destruct when lifted from the plate, and the ketchup-mayo combo does not oppress the flavour of the meat like some burger relishes do. An interesting variation is the 'protein-style' burger which, in deference to Dr Atkins, is wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. One point: be sure to specify how you want the meat cooked, as they will not ask you and the default is 'well-done'.
A host of other bun-filling options are on offer: chicken, steak, chorizo, halloumi cheese or large field mushrooms. Chips are golden and crunchy, but an oily salad of tomato, lettuce and cucumber (the holy trinity of uninteresting salad ingredients) is over-priced at £3.25. (We can't agree that they're uninteresting but you're right about the price so we've reduced it to £2.75 - Hugh)
An unhelpful ordering system requires customers to queue in the takeaway area before admittance to the dining room. (We've changed this too - Hugh) This is disappointing as full table service would allow the stylish wooden benches to be appreciated as more than just a brief resting point on the way to the exit-only door.
But the burgers are great, and will have you ruing the day you ever set foot through Ronald McDonald's golden-arched doors. Mission accomplished.
Tom Lamont