I’ve been to Gourmet Burger Kitchen before but that was long ago before I started my quest for the best burgers. GBK has always been a nice venue and a nice burger place but I haven’t really compared it before to other great burgers so here it is. An interesting experience corrected by a great service

Price: £9.95

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How tasty is the Motherf*#$&r? – 4/10 (7/10)

Maybe you are wondering why is there a double score for this burger and there is a very good explanation. The normal score is for the original recipe but since I found it waaaay to salty I asked for a switch and the waiter and chef were kind enough to remove the jerk rub which was adding to that level of saltiness. The original recipe should have a note

The burger had:

• 6oz Jerk Rubbed Beef
• Smoked Applewood Cheese
• Jalapeno Relish
• Mango Slaw
• Chipotle Mayo
• Sesame Seed Bun

So the original recipe I found horrible. The jerk rub was so salty it overwhelmed all other tastes except for the spicy jalapeno relish. The first bite was bearable but the second one made the salt taste so strong it became bitter. Hence I asked why is the burger so spicy and the chef was kind enough to make a new burger without the jerk rub.

So let’s talk about the modified recipe that I got served later.

They still had a tiny bit from the jerk rub but it wasn’t as overwhelming but sadly I don’t think it seasoned the patty enough so it felt a bit plain ( I know I modified the recipe). Comparing it to most of the Scottish beef I’ve had or African Volcano’s one it was simply not as great. By no means was it bad it was simply not what I would want from a great burger.

The burger was overall juicy which as you all know I love. There were plenty of sauces that made your mouth water and combined tastes in an intriguing way.

I think one of the great parts was the mango slaw combined with the jalapeno relish. The combination of sweet, sour and spicy was great it really balanced itself out and gave that very specific taste to the burger. Maybe with a better balance of the jerk rub, it could have been a great burger with a proper taste exploding experience.

The great of the burger was also its fall since the taste from the sauces surpassed and hid the flavour of the meat, cheese and bun. As you know I’m a sucker for a good cheese on a burger especially when it compliments the burger perfectly. I managed to grab one very cheesy bite that was great where you could feel all the ingredients including the smoked applewood cheese, however, this wasn’t the case for the entire burger. What I would say is maybe double the amount so the flavour of the cheese can balance with the sauces provided.

After falling in love with the BabaG’s buns where their taste coming from the seeds complimented the entire experience I have to say I’m a bit disappointed with the sesame bun. Maybe if it was grilled a bit beforehand the taste can be increased and more prominent.

Burger joint venue and overall experience? – 6/10

Gourmet Burger Kitchen is a very good join that has a good selection of sides and beverages. The place looks nice and the service is great. The fries were amazing they reminded me for fries made by grandma which always spawns good feelings.

Ale of choice: Brewdog Punk IPA

For this burger the choice I would say a hoppy ale that can clear your pallet and prepare your palette for the next bite is a good choice. But you don’t want something overwhelming that will punish the taste of the burger. Something like Brewdog Punk IPA would be a great choice since it won’t overwhelm the taste of the burger but will add to the experience in my opinion.

Quirkiness level of the experience? – 5/10

GBK was a good experience but nothing too quirky I would say. The burger was the more pivotal point in this case since I haven’t seen these tastes combined anywhere else and I do believe it is a great recipe with a bad execution