Come out of Kentish Town tube station, turn right, walk for 6 1/2 minutes and tucked behind Pizza East in the rather unlikely setting of a car park you’ll find Dirty Burger. It’s the latest offering to burger ridden London from the Soho House Group. There’s nothing unique here but they serve burgers and everyone loves burgers don’t they!
The entrance was nestled under a staircase and you’d easily not realise what was through the door. The inside was small, seating only around twenty at one large communal table in the middle with stool seats around the outside. Corrugated iron walls and a plastic roof made us feel like we were in some old bike shed – obviously the desired effect.
We placed our order at the counter only to be told they don’t accept cards. Cash only? What is this the 1920’s? Who doesn’t accept cards? So, my rather hungry and grumpy gentleman companion and I power walked the 6 1/2 minute hike to Kentish Town tube station in search of a cash point and returned with bulging wallets.
We started with a strawberry and chocolate milkshake (£4 each). Both were very pleasant but I think £4 is a little much for a milkshake however tasty it is.
The burger menu was very simple – the ‘dirty burger’ priced at £5.50 was the only one available and it was served on a tin tray. I opted for a side of crinkle cut fries (£2.50). The burger was a little bit bland to be honest. The lettuce, tomato and thick sliced gherkins gave some flavour but I had to drench it in mustard, ketchup AND mayo (from a Heinz sachet – yuk!) to give it some oomph. I’m a fan of a burger being served pink (there really is no better way) but this one was grey in appearance yet had a raw (not rare) looking centre. The burger was also too small so with every mouthful we got too much bun and not enough meat. The burgers at MEATmarket and Tommi’s Burger Joint are far superior if you ask me.
Now to the positives. The crinkle cut fries were absolutely delicious. Crunchy (and I mean crunchy) misshapen crinkly fries with a generous sprinkling of salt went down a storm with both of us.
The fried onions (£2.50) were also a winner. A very crunchy and definitely not soggy batter covered the onions and made for a very moreish snack.
At £24 for two burgers, two sides and two milkshakes we felt like Dirty Burger wasn’t good value for money – after all we were seated inside a tin shack, in a car park in Kentish Town. The burger was underwhelming but thank God for those crinkle cut chips. We liked them. But not the burgers.
6/10
