I feel like good meals focus on taste – but great meals have great taste, and also have great texture. In that respect, the burger at Ellliot’s cafe at Borough Market, London, is good. The well-aged patty tastes meaty, the buns are fresh, the cheese and other toppings is all very “nice” but this burger ultimately is only good because it doesn’t have a great texture – it’s all a bit soft and uninspiring. Don’t get me wrong – I think the burger is good, and the various toppings combine for an interestingly smokey flavour (even without smoked bacon) but it just doesn’t have the interesting texture of a great burger. This compares, for example, with the hot seared patty at Bad Egg, or the buttery texture of Bleecker St in a way that separates this burger from the great burgers.
That slightly unsatisfying texture is all the more perplexing when compared with their chips (which are served with every burger). Those chips are outstanding – a little like me, they are hard, sharp and crunchy on the outside, but on the inside, they are hot and soft. This is a good burger. But not a great burger. So, while good burgers are great, and this one is available in a great location, this isn’t a tier one effort. In addition, it is only available Monday to Friday.
