For the love of Gravy: Getting Messy at Dip & Flip

Back in the days when I lived in the wilds of Essex (aka Southend), I used to watch Man v Food a lot - this was largely because my housemate was pretty much addicted to it, but it also held a sort of morbid fascination for me. Why would you eat so much? I know it's tasty, but surely stuffing yourself to the point where you feel sick would just spoil the meal! I'm going to gloss over the fact that I've done a few of these challenges in my time though, as that is the story for another day and I'm rambling. One of my favourite things about the show was watching Adam Richman visit the best of the local eateries and try their food. It made me very hungry and ever since I have wanted to go to the US and visit some of these places.

In one show, they went to Brooklyn, where there was a sandwich bar which served beef sandwiches dipped in gravy. The whole sandwich, including bread. Dipped in gravy. Gravy everywhere. Oh my god it sounded good. That alone made me want to visit the US but I've never really had the chance since.

Fast forward a few years and I'm looking through a list on Time Out of the best burgers when something jumps out at me - a picture of a burger, dripping with gravy, alongside a little dish of gravy. My mind went straight back to that episode of MvF and I resolved to visit as soon as possible.

Sadly though, Dip and Flip - the purveyors of this gravy-soaked treat - only have locations in South London and I never go there as it's a pain in the arse to get to. So it's stayed on my 'most wanted' list for months, and then suddenly I was going to a gin festival just up the road... opportunity knocked, so I didn't let this chance pass and headed up to Brixton early to get my burger fix.

The main thing I was worried about was expectation. Expectation can colour your opinion, either you are overly critical of its faults because you were expecting too much or you can be too forgiving as you were so excited to finally try it. So I tried as best as I could to banish my preconceptions and judge it on the same criteria as I have judged all my burger jaunts so far.

It was half past three on a warm Saturday afternoon and the restaurant wasn't busy, which made me happy as it means a more relaxing experience. I was shown to a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant and once handed the menu it was easy to make a choice... Dip & Flip are not just a burger restaurant - indeed, there were more options for sandwiches than burgers. This did actually make my choice hard as pretty much everything sounded awesome but I stayed true to my burger mission and ordered the Dip & Flip burger with beef alongside a portion of fries which looked like they came with everything in the world on them. The anticipation grew...

It didn't take too long for the food to arrive, although by then I had fully consumed my beer (it was hot, and for some bizarre reason I had decided to wear a hoodie. Why do I do these things?!) Any thoughts of thirst were banished, though, when I saw that inviting pool of gravy and a burger which was oozing cheese and gravy. This looked messy, but smelled absolutely amazing. I took the first bite without dipping the burger so I could taste it without it being swamped in beef juice and it was superb, the patty well seasoned yet almost melting in the mouth, with a slight creaminess from the cheese and then there was the extra slices of beef on top, which were tender and juicy. This burger was basically meat squared. The next bite came with a dip in its little dish of gravy and this is probably what jumped it up to the top of the rankings, that gravy had amazing flavour, intensely beefy. They hadn't skimped on it either and there was more than enough to ensure each bite of the burger was preceded by another dunk. I forgot all about the side of fries and machined through the burger first (a rarity for me!) which just shows how good it was. (The fries, incidentally, were spot on: fluffy, with lashings of cheese, bacon chillis and that wonderful gravy. The perfect accompaniment although I felt somewhat fat after eating them!)

I don't think I can enthuse enough about this burger - and I don't want to go too over the top but this is by a whisker the best burger I've had. Without the gravy it'd be top-two material but that rich pot raises it above and beyond and to the top. Try this burger. Go to Brixton especially if you have to. It's worth it!

Dip & Flip Burger: 9.50
The Details:

Dip & Flip
64-68 Atlantic Road

London
SW9 8PY

www.http://dipandflip.co.uk/

Burger reviewed: Dip & Flip Burger, £9.95

HVNP Burger Rankings (July 15th) :

1. Dip & Flip | Dip & Flip Burger | 9.50

2. Bleecker Street | Black | 9.25
3. Patty & Bun | Ari Gold | 9.00

4. BRGR.Co | Hanger Steak Stilton Brgr | 8.75
5. Honest Burger | Bacon Tribute | 8.50

6. Dirty Burger | Dirty Bacon | 8.25

7. Lucky Chip | Royale with Cheese | 7.5

=8. Byron | Chilli | 7.25

=8. Byron | Father Cheesemas | 7.25

=8. GBK | The Don | 7.25

11. Burger & Lobster | Cheeseburger | 6.50

12. Shake Shack | ShackMeister | 4.00