A Hot Dinners Exclusive
Lucky Chip were one of the first wave of burger vans who showed Londoners just what a good burger actually was (it's hard to remember now but a few short years ago in London a decent burger was almost unheard of). And now after stints at Netil Market and a number of successful residencies - they're finally ready to go permanent with Lucky Chip Burgers & Wine in Dalston.
Obviously burgers will be one of the main attractions. So the usual suspects will be on the menu including the Cheeseburger (what it says), Kevin Bacon (with applewood smoked bacon), Royale with Cheese (adds tomato, onion and special sauce) and the El Chappo (bacon, jalapeno, blue cheese and aioli). All of these can also be upgraded to 50 day dry aged Galician beef if you want a really prime burger. Alongside those you'll find the usual "Lucky Chips" - French fries triple cooked with cheese, garlic and fresh herbs or truffle and Gorgonzola.
And special wine-matched burgers of the month. They'll be opening a magnum of wine each month to match to a "specially created burger in honour of the bottle."
But also there's more besides burgers. So they'll have steak tartare as a smaller dish and bigger plates added to the menu include 54 day aged Rib-eye Steak and peppercorn sauce and Chicken Parmigiana - plus more that'll be announced in January.
And a tasting menu - in a burger joint. Which should highlight that this really isn't any old burger joint. You can sit by the kitchen on their 10-seater bar for a weekly changing, multi course tasting menu paired with their wines. And this won't just be about burger.
Not forgetting about the wine either. There's going to be a big focus on the wine (the name should give that away), with 100 bottles chosen - with a focus on the New World, and California and Australia, "high caliber" wines from Europe and from further afield including Lebanon. And every Thursday at 7pm, they'll open a cult wine, usually only sold by the bottle, and offer it by the glass at cost price. Plus expect vintage-bottled and decanted bourbons and ryes, and a small list of cocktails.
As for the look, we're told it'll be an American style steakhouse circa 1980s. There promises to be mahogany parquet floors and wood panelling on the two level dining room which seats 70. That'll have booths around the room and a central sharing table plus big chandeliers and 80s artwork. And, of course, 80s music rounding things off.
Lucky Chip Burgers and Wine opens 22 January 2016 at 23-25 Ridley Road, London E8 2NP and open seven days a week for dinner and for weekend lunch in January. They'll be taking reservations and you can find out more from them on Twitter @lucky_chip.
