European Special: Serial Burger, Prague

Their saying: "Meat is burger" and they couldn't be more right

Fancy a break from smoked ribs and goulash? Tucked away behind the backstreets in central Prague sits this very cool underground burger bar. Lured here by their sign from a distance, I couldn't refuse a venture down into their dimly lit hipster basement bar. The menu is reasonably small which is a good sign, with things like the "ultra bacon burger" and "Jalapeño and Habanero" burger making an appearance, you can't go wrong. They also had what appeared to be changing specials on offer as well. In addition they also do a 1250g Burger challenge for anyone that fancies it though you have to preorder a few days in advance. Crafting such a behemoth of a burger undeniably would take several days of hard back breaking meat grinding labour.

So what did I go for? I opted for the weekly special, because I am the burgerman and sometimes I have to push the boat out and dare to be more than just the average cheeseburger. It in fact was much weirder that the standard classic: 

'Deer and pork belly burger, served with tomato, romain lettuce, Viennese onion, Monterry jack cheese and a cherry chocolate sauce with homemade fries'

                                            

All that for roughly £8.50, depending on exchange rates. Having seen a crazy chef on masterchef roll a haunch of venison in cocoa before I naturally thought that this combo would work. Unfortunately it did just taste as though I was eating a partially cooked chocolate fondant encased in a super fluffy bun, with a mild hint of meat on the after taste. I got barely any taste of cheese, minimal taste of onions and overall it wasn't very pleasant. Imagine eating a half pound chocolate cake with garlic chips? Not a great combo. The burger slice did oddly give a pink result, which I wasn't expecting given the addition of pork belly in the burger. Once I'd scraped off the chocolate sauce and tasted the meat individually it was really moist and very tasty, just hugely overpowered.

Now you might be asking why I'm writing this telling you to visit given that my "special" wasn't that great. The special was poor granted, but the normal burgers off the menu where phenomenal. All pink without even asking, insanely crispy bacon, and some slightly 'out there burgers' like the boneless confit duck leg burger with braised red cabbage. It is unfortunate that I, the burgerman, happened to order the only poor item on their menu, but at least now my dear readers will know. I pushed the boat out and went there, so you don't have to. I'll take the metaphorical bullet so you can live on and sample excellence at its finest. The fries were also probably some of the best I've had accompanying a burger, with an option of salted, chilli or garlic fries and an addition of a selection of random sauces. I went for saffron infused sour cream with garlic fries. Crisp enough to blind someone should a rogue chip end up airborne in drunk arm waving rantings.

                    

Overall

If you're in Prague, go there! If the special burger sounds too weird, don't have it, it is probably gross. Stick to their proper menu which are all tried and tested and very very nice burgers. The venue is unusual and surprisingly quiet for a capital city which is nice to get away from all the hustle and vast quantities of worldwide tourists. It's reasonably priced too and has a fairly awesome cocktail selection available.

Travel away!

The Buck on the Green

It says it on the pub sign, don't pass the buck...

And pass it I did not, I entered with a serious craving for meat. Word on the street sign outside the pub claimed homemade freshly prepared food. Something which always entices the BurgerMan into a venue. This pub is in a cracking location, however, possibly one of my furthest expeditions from the city centre. Perfectly situated by the river and at a great point for a leisurely pub crawl into Norwich (Pub crawl route additional extra at the end of the review). If you fancy it you could also canoe into the city from here, though I will not endorse a water based canoe trip after eating and drinking lots of fine ale, regardless of how hilarious and entertaining it is.

The Burger

So I opted for the steak mince burger, with bacon and cheese. Along with a pint it came in at just under £15 however on a Monday they actually do a £10 beer and burger combo. Great way to have an even cheaper burger meal.

First things first I launched full blast into the classic medium rare question. I was very pleased to find out they were happy, I think even the chef may have relished the opportunity. Boy oh boy did the chef deliver. They didn't just cook the burger, they lovingly nurtured it over a scorching hot grill. The burger slice revealed a perfectly moist and beautifully pink piece of meat which tasted great and was very well seasoned. It is to date one of the best cooked patties I have had, ever! Given the amount of burgers I have had that truly is a compliment, even better was that my companions all had burgers and they were all cooked consistently to the same level.

Nestled on top of this was the bacon. Two rashers that struck the perfect balance in terms of crispiness, the meat melted in the mouth but the fat along the edges was so crisp it was like a mini bacony pork scratching inside the bun. It was pretty thick as well, a good three mils at least. The cheese lay seductively on top of this, lightly melted to bring out the fat and flavour. There was a  decent amount and it did actually have a good taste, I would say it was likely to be mature cheddar. The only way I could improve would be to add a bolder and stronger cheese like an extra mature, but this is me being very picky. The intensity of all this meat and cheese was balanced very well with a sweet tomato relish on top which cleansed the palate nicely and rounded out the flavours. Not only this but the fresh salad underneath helped to liven and freshen up the dish, whilst the pickle cut through the rich meaty flavours and the sweet relish.

The seeded bun was toasted which kept the moisture contained in the bready capsule. I've always personally been a huge fan of seeded buns, somehow it makes me feel like I'm being healthy with the addition of seeds. An extra portion of fibre to counter balance the colossal amounts of constipation inducing meat I consume always goes down well.

Sides

Included was a home made coleslaw which was incredibly creamy. A very nice addition. The home cut fries were incredibly crispy and very well seasoned throughout. It's a hard push to beat the fries at the coach and horses but I have to say these were better, slightly thinner and super crispy. 

I also opted for an extra addition of onion rings. These were incredible! Large rings of fresh onion battered in a very light crispy tempura style battering. Truly making all shop bought onion rings look like crap. The picture says it all.

Overall

Lets assess this in terms of the burger yin-yang: It was fresh from the salad, sharp from the pickle, rich from the burger, bacon and cheese, moist from excellent cooking, crispy from the bun toasting and the bacon fat yet subtly sweet from the relish. This burger truly had it all. Though I have a few minor points that I think could elevate it, such as stronger cheese. I can truly say this is one of the best burgers I have had to date. Served with some excellent fries and a cracking coleslaw it's a decent amount of food for a very decent price. I just wish it had of come on a normal circular plate. Looking forward I hope they continue their good work for the burger community and maintain their high standards as they have just nailed my highest score to date.

9.5/10

The Buck on the Green

55 Yarmouth Road

Norwich

NR7 0EW

Pub Crawl route, bonus points if you manage to eat a burger in each pub:

1. The Buck
2. The River Green
3. The Cat and Canary
4. The Coach and Horses (Thorpe Road)
5. The Jubilee
6. The Red Lion
7. The Adam and Eve
8. Home Time!

The Black and Blue Special (Plus Recipe)

Another Homemade Special

Not only does the Burgerman review, he helps out those in burger related need. Not long back I came across someone who wanted a recipe for a black and blue burger offered up in a restaurant far oversees. I readied my tastebuds and took it upon myself to create such a behemoth so that everyone can enjoy this Cajun style bad boy in the comfort of their own home.

So what is the black and blue? The black is represented by a fiery cajun seasoning that is smothered over the burger. Ideally it should have at least six hours to absorb all the flavour before being cast onto a scorching hot griddle pan allowing the spices to blacken, creating a highly aromatic and incredibly tasty burger. The trick with the cooking of this burger is high heat and quick cooking to blacken but not burn the spices. Be warned though the level of smoke this produces is colossal so open every window possible, if using seriously hot chilli powder it might ruin your lungs too if you inhale too deeply. I accept no responsibility for injury caused by blackening burgers. Due to the insane temperatures it is hard to cook these medium rare, so the best thing to do is make your burgers out of high quality butchers meat with a blend of steak mince and beef mince at a 50/50 ratio. This ensures there is enough fat inside so that even though the burger will be cooked through, it is still moister than a Louisiana swamp in the wet season. Prime steak mince has little fat content so this particular burger needs a blend to ensure a decent fat content.

As mentioned the smoke level is absurd hence the blurry shot. You get the idea though, hella smoke!

The blue is a rich salty blue cheese which is melted on top of the burger. I've opted to griddle some thick slices of onion and melt the Stilton on top of that. It balances well as the onion caramelises and sweetens as it cooks which compliments the salty cheese perfectly. Also greasy fatty cheese dripping down a burger is possibly one of the greatest things in the world, fact.

For the seasoning recipe:

• 1 tsp fresh thyme finely chopped
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (freshly ground for best results)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cayenne chilli powder (more if you prefer it hotter)

This is roughly enough seasoning for 2-4 decent sized burgers, you could stretch it to more but would lack in taste slightly.

For me personally I enjoyed this same recipe but blended up with several fresh habanero chillies for an extra kick. Spice wise this is just a basic recipe so quantities can be chopped and changed to personal taste, it's always good to experiment. I'd also like to note that I did blend my burgers with my own personal mouth watering spice mix. This unfortunately will go to my grave with me, which probably won't be long given the amount of burgers I eat. 


Hope you all enjoyed this creole creation and have a go yourself, it actually makes quite a nice change from the ordinary burger. Surprisingly blue cheese takes on a whole new taste when melted so even if you don't like it ordinarily this burger is definitely worth a try and could even change the blue haters. If you want me to recreate another ridiculous burger comment away. Any country any style, i'll make a burger for it!

Now for more photos:

Pure filth

Bun: Always seeded
With fresh picked lettuce and sliced vine ripened tomato for freshness

Courgette, apple, red cabbage, carrot and onion coleslaw for sides, along with griddled courgette and cous cous stuffed potato skin. All outshone by the burger.