Storefront City

WHAT: Le Bun
WHEN: 2 November – 1 December, 2019 (every Saturday and Sunday, 11:30am – 4:00pm)
WHERE: Old Bengal Bar and New Street Grill (16 New Street, London, EC2M 4TR)
PRICE: £8-14 (Buns)

OUR RATING: Do It!

This month kicks off a four-week residency with Le Bun at New Street Grill and Old Bengal Bar. Coming up, there will be four weekends with four collaborations every Saturday and Sunday featuring different Le Bun burger classics. We had the amazing opportunity to attend their launch event last weekend, and boy do they have some mouth-watering burgers in store for you!

So what does this month bring in the burger world? The upcoming collaborations include the first week with @theburgerlist and Le Bourguignon Bun ‘2.0’ (pulled beef shin, red wine jus, beef fat rosti, Roquefort crumble, smoked lardons, champagne slaw, truffle mayo, and potato brioche) and then the second week with @TheBiggestLew and ‘Le Grande Lew feat. Oxtail Crack’ (aged beef, smoked oxtail crack, confit garlic dijonnaise, double American cheese, pink onions, mustard, and potato brioche). Week three follows with @LaurenwCapulet’s vegan version of the Le Bun menu (see below for our review of one of their vegan burgers), and then week four with @Fitwaffle and the classic Le Bun burger.

The Old Bengal Bar itself is a swanky affair – complete with luxurious sofas, exposed brickwork, and an eye drawing mirrored bar (which looked exceedingly well-stocked). Certainly a perfect spot to shelter in these colder months.

So now for the important part – how was the food?

Alicia: I took the opportunity to try the Chicken Skin Caesar salad and the Truffled F*****g Vegans burger with a vegan patty, burger sauce and cheese, confit beer onions, pickles, ketchup & mustard, and a potato bun.

The salad had a lovely dressing and a generous amount of creamy blue cheese, although it was far too dressed and practically swimming in sauce. The best part was definitely the chicken skin pieces, which were reminiscent of pork rinds and had a gorgeous crunch. The burger itself was without doubt a much more successful dish, with a great bite from the pickles and a very pleasing vegan take on cheese. The patty was quite similar to Quorn – perhaps not the best vegan patty I’ve ever had but still extremely delicious.

Adam: The Double Double (double aged patty, double American cheese, truffle veal jam (how decadent!), truffle mayo, and potato brioche) my burger of choice, was a truly perfect masterpiece. Superbly finished in a mouth-watering combination of condiments complementing the subtly smoked richness of the beef, you need to be prepared for this one: it’s a HUGE stack! Most decidedly a knife and fork job!

What goes better with a burger than fries? Unfortunately, as with all the sides, I was a little less impressed with this offering. Fries and truffle mayo might sound splendid, but these were pretty standard thin cut fries with a smattering of mayo (the truffle taste wasn’t strong). A little perplexing given the amazing quality of the burgers.

Final Thoughts: Go for the burgers (maybe skip the sides), some lovely bubbly and the stylish ambiance. Next time we return we might go for a Bloody Mary with a cheeseburger slider on top and try their small bites like their truffle mac and cheese. We can’t wait to experiment with all the upcoming burger options!

P.S. Have burgers on the brain? Stay tuned for our upcoming feature on The Queen of Hoxton’s Emerald City event and their charcoal bun burgers.