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.

Cycling to the World's End

BBQ Shack at the World's End, 60-61 London Rd, Brighton

Enough BBQ to kill a horse and sufficient beer to drown a rat king: £20 each

With all the meat love going around London this summer, I find it surprising that excellent examples of the flame-grilled genre are still hard, if not almost impossible to find. Perhaps our fabled fondness for the burned sausage at our own outdoor feasts is impeding an inevitable BBQ revolution. Many a foodie has lamented the lack of BBQ perfection in London. I had reluctantly concluded that only a trip across the Atlantic would satisfy this hunger, until I read an article that dared me to hope. A Texas-trained ex-chef-turned-BBQ aficionado? Only 50 miles from London? Get me to Brighton.

Resurfacing memories of New York: doughnuts

Doughtnut Plant, 220 West 23rd St, New York City

It's lunchtime on day two of a girls-only trip to New York and we're piecing together reminiscing about the previous night. Following an evening fuelled by martinis, we reflect on the revelation that one of us meows under stress, my plans for new world order based entirely around people with the same name and the mysterious head in one of our photos. They, quite naturally, want to know if I remember having a long conversation at the bar, leaving them waiting for drinks. More importantly, they wonder if I remember what it was that caused this unwelcome delay in an otherwise well-lubricated evening.

Of course I do. With an unfailing ability to sniff out a conversation about food, I had turned to the man standing next to me at the bar and started talking about doughnuts. Unlike many of the things I did that night, this was entirely sensible because he pointed me in the direction of the Best Doughnuts in the World. 

Fette Sau: the BBQ benchmark

Fette Sau, 354 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, New York

Meal for three starving people (excluding drinks): $75 or £46

It feels like it's all about BBQ here in London this summer. Not the burnt sausage, crappy burger kind but the sort of cooking one associates with the Southern States of the USA: all pulled pork, sticky beans and shots of bourbon by the pit. Within the space of a few weeks, we've had a new restaurant open up in Hoxton and a van pull up under Hungerford bridge (review on its way), both dedicated to the fine art of cooking with fire and smoke. However, whilst both make an admirable attempt at recreating that American stalwart, neither of them have quite got it and they fall short of smoky perfection. Even with our new-found love of the BBQ pit, we still have to leave our beloved city for the good stuff. Having put off writing up my recent (ish) visit to New York, BBQ disappointment has finally given me the impetus to blog about the opposite: BBQ heaven. For as I discovered on my last visit, our urbanite cousins in New York can hook themselves up with fantastic BBQ at the drop of an artfully distressed hat. Mind you, they do have to leave Manhattan which is perhaps just as traumatic for some. Fette Sau is the sort of place I would love to see transplanted to London. In fact, I would even sell a fairly vital organ in order to make this happen. 

An Idiot Abroad: Mr. Fork in Los Angeles, Vol. II

In-N-Out Burger, 7009 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, Los Angeles

Combo Meal for one with iced tea and a promotional t-shirt: $16.98 (about £10.35)

Confession time: I was forced, totally against my will, to do some actual work during my recent trip to Los Angeles. As such, my ambitions of rigorously blogging every morsel to pass my lips went sadly unfulfilled. It’s not that I didn’t go to any bars or restaurants (quite the opposite) but I’m not sure there’s much interest in me reviewing the various “networking” events I attended. Plus, I seem to have mysteriously failed to photograph any of the identikit canapés that formed the majority of my food intake (if not my main source of calories) for the week of the show. Finally, I suspect that the buffet breakfast from my 2-star hotel in an insalubrious part of downtown is not of interest to anyone, let alone the kind of person who likes food enough to read a blog about it.

Red Dog Saloon: where's their smoke?

Red Dog Saloon, 37 Hoxton Square, N1 6NN
Meal for two (with 50% off food): £40

It doesn't take a genius to realise that North East London is changing. Where once there were only money lenders, Turkish supermarkets and secret warehouse raves, now the Kingsland Road sports those two well-known harbingers of gentrification: a Tesco and a Subway. The arch-hipsters, who remember when the area was the cutting edge of cool, have either moved to Clapton or are consoling themselves by producing ironic t-shirts and moaning about the changes in the Sunday Times Style magazine. Even Passing Clouds, once the sole preserve of the trendsetting elite who knew where to find its unadorned doorway, has started to advertise its presence with a sign. The restaurant business in this part of town is also changing to reflect its new market. The Turkish and Vietnamese places remain virtually unchanged but, in Hoxton and Shoreditch in particular, more and more recognisably mainstream places are opening, such as Busaba and Byron.

Even so, when I heard about a barbecue joint opening in Hoxton Square, my first thoughts were of the marvellous Fette Sau in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Those familiar with both New York and London will know that Williamsburg is the transatlantic ideal to which Shoreditch aspires. As such, I hoped that Red Dog Saloon would bring the same on-trend approach to BBQ that Fette Sau has successfully pioneered in New York. I expected rough wooden tables, artisan beer by the gallon and a selection of rare whiskies in mismatched glassware. Most of all, I had high hopes for the meat: I wanted meltingly tender slices of brisket, unctuous pulled pork and smoky slabs of ribs. Unfortunately, whilst Red Dog Saloon makes an admirable attempt at recreating these things in London, it doesn't quite hit the mark. 

Giant Robot: nostalgia and meatballs

Giant Robot, 45 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RS

Brunch for two: £30

At any one time, there are several new food trends sweeping the capital. Of the current bunch, many seem to have their roots firmly embedded in the United States. Seoul may be the hottest foodie destination on the planet right now but back home, we are looking squarely west for our culinary inspiration. In amongst the promises of authentic, smoky BBQ and the proliferation of NY-inspired hangouts, one humble foodstuff is making a significant dent in the London restaurant scene all by itself: the meatball.  Six months ago, to my enduring shame, I didn't know what a slider was. Now it seems as if they are everywhere. The meatball has been quick and tenacious in its takeover - going from Campbell's tins to cutting edge dining in mere months. Arriving into Kings Cross in time for Sunday brunch, Mr F and I found ourselves cycling past Giant Robot, a fully paid up member of the meatball club, and couldn't pass up the chance to check it out.

A woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a burger

Byron, 341 Upper Street, N1 0PB 

The Diner, 21 Essex Road, N1 2SA

Like many Londoners, I seem to have been overcome by the desire to find the "perfect burger". For me, this largely involves compiling a mental list of the things a good burger must include and then comparing each new burger experience against this imaginary burger-benchmark. Eating a burger has, therefore, become a slightly more analytical experience than perhaps it should be. I find myself scrutinising the bun (is it going to fall apart?), the cheese (no Monterey Jack, how could you?) and, of course, the meat (not even remotely pink, you swine!). However, if I am honest, when I go for a burger, I don't necessarily want a high-class gourmet experience. I am more likely to go somewhere local that serves decent beer than trek across town to find absolute burger perfection. So, this post is not about the best burger, it is about the two places that, between them, are making pretty good money from my desire to eat grilled meat, bread and cheese.