[Review] The Fat Cow Burger from The Old Red Cow

Every time I think I've ticked off every restaurant, pub and pop-up that has even a sniff of a burger around Smithfields, a new one pops onto radar. The Old Red Cow is just such a joint. It's an independent pub on Long Lane, Smithfield, and it serves just one decadent sounding burger. 

Fat Cow burger from The Old Red Cow

But is is any good?

6.5/10 - Malmaison, 18-21 Charterhouse House Square, London EC1M 6AH

Location:
Malmaison London is tucked away in the heart of the City, set back on Charterhouse Square, which is one of those rare green havens tucked away where you least expect them in the city. The Mal is set into a row of grand, terraced houses, and upon walking into reception, a spiral staircase to the right leads guests down to a lower ground floor dining room. In the brasserie, the pure white tablecloths provide stark contrast to the dark wood and muted lighting, though ground level skylights let in a significant amount of light.

My dining companion and I dined alone for the whole service, maybe this was understandable, as lunch was taken in the middle of the weirdness marking the #londonriots, and few were clearly feeling in the mood to eat out.



Price:
The Mal Burger, a 1/2lb-ish bacon cheeseburger with chips - £13.95.

Presentation:
Excellent. The Mal Burger is presented on a wooden board, complete with a Mal branded pot of french fries, a salad garnish, mini copper saucepan containing a homemade burger relish, and a giant steak knife. The burger itself was stacked high with the ubiquitous wooden stick stabbed through its heart holding the delicious looking package together.

7/10 - Bishop's Finger, West Smithfield, City of London

Location: On the corner of Long Acre and West Smithfield, sandwiched between Carluccio's and Ferrari's, resides The Bishop's Finger pub - part of the Shepherd Neame stable. We arrived early on a Tuesday lunchtime, and had our pick of the tables outside (a reckless decision during rare period of rain-free weather in the City this summer). The pub offers a range of real ales, which I will have to return to sample another day, as sadly this bear had to head back to work after lunch...

From the menu, a laminated affair that appears to be a pub staple, I didn't have very high expectations.


Price:
Straight burger (£7.95), Add Bacon and Cheese (£1), includes chips

Presentation:

Our meals came with the old 'wooden chopping board' classic execution. Even though it was not displayed quite as nicely as the Bistro du Vin burger (and costing a good £5 less), the burger was nevertheless almost as impressive looking. A large, roughly hewn and hand packed burger patty, in a dense, sourdough bun, bowl of skin-on chips, and a little pot of relish, served with a bucket of cutlery and condiments. Things were looking good.

Toppings:
Mature Cheddar and Bacon. Though the latter was somewhat lacking in quantity it was, at least, quite tasty. The cheddar on the other hand was completely tasteless. Add to that the fat in the burger, and the liberal spreading of mayo under the 'lid', it made for quite a greasy experience. The undersalad was solid, and the lambs lettuce worked quite well.

Meat:

Pretty good. Speaking to the landlady, the meat used in the burger patty came fresh from Smithfields market daily, and is hand-moulded into the maxi-sized burger by the chef prior to cooking. It came out charred on the outside, and pink in the middle, with rough ground, course mince, and not even a hint of circular edge! The one problem with the meat was the amount of fat in the mince - as you can see below there was a veritable pool of grease that poured out, and with our slightly wonky outside table, it threatened to cover me with a tsunami of lard - luckily we had plenty of napkins! This however was minor compared to the size, and quality of the patty.

Bun:
Actually pretty good. A sourdough bun, lightly grilled and very fresh was dense and yeilding, while holding the whole meaty munch-fest together.

Plate Accessories:
The accessories on the wooden board were fair, the tomato burger relish (straight out of a booker tub) was passable, but slightly acidic - which actually managed to cut through the grease a bit. The chips were single fried with skins on, and were fine, but needed a good dose of salt to bring the flavour out. All in all the combination worked well with the burger, and while I finished my portion (just!) my dining companion was defeated with just a few chips down...


Overall Rating: 7/10

This gets a grand 7/10 as for pub fayre under £10, it's pretty good. The Bishop's Finger burger has good meat, a great bun, but is sadly let down by the toppings and the slapped on wave of mayo on the bun - a bit of tweaking and this could be some much better. I'd recommend this as a jolly filling, and impressive looking burger - and next time I'll be having a pint of Whitstable Bay with it!

8.5/10 - SOS, Smithfields Market, City of London

Location: A city institution, Smith of Smithfields (SOS) is owned by celebrity chef John Torode. Located near Farringdon in Smithfield Market, this industrial-themed restaurant serves food over four floors, and includes a private dining room.

What the menu said:
‘Smiths’10oz Beef Burger, Mature Cheddar, Old Spot Bacon & Tomato Chutney

Price:
£13.50

Presentation:
Good. Beef, bacon and cheese all 'slapped' on in an artistic mess, demonstrating the homemade qualities of the burger.

Toppings:
Very good. Old Spot bacon very meaty and salty, but not crispy. Cheddar was mature, but I would say extra mature as it was a little strong for my tastes.

Bread:
Ok. A good seasame-seeded bun that was fresh and flavoursome, but it did crumble a little around the burger during the meal, so points lost slightly for that.

Meat:
Very good. A rare, handmade burger, lightly juicy, not too fatty and full of flavour. I wouldn't be surprised if the beef had been hung for 28 days.

Plate Accessories: 
Good. A decent portion of chunky chips in a separate tub with greaseproof paper, homemade mayo and sea salt.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

This was a great burger, only let down by the bread and the strength of the cheese. Recommend a visit to Smith of Smithfields, although the burger is on the pricey side at £13.50.

8/10 - The Distillers, Smithfield, City of London

Location: A small, but tastefully decorated pub on Long Acre by Smithfields Market called The Distillers.

What the menu said:
Distiller Beef Burger - Served Medium on Soda Bread Bap Bun, with Bacon, Cheese and hand cut chips

Price:
£9.95

Presentation:
Good. Two halves of the bun were separated with burger, bacon and melted cheese on one side, and lettuce on other half.

Toppings:
Very good. Single bacon slice was meaty and salty (hardly any rind/fat). Cheese was a very mature Red Leicester, melted over the bacon and burger, which added real depth the whole experience. Mixed red and green lettuce was chopped and crisp, allowing easy eating.

Bread:
Wonderful! The Soda Bread was heavy and salty, but added to the whole experience by wrapping itself around the burger and not disintegrating in the hands - one of the best bread solutions I've ever had.

Meat:
Very good. A medium-rare cooked burger, with a light 'bbq' style charring on the outside made this burger stand out.

Plate Accessories: 
Good. A decent portion of hand-cut chunky chips were simple and effective.

Overall rating: 8/10

This was a good overall burger, combining all the essential elements, with a great bun, tasty cheese and generous bacon, with a very good meat patty. I would recommend The Distillers Smithfield!