Start with this - it's the chicken skin (£3) which comes with a soft yolk egg. Now we'll admit, we were a little flummoxed on what to do with the egg (is it a dip?) but the chicken skin is excellent. Ideal snackage while perusing the menu.
What can you tell us about Burger and Beyond?
The clue may be right there in its name and yes - burgers are a big deal here. They've been at street food markets across town (and still are) serving up some mighty fine burgers. But, as with every street food trader, the time comes when a permanent opportunity arrives. And so this is Burger and Beyond's first bricks and mortar restaurant.
Where is it?
It's on Shoreditch High Street, more or less opposite the Ace Hotel and about a two-minute walk from Shoreditch High Street station itself.
Where should we sit?
It's a small restaurant - but the choice places are either the booths along the wall - or on stools up at the bar. They also get extra points for seat cushions that are very, very comfy, letting you sink into them, That will come in handy given how much you'll want to eat here.
So - that "beyond" part - it's more than burgers?
Much more so than they've been able to do before. The proper kitchen space has allowed them to greatly expand their non-burger repertoire and it's really worth exploring that part of the menu, as it's full of gems. You can see the chicken skin we had above - but the snacks section also features sourdough with bone marrow butter, truffle nuts, cajun scratchings and giant chilli corn. Frankly, all of those sound great.
Heading into the starter/ small plate section, here's what we went through...
Shaved rib cap with melted anchovy butter poured over it (£6.50) - yes, you must order this - an excellent combination.
Mushrooms, shaved cured egg yolk and lardo on toast (£5.50). ALMOST vegetarian - we're sure you can ask for it without the lardo - obviously fantastic.
Lamb nuggets with burnt onion dip (£6) - almost like a lamb stew in nugget format. Not convinced by the dip, alas - more of a chutney. We think that an onion gravy accompaniment is just what this deserves.
But the burgers are still a big deal, yes?
Absolutely - so even though you should roam around the snacks and starters, leave room for the main event (and some great sides too). Prices start at £9 for a cheeseburger (or £12 for a double) and there are some great combos on there (the bacon butter burger with burnt butter mayo sounds amazing). Here's what we opted for...
The main event does not disappoint. This is the higher priced side of things on the burger front - the Bougie Burg (£16.50 for this double burger). It's two aged beef patties, cold smoked American cheese, steak sauce, marrownaise and beef fat onions. It's not on the cheap side but it is a bloody good burger - perfectly done (and despite how big and messy it is, the bun doesn't disintegrate). Just great.
We also wanted to try a non beef burger so opted for the Krispie Fried Chicken burger (£12.50) - it's Rice Krispie fried chicken, Miso Maple butter and ranch pickle slaw. Maybe of the best chicken burgers we've ever tried - loved that krispie coating.
Sides are well worth a look. We liked this - the fries with bone marrow gravy and cheese (£6.50) - but the gravy and cheese had merged a little too much for it to be called poutine.
This side, however, was just bloody fantastic. It's their truffle tots (£6.50) with parmesan shaved over - their equivalent of truffled, parmesan fries. The tots were just perfectly cooked - crisp outside, soft inside - and a waft of truffle hits the table as these are served. A must-have.
And there's a veggie burger too?
Yes - and one that sounds tempting even to us meat-eaters. It's the Mushroom Raclette (£10) - a panko coated mushroom patty, melted raclette, caramelised onion, green leaves and smoked garlic mayo.
Should we leave room for dessert?
If you can, yes. We have to admit, though, that we had eaten just a little too much at this point (sorry).
While we didn't have this, the deep-fried blueberry pie seems to be the thing worth holding back for (with clotted cream ice cream - £6.50). Photo by @lateef.photography.
And how about drinks?
We visited on a weekday lunch so went a little easy on the drink front - even though the rhubarb margarita (£8, as are all the cocktails) sounded very tempting indeed. There's a good craft beer range and a short wine list starting at £24 a bottle.
Overall?
London is now home to some excellent permanent burger joints and this is firmly in that group. Truly excellent burgers matched with creative snacks and side dishes make this easy to give a strong recommendation to. Well worth a visit.
More about Burger and Beyond
Where is it? 147 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JE
How to book: Book online here
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @burgerandbeyond.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of the restaurant. Prices correct at time of publication.
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