This is Just A Tribute: Honest Burgers' Bacon Tribute

Bacon. Is there another meat out there that inspires such avid devotion? Not a week goes past without me seeing at least one picture or post praising its virtues. The famous Youtube food channel Epic meal Time made bacon strips (and their sweet-shop equivalent, "gay" bacon strips) a viral phenomenon. So when I breezed through the door of the much-hyped Honest Burgers in Kings Cross and saw that their current special was called the Bacon Tribute, there was only one thing I was going to buy.

I wasn't intending to go to Honest, instead having planned to visit Burgershack's residency at the Royal Oak near Edgware Road, however lack of time, a desire not to be too far away from a decent pub and Honest Burgers' fine reputation saw me change plans halfway down the Pentonville Road and I soon found myself sitting down and impatiently awaiting the arrival of my Bacon Tribute Burger.

When my burger arrived, it looked every bit as good as the publicity photo. The patty was plump, the cheese melty and a thick slice of bacon lay on top of the burger. 
The first bite confirmed that the hype around Honest is well deserved. The patty was nicely seasoned and soft without being so soft that it disintegrated as I ate, and was tasty enough to survive the bacon attack from the bacon mayo and that slab on top. The pickle gave a sweet and sour note as it all went down. It was difficult to resist the temptation to consume the whole burger without putting it down (and not just because the bun had disintegrated), and in my book that's the mark of a good burger. A special note for the bacon - as I have mentioned in other reviews, I find crispy or overdone bacon off-putting and I was slightly nervous when I ordered it in case that bit of bacon on top was inedible but I needn't have worried, it was meaty, fairly thick and tasted of bacon, not charring. The burger also came with a little pot of thick gravy, which tasted like a meaty BBQ sauce and was excellent - it gave an extra dimension to the last few bites of the burger (I tried it without at first so as not to overwhelm it) and was an excellent accompaniment for the chips. 

My only slight niggles with the burger was that the cheese got a bit lost amongst the bacon and beef, they could have done with using a slightly stronger flavoured one or perhaps just a bit more cheese. The other thing was that the bun was a bit average - it tasted fine but was nothing special. But I'm being picky here.
A final note about the fries - they're included in the price and while that's not always ideal for people like me on a diet, it means no costly extras if you fancy some potato goodness - and my lord are they good, rosemary salted and perfectly cooked. The best fries I've had from a burger joint so far and worth the trip to Honest on their own.

I was expecting a lot from Honest and I'm glad to say that they delivered. This review is a bit late due to me changing jobs and being generally busy so they might have changed special by now but if you're thinking about dropping in, don't hesitate. It'll be an excellent choice.

Honest Burger Bacon Tribute: 8.5

The Details:

Honest Burger
251-255 Pentonville Road
London
N1 9NG

www.honestburgers.co.uk

Burger reviewed: Bacon Tribute, £12.50 (inc. fries)

HVNP Burger Rankings (Jan 9th) :

1. Bleecker Street | Black | 9.25
2. Patty & Bun | Ari Gold | 9.00
3. Honest Burger | Bacon Tribute 8.50

4. Lucky Chip | Royale with Cheese | 7.5

5. Byron | Father Cheesemas | 7.25

5. GBK | The Don | 7.25