Dirty Burger, Kentish Town, London

Burger: Cheeseburger
Price: £5.50

An neat burger from dirty burger with a milkshake that's divine

Location: Kentish Town, London
Website: www.eatdirtyburger.com 
Twitter: @dirtyburger

It was described to me as a steel shack, under some stairs in a car park - it was a steel shack, under some stairs in a car park - like a builders tea room. It's so off the beaten track passer-by trade must be non existent, despite this it was was busy enough around midday on Saturday and with the biggest age range I had seen in a burger joint.

There is a table of 12 in the centre of the room and another 10 bar seats around the outside of the room. With outside being freezing I had imagined I would be stepping into a cold room, thankfully the heaters are on and it's perfectly toasty inside. 

The burger menu is the shortest I have seen - just a cheeseburger on the menu - I added onion fries and crinkle cut chips. 

You see your burger being cooked while you wait as the kitchen area is open and right behind the counter, it's not a long wait before the order was called. I didn't see the patty hit the grill but it's seasoned, given some mustard and flipped before the cheese is steamed onto it and then steamed again with the top bun on. 

The patty has the crispiest crisp texture I've had the pleasure of consuming - it gives a pleasurable bite throughout - this obviously increases the risk of a dry patty, but there is an ever so slight tint of pink in the middle, a minute less on the grill would have been better. Slightly over salted in some bites but overall the patty gives something different which is still pleasurable. 

The toppings in the burger are fresh and the tomato gives a clean bite throughout, something which challenges the best of them. The bun looks as though it would be quite tough but the top being steamed on the grill  eradicates this issue and you're left with a soft strong bun that has a slight sweet flavour. 

The crinkle cut fries are very good, again a lot better then I was expecting, this maybe due to them reminding me of the burnt oven fries I used to get from school. Sadly the onion fries didn't hit the spot for me; the first couple were ok, but overall a bit too much batter and too salty to finish them off. The burger is on the smaller side of the norm, but with the sides still offers a good value portion that left me satisfied. 

The vanilla milkshake is phenomenal. It's all made in-house and has tiny lumps of delicious vanilla cream, added to that the velvety softness you have a slurp at the end, lick the straw clean shake that controversially just pips Byron as  the best milkshake in London.

When I imagine a dirty burger I immediately think of my first dead hippie at MEATmarket - dripping juices from the beef and a mixture of melted cheese, pickles and sauces covering my hands. This burger isn't  "dirty" in the traditional sense and on its own doesn't hit the highs of other places in London, but this place is unique, and the milkshakes so good that I would definitely recommend it. 

I've heard their breakfasts are quality but it's quite a distance from home and work that I don't expect to get there any time soon - am I missing out? 

Overall Rating 8/10