Which Glass: 85mm, 50mm, 35mm

Stepping down from BurgerWeek was hard. Was tempted to extend the week with another visit to Lucky Chip but resisted. Saturday made a big salad with roast chicken, eggs, roquefort, radishes, chives, gem lettuce, spinach, beetroot, romano peppers (fresh and roasted), tomatoes. Sunday salmon in coconut milk with fresh ginger, garlic, lemon, turmeric. By Monday begin drifting a bit burgerish with a beef and chorizo chili. One of the welcome surprises from BurgerWeek was how much I like my new lens.

A while ago I bought a new Nikkor 85mm f1.4. Great lens. Especially good at taking candid-ish portrait shots. Was long enough to be unobtrusive. Super-fast. But it was kind of specialized and a bit difficult to use. Bit long for longer exposures without some jitter (no VR), and open wide the depth of field was tiny. When it worked, it was amazing. But I wasn't often reaching for it.

Fortunately, I was able to sell it for more than I paid for it. It's a mystery to me why it appreciated in value, but I'm not complaining. With the proceeds, I bought a Tokina 11-16mm, which is still great fun, and a 50mm f1.8, and had change left over. The 50mm didn't work out as I thought. It was too short to get quality candid photos as I had with the 85mm, and too long for indoor work. Seemed neither here nor there for me.

So prior to BurgerWeek I sold it and stepped up to the more expensive 35mm f1.8. Well, I love it. It's short enough and fast enough to use indoors with humans (and food), and seems generally sharper than the 50mm as well. It works fine as a walking around lens -- the first serious competition in that category to my 18-200mm VR. Really nice lens from Nikon.

BurgerWeek Day 7: Homemade

We concluded BurgerWeek by cooking at home. The prep is very simple: high quality, grass-fed, dry-aged, freshly minced beef from the butcher (Ginger Pig is my local), with a minimum of handling. I split the meat into portions, shape roughly into spheres, handling as little as possible. I use my largest cast-iron pan over highest heat on the largest burner. Bit of butter in the pan after it's hot, just before the burgers go in.

Shape them in the pan thusly: drop the meatballs into the pan and let them sizzle for a couple seconds. With spatula, squash halfway down, then flip, then squash to final thickness. That is the last time they will be squashed -- gentle handling from there on out. That's it. (This method is inspired by the technique we used when I did a stint as a cook at a diner/burger joint long ago. Those were thinner, shaped with spatulas that were more like scrapers -- sharp wide blades that were very short. The result would be a thinnish pattie that was thickest in the middle but tapered to a thin crispy lattice at the edges. Not everyone's cup of tea but really tasty if you like the diner style, and they stacked well for double cheeseburgers.)

Tonight ours were 200g each. Salt after they go in the pan, then salt again after flipping. Have the broiler fired up. When the patties are just about done, move them onto a baking sheet, cover with cheese, and pop under the broiler until melted.

We went with cheddar, our usual cheese.  No brioche rolls, though, good buns are hard to find. We had to settle for floury baps, which were ok. Buttered and toasted them under the broiler. Also cooked a heap of grilled onions. Assembled burger from bottom to top: toasted bottom bun, bit of ketchup, shredded iceberg lettuce, burger with melted cheese, fried onions, toasted top bun. Straightforward and really tasty. Quality beef is the key. It should not require a huge amount of extra flavor added in or around it, just a couple complimentary ingredients and that's it.

I wasn't about to make chips, so we rounded out the plate with some decent crisps and called it a meal.

So that's it. A relaxing and tasty end to an epic week.

BurgerWeek Day 6: Restaurant Wrap-Up

Today was the 6th and final restaurant visit of BurgerWeek 2012. Tomorrow is DIY day to conclude the week. Just like mon-wed, this would be my only meal of the day. For the restaurant finale, a feast at Hawksmoor Guildhall.

don't drink the one on the left

The dining hall at this venue is large but comfortable. Nicely done. Staff friendly and efficient. I'd been to the original Hawksmoor shortly after it opened, years ago. The starters, service, chips, and dessert were all great, but they get their beef the same place I do, and I think I do at least as good a job cooking them as they do, so not worth the markup for me. But tonight was a special treat so no worries about the price, full speed ahead.

I started with the crab and samphire salad. Samphire's a bright green coastal plant that would look good in an aquarium and added a crisp, salty crunch to the sweet shredded crab meat. Simple and savoury.

It was dark, which means I need a new camera with a full-frame sensor and a new lens.

Then the burgers. Oh my! Hawksmoor wins BurgerWeek. The youngster got his with ogleshield (the only service mistake: the waitress wrongly described this as "cheddar", it was ogleshield, which is basically raclette cheese made in Somerset instead of the Alps), and I got mine with stilton. In terms of raging beefiness, this was right up there with the Bread Street Kitchen shortrib burger. The Hawksmoor version was even more succulent. While the bun was really good and acquitted itself well, this does take skill to eat. My recommendend technique: cut it in half first. The thick patty was cooked flawlessly. A bit messy but no complaints. Spectacular.

The chips were also excellent. We tried both the "triple cooked chips" and the "beef drippings chips". The former are what I would considered standard chips and the latter are the very-thick variety. I prefer the former but execution on both sets was simply flawless. Even the oversized ones were crispy on the outside, fluffy and on the inside.

we serve both kinds of chips, country and western

I couldn't resist ordering creamed spinach, which was tender, sweet, and spiced just right. After all that, somehow the youngster managed a dessert of bitter chocolate mousse with orange compote. Kudos all around. A worthy and fitting end to the restaurant series.


So the final overall rankings, not a dud in the bunch, all recommended 

Hawksmoor
Lucky Chip
MEATmarket
Bread Street Kitchen
Byron
Rivington Grill

Our rankings were nearly identical, except the youngster puts MEATmarket ahead of Lucky Chip.

Interesting variation on cheeses, with Lucky Chip, MEATmarket, and Byron opting for american-style, Rivington surprisingly the lone cheddar, BSK monterey jack (would likely sell well in stores if people knew what to do with it, but is very hard to find here), and Hawksmoor offering ogleshield or stilton.



Accolades
beef zealots award: Hawksmoor, Bread Street Kitchen
best chips: Hawksmoor, runner up Rivington Grill
best overly thick chips: Hawksmoor, Bread Street Kitchen
best bun: Bread Street Kitchen, honourable mention Hawksmoor, Rivington Grill
best special occasion, no holds barred treat: Hawksmoor
most likely to return soon, and often: Lucky Chip, MEATmarket
most likely to return with rest of family: Byron
most comfortable chairs: Hawksmoor
best music: Rivington Grill
best way to prepare lettuce for a burger: shredded

plus a special nod to burgerapp, for providing inspiration and spot-on recommendations


Recap
Lucky Chip: yay! likely to be a regular stop on saturday market day
MEATmarket: great fun, charming place, will look for excuses to end up near covent garden
Rivington Grill: really nice, but not exactly our style of burger, likely to go back but to get something else
Bread Street Kitchen: as good as it should be, will be hard to get anything other than the burger upon return, even though the rest of the menu looked good
Byron: don't have to settle for GBK if a Byron is nearby; great stop for the whole family
Hawksmoor: living up to the highbrow standard

BurgerWeek Day 5

Byron! We visited the Cheapside location of this bustling chain, one of now 21 locations in London.

it is important to stay hydrated during BurgerWeek

I got a limited edition jubilee special -- the Chilli Queen, while the youngster got the Byron, a bacon cheeseburger. The Chilli Queen is a green chile cheeseburger: fresh chopped green chiles under melted american cheese on top of a burger which rests on shredded iceberg lettuce and chipotle mayo. A decade ago the green chile cheeseburger at [now long gone] Santa Fe on Upper Street was the only burger in London I could order without trepidation. It was fantastic. I didn't expect the Byron burger to live up to it so was not disappointed. Yes, I missed the grilled tortilla wrapper and the monterey jack (which goes better with fresh green chiles) of the Sante Fe version, but the Byron special was really enjoyable on its own merits. The beef was good, and cooked nicely to order (not overcooked!). The stack of ingredients worked really well together. Ostensibly it ends its run on June 5th, but I would be happy to see it reappear on the menu at some point.

it is also important to order burgers during BurgerWeek

The chips were hand-cut, skin on. They were fine. Bit stubby and not as good as double-dipped, but good enough. They also offer thin "fries". Service was welcoming and relaxed (in a good way). Drinks included Byron Pale Ale, brewed for them by Camden Town Brewery. Generous milkshakes completed the meal.

chips love doing depth of field demonstrations at f1.8

So overall? This doesn't quite make it to the very top tier but we both really liked it. This is less a special-occasion burger and more a nice reliable place to stop by. It is the same market as GBK but a big cut above. Recommended, and will go back.

BurgerWeek Day 4

Tonight's venue: Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen. It's a large and impressive interior. Service was welcoming and attentive. I started with salmon ceviche as I'm a sucker for the mix of citrus and coriander and fresh green chiles. Then onto the "short rib" burgers.

short rib burger @ Bread Street Kitchen

They are not lying. The depth of flavor of these was amazing. Best and fullest beef flavor so far. These burgers were very thick. Fantastic. Topped with monterey jack, some slices of pickle and a sweet homemade ketchup, all sitting on top of a crisp shredded iceberg slaw. The de rigueur brioche bun deserves special mention as it was eggier than average -- soft and sweet but substantial enough to handle a burger of this gravitas. A perfect wrapper.

large and mighty chips

The chips were of the very thick variety, which is not my preference (bad volume to surface area or something), but they were cooked perfectly. Normally chips this size are undercooked but these were dialled in just right. Absolutely worth getting.

Recommended!

BurgerWeek Day 3

What time is it? It's BURGER TIME!!

Tonight we headed to the controversial Rivington Grill. Nice place and a lovely warm sunny evening. I started with a crisp fresh spring salad of peas, cress, spinach, beets, carrot, radish, parsnip, goat cheese, asparagus, red cos (maybe? I lost track). Really, that was just to build anticipation for the burger.

WTF??!? That's not a burger....

Another winner. The Rivington does a mildly spiced/herbed burger with a generous layer of melted cheddar. The youngster added bacon as well. Very good toasted sesame bun. I'll admit that although I enjoy a well thought out herbed burger, my preference is for the beef to speak for itself. But this made for a really great change of pace. Definitely a cut above. Highly recommended for non-purists.

The chips were the best so far. Excellent execution. Friendly and attentive service. And a rich, luxurious, not too sweet chocolate tart with sour cream for dessert.

classy presentation at Rivington Grill

P.S. A Note On Eating
Saturday neither of us ate breakfast. We had a big lunch then a late meal while watching Eurovision. Sunday neither of us ate breakfast. I wasn't hungry. I went for a 5-mile run then, eventually, we got lunch. Sunday night we had a small late dinner. [Small for me: some celery, half a head of lettuce, some roquefort, and a handful of blueberries. Small for a teenage boy: half a head of lettuce, tortilla chips covered with melted cheddar, an entire can of refried beans, and a large package of fresh blueberries.] Today I didn't eat at all until dinner, so about 22 hours since my last meal. If you're not hungry, don't eat. You don't need to eat 3 meals a day. You don't need to eat 2 meals a day. Or even 1 sometimes.

BurgerWeek Day 2

Today we headed over to Covent Garden to try MEATmarket, tucked up on the loft on the south wall above the stalls inside Jubilee Market Hall. Another winner. Great burgers! We got the Dead Hippy and the Black Palace -- double-cheeseburgers that varied slightly on toppings, the latter having grilled onions, for example. The patties were smaller than at Lucky Chip, and conducive to doubling up as a result. Still thick enough on their own. They were cooked perfectly. We got them with sides of fastfoodish (mcdonald's-style) fries, which I would give a miss to next time but the youngster was more than happy to wolf down.

Dead Hippy @ MEATmarket

Staff was friendly and welcoming (must be something about good burgers). The space was fun and relaxed, overlooking the buzzing market. In the nice touches category: free cold water, and soft drinks served in small cups but with free refills. The rest of the menu looked good. As hot as it was today, unfortunately due to mechanical problems there were no milkshakes on offer.

Overall, kind of like what you'd dream a fast food burger joint would turn into when it grows up, but never does. Heartily recommended, would definitely go back.


P.S. We did do mini-burgers during Eurovision last night. I gently pressed some beef mince into a shallow nonstick pan greased lightly with some olive oil (hamburger meat should be worked as little as possible, unlike when you're making, say, breakfast sausage patties), then slicked up a round cookie cutter with a bit of olive oil and cut a bunch of small burgers. They were maybe 5cm diameter each. Relatively thick, they griddled up nicely. About 3 bites each. I ate mine each with a bit of cream cheese and wrapped in a leaf of iceberg lettuce. Really nice.

BurgerWeek Day 1: BurgerVision

Since the teenager and myself are on our own this week we've decided to launch BurgerWeek: seven straight days of cheeseburgers. Each day will include a different burger source. London is a great place to get terrible burgers, so this required careful research and planning. We made heavy use of BurgerApp for iphone, a fun little local guide of where to find edible burgers here.

Bacon Cheeseburger from Lucky Chip*

Today is a special day. Not only is it day 1 of BurgerWeek, it is also the day of the Eurovision final, which we love, because it is bonkers. As an excellent bonus, our favorite TV writer Stu Heritage will be liveblogging it in the Guardian as well. Really, it's almost too much excitement for one day.

Tonight for the Eurovision song contest marathon viewing we will be sticking with the theme and having home-made micro burgers. There's some scheme being floated to use philadelphia as the cheese and tortilla chips for buns. We'll work it all out brilliantly when the time comes I'm sure. Not long now.

To kickoff BurgerWeek proper, our first stop was lunch at the Lucky Chip food truck at Netil Market. (A little runner from the Broadway Market roots must have tunneled under the school and sprouted this some time ago.) The Lucky Chip is normally serving at the Sebright Arms but also does Netil Market on Saturdays. As with all of our planned BurgerWeek restaurants, we'd never been there before.

Lucky Chip at Netil Market

Well, it was great. Easily the best burger I've had in London that I didn't cook myself. We both got bacon cheeseburgers. There was nothing to fault about the burger at all. Good meat, cooked perfectly, topped with melty cheese and nice bacon, sitting on top of shredded lettuce with a tangy blended condiment, sandwiched in a soft but just-substantial-enough-to-handle-the-burger bun. Wow. Exceeded expectations.

The folks running the show were really friendly as well. It helped, I'm sure, to have a properly warm and sunny and breezy market day. Everyone in a good mood. Our food was cooked to order and brought to us at a little table in the courtyard of the market. The chips were tasty but too salty, even for me (I love salt in heroic doses), and a bit soft and greasy. They were similar to my own efforts to make chips in a pan. Not to say they were bad. They were actually quite good, head and shoulders above the tasteless pale starch sticks most places try to pass off as chips here. Clearly homemade and flavorful. Just needed possibly a higher temp finish and a bit less salt. Would definitely get them again, but they weren't at the same level of excellence as the burger.

Will we be back? Oh yes. If you haven't been, you should probably go immediately.


*click on photos for larger version/instant hunger

Cluizel Chocolate Bars

I've been looking for milk chocolate bars with less sugar and more cocoa. Just tried some Michel Cluizel bars and they are fantastic. They do single plantation dark chocolate varieties. These are really good, most in the 67% range, although I'd like to see some higher-cocoa versions (my usual dark chocolate bar is the 85% lindt or the surprisingly good 82% tesco own-brand). The Cluizel I'm most fond of though is the 50% cocoa milk-chocolate. Lindt milk chocolate is 30-31%, G&B 34%, crappier stuff much lower. Slitti does a 70% cocoa milk chocolate but I've not yet got my hands on one. At 50%, the Cluizel Mangaro Lait has a  smooth, caramel creaminess of a milk chocolate but lashings of deep cocoa richness. Highly recommended.

Cowboys & Aliens & Bears

Recently saw Cowboys & Aliens and it was quite surprising all around. I really liked it. It was not a comedy. It was not what I expected. It was pretty serious. It would have been a really [perhaps more] enjoyable straight-up western, except it then had aliens added to it. But really it's just a bonkers version of Wizard of Oz.

Harrison Ford needs a heart. Daniel Craig has lost his mind. Sam Rockwell finds courage. Olivia Wilde is the girl "not from around here". And there's even a plucky dog.

There are no bears. Sorry.

Not a movie still. Also not a man in a bear suit.

Lift With Your What?

The ancient wisdom of "lift with your legs" is poor advice. Poor because it doesn't tell really tell you anything about what you should or shouldn't be doing when you "lift" something. Lift with my legs? How? What are you not supposed to lift with? Your arms? Well, if you have proper form and posture, there's nothing wrong at all with lifting with your arms. Want to row a rock up off the ground to inspect it closely? Go ahead. Want to curl a conch to your ear? Knock yourself out.

So here's what it really means: don't bend at the waist.

Bend at the hips. Keep the natural arch in your back intact (don't round it or hunch over). When you lift something really heavy, you lift with your butt and your hips and your legs. Your arms will think they participated, it's ok to let them think that. Hinge those hips, that's your lever. Protect your back. Don't bend at the waist.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Made buckwheat pancakes this morning and it worked out well as a wheatless Sunday treat. Went heavy on the eggs but otherwise my usual recipe base, sans bramleys or oats this week.

1.5 C buckwheat flour
2 t baking powder
0.5 t salt
3 T sugar

5 eggs
1 t vanilla
3 T (or so) melted butter
1+ C milk, warmed

combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then mix together
cook on griddle or pan with lots of butter
server with more butter, and maple syrup or honey or cinnamon & sugar
did you use enough butter? you probably didn't

They seem to cook more quickly and burn more easily than the regular pancakes. Also they do better flipped earlier than normal.