Eat & Drink
Originally published on Tuesday, 11th December 2012
TRAILER TRASH
The Junk Movement continues
To say we’ve borrowed trailer trash cuisine would be an understatement. Burgers, surf ‘n’ turf, fried chicken, steak houses, hotdogs, doughnuts… you name it, and we have the pimped-out version: it’s triple cooked, with truffle mayo, between sweet brioche baps, or served with Champagne. And it shows no remote sign of waning. This weekend, Vegas’ Little White Wedding Chapel popped up, Elvis and all, in a Boxpark unit. Enough said.
The meat saturation continues. Fried chicken is London’s current darling – on top of pop ups and restaurants we’re noticing it on many a menu. The best include Electric Diner’s honey and sesame seed, Rita’s southern fried roll and Caravan’s fried with watermelon.
Still queuing for Bubbledogs? Head to Portobello market where there’s a new hotdog guy. On the steak front STK’s made the jump, while Flat Iron moved last week to a permanent Soho home with its steak for a tenner (the “wonder cut” is from beef shoulder, often used in hamburgers) with salad and chips.
In the burger realm Patty&Bun has also gone bricks and mortar, while the latest place, though ‘American-inspired,’ hails from Beirut. BRGR.CO offers a simple choice of 4oz, 6oz or 8oz burgers with optional toppings – like chilli con carne – shakes and desserts. And Yianni Papoutsis, the guy who arguably started all of this, opens up restaurant number three this week: MEATmission. Apt.
Don’t even get us started on doughnuts. In a bag at STK, with haute fillings at Electric – bergamot orange and Mexican chocolate – and a full-on doughnut filling machine at Flat Iron (doughnuts are provided by St John). And then there’s Disco Bistro, the latest pop up headed by American food whizz Carl Clarke, dishing out cheddar and rye donuts.
However, Disco Bistro is a whole different ball park altogether. The ‘trash food’ menu features lobster corn dogs, fried chicken in pig skin and the OTT French-dipped Disco Burger, which includes two patties, bone marrow, cheese and bacon. They’ve also just launched a weekly Bun Fight which includes a choice of four different burgers – including the Cracked Fish Dog (fish in pig skin, shellfish thousand island and spicy crab) – crinkle cut chips and beer for £10. And breathe.
Info
Flat Iron, now open, 17 Beak Street, W1F 9RW,
MEATmission, opens December 14, Hoxton Square
Disco Bistro at The Rising Sun, 61 Carter Lane, EC4V 5DY (see website for info on Disco Bun Fight)
