Burgers. We've reached saturation point in London, right? Not quite yet, it seems. As hot dogs and fried chicken threaten to wrest the zeitgeist upper hand away from the burger in 2012, Soho is hopping with more burger operators than ever before. Enter Fatt Burger to the fray.
Two chefs with twenty years of Michelin-starred cooking experience between them have decided to bring their own version to Soho, beginning with a three month residency at The Sun and 13 Cantons on the corner of Great Pulteney Street and Beak Street in Soho.
Matt Bishop has a CV studded with many of the biggest names in London kitchens: five and a half years spent at Gordon Ramsay's Royal Hospital Road, a Head Chef for Marco Pierre White, with Jason Atherton at Maze, with Paul Merret at The Greenhouse, and many stints elsewhere such as Zafferano - no flies on this chef.
The other chef involved will remain a mystery for the moment, with Matt preferring to refer to him as the mysterious Dr Fatt: his identity will be revealed in due course.
The duo have been trialling their burgers over the last few months around East London, and now they have a semi-permanent home, have unveiled a menu with little to suggest their cheffy credentials, just the odd posh ingredient.
The Fatt Original Burger is jazzed up with Morbier cheese, some fine mushrooms and roast garlic mayonnaise. Fatt Dragged Through the Garden Backwards Burger has Sharp's Cheddar, avocado, dill pickle and a spice mayonnaise. Fatt Piggy Burger sees the addition of Comté cheese and lots of bacon. There's a Fatt Korean Burger too, piggybacking on the Korean trend which has been bubbling along for a while with the addition of kimchi. A Fatt Veggie burger is on the menu, as well as a Fatt Coq Burger, their chicken option. Most of the burgers are £6.50-£7 for a single, £7.50-£9 for a double. Caesar Salad (£5-£6), Waldorf Salad (£6-£8), Skinny Fries (£1.50), Fatt Spuds (£2) and Onion Rings (£1.50) are also on hand.
How would Matt describe their burgers, compared to the slew of others out there?
"Slim and rich. We went to LA for ten days in January, and our favourite was In-N-Out Burger. So cheap, and so good. We both have an interest in flavours and despite our Michelin background, we want to provide quality at a good price, and put some fun into it at the same time. Our beef is thirty-two day aged from Lake District Farmers, and we think it's amazing. Our brioche buns are from Millers Bakery. We like all the other guys out there at the moment, although ours are probably more similar to Meat Liquor just because they are quite rich."
Not bad for a lad who took his first job at McDonald's. The London burger bubble is showing no sign of popping just yet.
Fatt Burger will be at the Sun and 13 Cantons from Monday to Saturday for three months. 21 Great Pulteney Street, W1F 9NG. Follow Fattburger on twitter @fattburger and the pub @Sun13Cantons.
Follow Zeren Wilson on twitter at @bittenwritten and on his blog Bitten & Written
