The Diner Diablo: a burger coming of age

The Diner, 18 Ganton Street, W1F 7BU

I was invited to try the Diablo but it would normally set you back £9

It took me ages to wean Mr F off the Diner. It was a source of discord in our otherwise happy home: he liked the Diner, I preferred Byron. Thus, lazy Thursday evenings and hungover Sundays were peppered with disagreement and one of us was doomed to perpetual disappointment. However, in a flash of genius inspired by the Big D, I introduced Mr F to the Byron double burger and the Diner was history. Even with the cute booths, my favourite lager in the world and Blue Oyster Cult on the playlist, the vastly superior meat finally won him over. Result.  Could a preview of their special Halloween burger change my mind? It turns out it could. Watch out Byron, the Diner might finally be about to offer you some competition. It's about time.

In the past, it was the crappy patties that let the Diner's burgers down. They tasted like they had been frozen - thin, poorly textured and without much flavour. However, since my last visit, they've changed their butcher. This new butcher, as well as improving their normal burger (or so they say), has created a special burger patty which they are offering for a limited period to celebrate Halloween.  Available from 24 October, it comes with bacon, pepper jack cheese and a spicy relish - the pepper and spice no doubt meant to evoke the devilish nature of the burger.

The seasonal stuff is mere window dressing. Neither the pepper cheese nor the relish was particularly peppery or spicy. They were perfectly fine but their virtues were overshadowed by the burger itself. With a meaty flavour and a juicy, slightly crumbly texture, it was what a respectable burger should be. Would it match up to the marrowy magnificence of Hawksmoor? No, it wouldn't; but at £9 for a burger and chips and with branches across London, it would be a welcome addition to the burger pantheon. Surely this is one to keep on the menu, even after the grinning pumpkins have been tidied away?

I asked whether this would become their normal burger and received a slightly evasive answer. It appears the myriad cuts make this a difficult burger to turn out en masse. That may be so but I still don't understand why they would struggle to make a burger of this quality, when others can clearly manage it. Raise the normal burger to that standard and, with the comfy seating and varied accompaniments on offer, the Diner would have be a strong contender for best in the mid-market burger business.

I was invited to review the Diner's Diablo