MEATEASY

Well we, or should I say I as this is not really B's idea of foodie heaven, had been looking forward to this for some time. To deliver on my part of the deal I sat through the afternoon performance of "The Kings Speech", which I must admit I quite enjoyed, at the Greenwich Picture House before we caught the 177 back up the road to New Cross and began the hunt for #Meateasy.

We arrived a little before 6pm and found the blackboard outside the Goldsmiths Tavern which directed us round the back. So it was up the fire escape to a reasonably large room which houses the kitchen, a bar, the "restaurant" and one hell of a good vibe before the first burgers were even on the grill.

Raffle tickets in hand we found one of the few remaining tables; even at this very early hour many had made the trek south of the river to worship at the altar of #Meateasy. Your seating, like the plates and eating irons, is basic but very functional. You will find the menu marked up on the wall along with the literary wallpaper; the lighting was on the atmospheric side but I'm pretty sure I was looking at some late era pictures of the Doctor though didn't feel the need to get close enough to check out the text. Hunter would have been right at home here.

B made her way to the bar and ordered up a couple of fine margaritas which came served in a jam jar at a very reasonable £6.50 a pop while I was left with the job of putting together our meal. After a bit of internal debate I was good to go and while I was at the bar ordering the second cocktail of the night our number was called; this threw me for a moment because I had planned on having a bottle of the fine Meantime beer with my burger but when the lord calls .....

B's chicken burger turned up first - love the way they shout out your name when your order is ready - which was finger licking good. Crispy coating with a moist tasty bird inside. My cheeseburger turned up shortly after and it was a sight to behold ....well, only for a second before I chowed down into this charred, rare beast of a thing. Juices dribbling down the chin and a wild look in the eyes according to my companion! The bun, the cheese and the pickles all played a great supporting role and are to be applauded.

The onion rings we had as a side were plump, crispy and had a very appealing sweet tang. The thin fries were much less successful, a bit limp and lukewarm but what the hell, I didn't give a damn with a burger this good.

The punters were a mixture of the beautiful, a couple of the damned and hardly anyone who was dangerous to know - which is pretty unusual in this neck of the woods. We left around 7.30, with the place heaving but happy, in search of a little piece of sanity down the road in our old time stand by, the Montague Arms.

If you have ever been in love with the burger I would suggest that you make every possible effort to visit #Meateasy before it closes in March. I would consider selling the car, mortgaging the house and many other things that I should not go into on a family-orientated website, but you get the picture. However, worry not because my bad, bad boy of a burger was only £6. So meat lovers ... for once be good to yourselves.
Comment on this reader review

NunheadNeil - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Whoever voted the food a 5 clearly has no idea what they are talking about.

1) these are the best burgers in London, hands down. It's like a classic In N Out burger, but way better

2) the onion rings OH MY GOD the onion rings. Simply amazing.

This place is popular and people are travelling from all over so if you want to complain about the service, understand it's a 2 bit operation serving probably more people than they can cope with, but that's no reason to vote the food down. On top of that, while the servers are rushed off their feet, they smile and are friendly through and through from what i've seen, asking how we enjoyed the food, if we were done with our plates etc.

If you want some overpriced Australian advocado and blue cheese thing, go to GBK. This is a real taste of 1950s Californian west coast dining at it's finest.
Comment on this reader review

Meatchops
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Following the hype around the restaurant, we decided to try this on Tuesday night. Getting there at about 6.10 we thought this would ensure we were fed at a reasonable hour. We were given our ticket numbers 54 and 55 and were told that ordering would take about 50 minutes.

2 hours later we were still waiting to have our orders taken, and they were only just in the 40's. The people next to us had waited nearly an hour between ordering and food delivery, so on our calculations we would have been lucky to have eaten before 10. On that basis we left.

Meateasy is what the area needs, but I can't help thinking that some of the hype around the queueing is self created to help with the bar takings. I'm not really convinced that you can't cook 50 burgers in 2 hours. Saying that though the atmosphere in the restaurant was buzzing and I really wanted to like it.

I do hope to go back to Meateasy and actually taste the food, and I only hope that the service speeds improve
Comment on this reader review

4 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Friday, January 28, 2011

Best burgers in town are back! Ok, I admit a slight conflict of interest - I'm an existing Meatwagon fan and I can't wait for another of Yianni's amazing cheeseburgers :D In between trips to the griddle you might forget just quite how good the burgers are - but only until you get one between your teeth and the flavours hit. If you grew up eating McDonalds, this is the burger you've always wanted it to be. If you hate McDonalds, this is still the burger of your dreams. From the cheese melting into the beef, to the crisp pickles and fresh salad, you'll be in burger heaven. You won't want to speak, drink, look anywhere but forwards to your next bite. Trust me, all too soon it'll just be a pile of juice and the odd morsel of lettuce on your plate, and you'll be wondering if you can fit another one in. If there's even the tiniest craving for more, go and order straightaway 'cos a burger like that takes a few minutes. And then remember why all over again.

The Meateasy lives over a pub - don't worry about downstairs, as you walk in, head straight for the doors in front of you to go upstairs, and as you open the door at the top, get ready for it. Low lights at night, the walls plastered with Hemingway and Hunter S Thompson novels, streetlight filtering through the windows and a rock of ice behind the bar - to which the bar staff take a hammer and chisel and knock off lumps for your drink. The kitchen is open-walled so you can watch the chefs slaving over the griddle, and the menu is scrawled on the wall. I can recommend anything on there - I've tried the cheeseburger, the bacon burger (a full-on handmade patty of bacon lives in there) and the Philly Cheese Steak - my personal favourite. I'm also desperate to try the Dead Hippy, Yianni's take on the Big Mac, and his Chilli Dog. If you prefer chicken or sides, there are several offerings - a chicken burger, buffalo wings and mac'n'cheese, as well as onion rings and fries.

If you're used to getting your burger in a cardboard box thrown at you 30 seconds after ordering it, be patient. Every order is made by hand and with a lot of care, so if you queue up to order, stands to reason you might be waiting a little while. I think I waited about 20 mins for my first burger after about 5 others had just ordered, and probably the same second time around. But it was brought to my table immediately both times and the wait was well worth it. Heck, even the hour's train ride each way was worth it and I'm trying to work when I can get there next!

Anyway, enough blathering from me - the #Meateasy isn't permanent, so get your coat, get on a train, and get yourself over to New Cross to try it. You'll thank me, I promise. GO!
Comment on this reader review

Kim
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 11, 2011