A BURGER AT HAWKSMOOR

My dear friend Sashimi Girl and I have been pursuing burgers,  not in the single minded way of some but we have sampled a few. We've done Meatwagon at The Rye, the Rivington Grill, Byron and a few others, and we felt it was time to visit Hawksmoor. We pitched up for our reservation at 1.30, intending to make an afternoon of it. The cocktail list at Hawksmoor is exemplary, imaginative yet respecting the principle that a cocktail should be strong and not filled up with fruit juice and umbrellas.  My particular favourite was the Silver Bullet - Gin, Kummel and Lemon Juice.  As the menu says 'This isn't for everyone - it depends whether you like Kummel, a spiced liqueur flavoured with caraway, cumin and fennel - but it's perfect for clearing fog at any time of day and has the odd distinction of being Prince Phuilip's favourite cocktail' - well I never thought I would have anything in common with the Duke but this was delicious, a great appetite stimulant - I had two....

So, onto the food. I started with Devon crab with toast which was all I could want it be, and Sashimi Girl had potted beef which disappeared pretty quickly. Then the main event....

We had tried to order our burgers on the rare side of medium but were told this wasn't possible because of health regulations. I had heard about this, and accepted it, but we were very happy to receive two beautifully pink burgers. I had mine without cheese and Sashimi Girl had stilton...we had also ordered a side of bone marrow which arrived beautifully prepared.

One bite and I was lost - the most flavoursome, juicy, beefy tasting burger I have ever had. I was truly astounded by the succulence, the tenderness, the way it melted in my mouth.  This is my benchmark burger to date...I look forward to finding a better one but I think the beef mix that Hawksmoor have, with those little nuggets of bone marrow, mkaes for a burger with a multi-dimensional flavour.  We devoured our burgers, ate as many of the excellent triple cooked chips that came with them as we could, then ordered another round of cocktails...the best way to spend a chilly afternoon.

We continue our quest.....AdCod next....