Byron

BYRON

Cuisine: American

Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Address: 33-35 Wellington Street, WC2E 7BN

Tel: 0207 420 9850

Aha. So that's what a burger is supposed to taste like.

I'll go on record to say that this is the best burger I've ever had, and I don't even like burgers that much. My solitary trip to GBK I found uninspiring, yet something about this chain of diners brings an otherwise dull dish to life. Going out to have burgers for an evening meal was once unfathomable to me, but having been to Byron twice, it's likely to remain a staple of my eatery circle. 

Byron is decked out in classic American 50's diner deco, with a touch of class (note the mirrored toilet doors) and is usually full, as I suspect its reputation is beginning to spread. Upon arrival, one of a gaggle of cheery female waitresses welcomes us in and seats us, reminding me how much of a difference service with a smile really makes (note to waiters/waitresses in general: cheer up, might never happen.)

The menu is minimalist and reassuringly simple, a small piece of card with a list of about five different burgers and side orders. So many restaurants have such a bewildering range of options that choosing your meal can become an ordeal (GBK, I'm talking to you). It's refreshing to have your choices limited, and the only real option here is a classic cheeseburger. My connoisseur friend Gerard assures me that American cheese - the luminous orange processed variety - is the only way to go, so I advise others to do likewise and avoid the temptation of messing around with mature cheddar/blue/Monterey Jack/Gruyere. It's an American classic, so let's leave it to the experts.

The burgers arrive: colourful, traditional, and mouth-wateringly simple. The bun is toasted just enough to have blackened slightly around the edges, giving a subtle charred edge to the flavour; the burger itself is thick, juicy and pink the middle, with a course, meaty texture and that distinct flame-grilled taste that I can only seem to find in France with a good steak hache, the kind of flavour that Burger King lie about having. It's nice to find a burger that isn't well-done by default - I wouldn't eat a steak like that, so why should my burger be incinerated? Byron gets everything spot-on.

Therein lies the beauty of the classic burger that has sadly been lost over the years. It doesn't need to be anything fancy. There's nothing extraordinary here: bun, burger, cheese, tomato, red onion, lettuce, mayo. But it just works. When you have good quality ingredients cooked to perfection, very little else is needed to deliver a top-drawer meal.

I haven't even mentioned the sides yet, which are of the same high quality: the French fries are faultless, the home made skin-on chips are thick, crispy and tasty. The onion rings are excellent, and the courgette fries - lightly battered slices of courgette - are definitely worth trying. I accompany all of the above with my own special concoction of Ketchustanaise (ketchup + mustard + mayo - try it, it's the only thing you'll ever eat with your chips again). Washed down with a can of cream soda, what more could you want?

In short, this is the perfect burger. Simple and delicious. The service is great, the prices are reasonable, and the food is faultless. Do yourself a favour, get down to Byron, and fall in love again with an old classic.

Service 4/5

Food 4/5

Value 4/5

Ambience 3/5

Total: 15/20

Why you should go there: A neglected classic brought to life with elegant simplicity.

Don’t leave without trying: American cheeseburger