Burger royalty

Despite sharing a concept - fast food, burgers - Hamburger Union has about as much in common with Mickey D's as Tiffany has with Claire's Accessories. So you order your food at the counter, there's a limited menu, frills are few and far between; but that's where the superficial similarities end.

Burgers here are the real deal, 'handmade on the premises' the menu tells us 'from meats which are naturally reared, grass fed or free range'. And, yes, you can taste the difference.

Our bacon cheeseburger came perfectly medium rare as requested on a good soft bun - like those ones you get from Portuguese bakers. The meat tasted of meat, scented by the chargrill, bacon was crispy, burger juicy. A rough-hewn, tangy chorizo sausage formed the basis of another 'burger'; this we ordered 'protein style' - hey, Atkins - sandwiched between lettuce leaves and topped with roasted and peeled piquillo pepper.

There's good fillet steak, sliced thin, cooked to order with mustard or horseradish. The delivery system - you stick your number on to a spike at the chic tables - meant that this arrived a little cool, our only criticism. Hamburger Union is licensed too - check out camp sounding Baileys or Tia Maria milkshakes. And there are proper chips. Prices are higher than your Burger Kings - £3.96 for a single burger, £2 for chips - but this is real burger royalty.

Hamburger Union
4-6 Garrick Street, WC2 9BH