So one of my favourite things to munch is a good burger. I mean obviously most people probably feel that way, but I mean I would put a top quality burger and fries in my top three. So with this in mind I’ve set myself the challenge of trying to find London’s best burger place. My first entry comes from The Diner in Carnaby street.
So before I go into the food, I’m going to explain my scoring system. I’m going to judge the places on three aspects: the burger, the accompaniments (fries, shakes etc) and the place itself (service, presentation etc). I will give each one a maximum of 5 stars and then take the average for the overall score. Easy.
So first things first, the burger; it was really good. I went for the ‘The Grab burger’ which consisted of two usda short rib burgers with cheese, shredded lettuce burger sauce and pickles on a rinks slider bun, although I changed out the burger sauce for ketchup. I normally have mine rare but the dude serving me recommended the burgers be medium rare because they are made fresh and the consistency wouldn’t be right if it was rare, so I followed his advice. When it came it looked good, which I always feel is important, and it tasted amazing. Really beefy if that makes any sense at all. The texture was just right and it was big enough that I felt just the right side of stuffed afterwards. Price wise your talking between £7-9 so it’s pretty good. No negatives really and I’d go back so I’m going to give it 4.5/5.
The accompaniments were pretty good as well. There’s a variety of different sides you can have. Cheese fries, chili cheese fries, sweet potato fries…basically every type of chip you could want. I was torn between normal fries and Cajun fries which have a bit more kick, but I went with the plane ones in the end. They were crispy and thin which is how I like them, but overall, nothing special. However, the milkshakes were amazing. When I had my first sip I pulled a Vincent Vega and gave it the old ‘thats a pretty good fucking shake!’ I went for a chocolate one but they do all the standard ones you could want as well as a ridiculously nice peanut butter one which basically tasted like Reese’s butter cups. The shakes are made with real ingredients and are made right in front of you so it’s not some nesquick rip off job. The fries are cool but it’s the shakes that I’d go back for, so because of that I’m giving the accompaniments 4.5/5.
The place itself is set out like a traditional American diner. There were no tables available so we had to sit at the bar, but that made it feel more authentic I think. Overall I’d say it just feels like quite a cool place to eat. It’s a chain, but still manages to feel quite unique. The service was good and the staff helpful. I’d give it a 3.5/5.
So overall The Diner gets a score of 4.16 out of 5 which is pretty good considering it’s the first one I’ve reviewed. In all honesty it was everything I look for in a burger joint, but it was the milkshakes that I’d go back for.
So if your in Carnaby street this weekend, check it out and see if you agree!
THE MANSPLANATION 