Burger
I didn’t have my first Big Mac until I was in my late teens. That’s not to say I’m some sort of holier than thou, anti-fast food vigilante, or that my parents were homeopathy-loving hemp enthusiasts – I just always hankered for a McChicken Sandwich, albeit without mayo due to some shameful childhood aversion to the stuff. Thankfully, while I’ve since overcome that particular character flaw, I’m still more than happy to choose chook if it’s on offer, as is the case for today’s review.
Burger is Edinburgh’s native patty-purveying chain, insofar as it now has a couple of branches serving the same menu, roughly half a mile apart (a marathon-like distance for most Edinburgh natives). Like the name, the style’s pretty straightforward – industrial looks, paired with quick-turnaround counter service (i.e. order at the till, wait at your table, collect at the till), although you do get a surprising little throwback to the 90s, in the form of a wee pager that flashes when your burger’s done. Childishly entertaining.
As you’d expect, most of their output (bar a special or two) is dedicated to the traditional, beefier varieties of the restaurant’s moniker. It’s no-nonsense stuff, with the core 4oz Scotch beef burger being doubled up and embellished with bacon and cheese to complete your ordering options. It’s all done to order, and from a previous visit, it’s done to a good level. This bodes well for the katsu.
Chicken Katsu Burger | £4.95
Like the rest of the menu, the katsu is damn cheap. Not golden arches cheap, but considering the prices of other burger joints in town, it’s pretty startling when you realise a bottle of Rekorderlig (shudder) is only 75p cheaper than what you’re eating. Adding bacon and cheese will bump up the cost, but there are bigger issues than price if you think that’s a good idea.
Cost aside, it’s a bit of an ugly duckling – a little stream of tonkatsu dribbling out the side gives the poor sod a bit of a burst lip quality. Thing is, it gets away this, because it all tastes a hell of a lot better than it looks. The patty is crisp on the outside and well-seasoned beneath, with little flecks of spring onion woven into the mix. That tonkatsu dribble has a lovely umami richness to it, and the mayo a little mustardy hit from the wasabi (a bit more heat would be even better). Even the tomato, usually a bland, token nod to burger convention, plays its part, helping to keep the breadcrumbs from drying everything out.
Downsides? Well, the absence of shredded cabbage is a bit of a tonkatsu faux-pas, the puny pickle doesn’t really add anything, and the texture of the minced chicken patty is a bit odd – not necessarily unpleasant, just a bit firmer than you’d expect. With a nice chunk of breast or thigh meat, this would be bothering five points, rather than settling for four. Still, for under a fiver, it’s a steal, especially when you start to think about what this would cost you around town. Like the writer – cheap, but very cheerful.












