By Lauren Stenning and Katie Duffin
Disclaimer: Honest Burgers provided Quench with a complimentary meal in exchange for a review.
Burgers themselves are a pretty mainstream American cuisine, so for a restaurant specialising in burgers to stand out, there has to be something unique about what theyÔÇÖre serving up. And honestly, Honest Burgers have nailed it.
First of all, their menu consists of a monthly special, MarchÔÇÖs being the Thai Fried Chicken, a Thai inspired twist on the standard chicken burger. In addition to their monthly special, they also consistently feature a local speciality: The Cardiff Special, which is in collaboration with Tiny Rebel Brewery.
Having sampled this top pick, consisting of ÔÇ£Honest beef, candied bacon, Haford organic cheddar, Cwtch leeks, mustard mayo, lamb’s lettuce and pickles”(well-done and without the pickles ÔÇô staff encourage the customisation of your burger), we can confirm it met our burger expectations. It had the strong basic elements which characterise a burger ÔÇô the classic beef patty topped with bacon, cheese and lettuce, but the added Welsh leeks and mustard mayo enhanced the taste, texture and aroma, giving it the edge over its competitors.
For those veggies and vegans out there, donÔÇÖt be disheartened; Honest Burgers have a mouth-watering selection just for you, including the Fritter ÔÇö A southern fried courgette and sweetcorn fritter burger with cheddar, chipotle mayo, slaw, red onion and pickles. However, in true burger-joint fashion we went with the meatier option ÔÇö the Plant burger. This plant-based burger comes with vegan smoked Gouda, Rubies Chipotle ÔÇÿMayoÔÇÖ, mustard, red onion, pickles and lettuce. Any veggie knows itÔÇÖs hard to find a truly authentic tasting veggie burger, but this one hit the nail on the head. The plant burger could have fooled us ÔÇö it felt and tasted like real meat, and the cheese oozed perfectly down the sides. The vegan chipotle mayo was just like the real stuff, and itÔÇÖs safe to say our plates were clean as a whistle by the end of the meal.
Each burger comes with a side of rosemary salted chips, a herb infusion weÔÇÖd not come across before. It was definitely a winning combo and a memorable part of the meal, so it may not be long before neighbouring establishments jump on the rosemary chips bandwagon ÔÇö watch this space. We were spoilt with sides of onion rings, bacon gravy, chipotle mayo and vegan chipotle mayo (the non-vegan version was slightly sweeter), which took our meal up a notch. The onion rings were super-sized and perfectly crispy, and when dunked in the chipotle sauce, slightly fiery. The bacon gravy was drizzled over the chips, sufficiently thick and flavourful. No complaints here.
Honest Burgers have also been living up to their name recently, with their Honesty Box Day on 11th March having been a huge success. Customers paid what they liked for their meals, with all profits split between three charities (chosen by customers): T┼À Hafan, Asylum Justice and Hijinx Theatre. A total of ┬ú1,222.15 was raised!
With its charitable nature and memorable food, Honest Burgers comes highly recommended by us.
EditorsÔÇÖ note: At present, our local bars, restaurants and cafes have come under the strain of uncertainty, along with the rest of the world. Although we may not currently be able to visit some our our favourite spots, itÔÇÖs important that we support our local eateries in any way we can. Many restaurants, including Honest Burgers have switched to a delivery-only policy, and can be found on apps like Deliveroo, who are now offering contactless deliveries. Moreover, many establishments have vouchers on offer to the public that can be purchased now and used later. Have a look on social media pages ÔÇö you may still be able to have that delicious meal youÔÇÖve been looking forward to sans risk, whilst supporting local businesses in this trying time.┬á