Big ol' Burger Comparison Thread

Oh Ed not again. · 16 Feb 2017 at 20:03

Off to 7Bone tomorrow. Woo.

silverblack · 17 Feb 2017 at 17:15

There is much hilarity with reviews of our local 5Guys.
The cheese sandwich an inside out sesame seed bun with 2 slices of processed cheese @ £4 .. are they having a laugh

the-evaluator · 17 Feb 2017 at 17:41

I got lunch at Five Guys today and was surprised at the fries - they were excellent. Very crispy and not over salted.

silverblack · 17 Feb 2017 at 17:48

the-evaluator said:
I got lunch at Five Guys today and was surprised at the fries - they were excellent. Very crispy and not over salted.

I like salt on my chips but the combination of salt and frying them in peanut oil made them far too salty for me.
Maybe it depends on who is salting the chips.

D.P. · 17 Feb 2017 at 18:44

silverblack said:
I like salt on my chips but the combination of salt and frying them in peanut oil made them far too salty for me.
Maybe it depends on who is salting the chips.

Why would peanut il make any difference what so ever to the saltiness?

silverblack · 17 Feb 2017 at 18:51

D.P. said:
Why would peanut il make any difference what so ever to the saltiness?

I dont know but other methods don't seem to make chips as salty so it may be a factor.

D.P. · 17 Feb 2017 at 19:06

silverblack said:
I dont know but other methods don't seem to make chips as salty so it may be a factor.

I think you are imagining things. Next time just ask for the fires without salt.

silverblack · 17 Feb 2017 at 20:24

D.P. said:
I think you are imagining things. Next time just ask for the fires without salt.

There are lots of posts and reviews saying the fries are salty.But having only tried 5guys once i cant confirm if that's the case now.

glitch · 18 Feb 2017 at 07:27

randal said:
Off to 7Bone tomorrow. Woo.

Thoughts? I'm heading there next week for a recce.

silverblack said:
I dont know but other methods don't seem to make chips as salty so it may be a factor.

It's thanks to the heavy-handedness of the salter, not the oil used or the way they fry the, er, fries.

I'm okay with salt on my food but even I balked at the fries when I last had Five Guys. Normally they are just about on the edge of what I think is okay but this time they were OTT.

Psycho Sonny · 18 Feb 2017 at 13:00

Peanut oil will make zero difference to salt content of fries.

I've had instances in Mc Donalds where the fries once were that salty they were inedible and I gave them away and even they didn't eat them as they were too salty.

As for 5 guys their prices are ridiculously high for what they offer. It's basically a fancy burger king charging restaurant prices. £15 a head when you include a shake I don't see how anyone can think it's worth that. It's at best worth half that.

Oh Ed not again. · 18 Feb 2017 at 13:12

Hit 7Bone in Camberley last night, service was good and price not too bad. £30 for 2 with beers and sides.

I went for the Peter Green, and my brother the Ronald's Revenge. Burger cooked medium well, very succulent and juicy with a good flavour. However on the Peter Green it was a bit lost with the jalapeños. Other than that, "that is a tasty burger".

Enjoyed the Frickles, but I think I would have enjoyed them more if they were t overshadowed by the Chicken Fried Halloumi. Could have eaten kilos of that stuff, move over mozerella sticks.

glitch · 18 Feb 2017 at 13:12

Five Guys is not a 'fancy Burger King' by any stretch of the imagination. The quality of ingredients and the method of cooking is far above anything that BK can serve up.

I don't particularly care for Five Guys but I'll pay their prices over any of the other UK chains for the quality of the food.

Nothing inherently wrong with a Burger King or McDonalds burger, if you like that sort of thing. Double Rodeo is tough to beat at the end of a drunken night out.

james.miller · 18 Feb 2017 at 14:02

Prefer Byron over five guys tbh

Psycho Sonny · 18 Feb 2017 at 14:26

glitch said:
Five Guys is not a 'fancy Burger King' by any stretch of the imagination. The quality of ingredients and the method of cooking is far above anything that BK can serve up.

I don't particularly care for Five Guys but I'll pay their prices over any of the other UK chains for the quality of the food.

Nothing inherently wrong with a Burger King or McDonalds burger, if you like that sort of thing. Double Rodeo is tough to beat at the end of a drunken night out.

method of cooking is far above burger king? how so? are their grills powered by magic beans?

does the burger come wrapped? so does burger kings. fries come in a paper bag/plastic carton. so does burger king.

it's the same thing but fancier. much like a Audi is a fancy VW.

Is it better? Yes. Do I think 5 guys is worth paying the extra over burger king? Nope as it's only slightly fancier yet triple the cost.

glitch · 18 Feb 2017 at 14:49

Psycho Sonny said:
method of cooking is far above burger king? how so? are their grills powered by magic beans?

does the burger come wrapped? so does burger kings. fries come in a paper bag/plastic carton. so does burger king.

For someone so opinionated, you are so often misinformed.

BK broil all their burgers through a specially designed machine and then hold them in warming trays until assembly. Five Guys cook all their patties to order, straight on the flat-top. No comparison.

Fries in BK are usually held in the warming station, fries in Five Guys are par-cooked before service and then get a second fry to order. Again, no comparison.

After that... well, who cares how the food is presented or packaged? That's not the point I was making.

Dave · 18 Feb 2017 at 22:41

james.miller said:
Prefer Byron over five guys tbh

Think I agree with this - having said that, I found Five Guys a little better in the US than here in the UK (probably on a par with Byron). In the US I preferred the food at In 'n' Out (which is amazing for the price!) and from the places I've been to in London it's a close tie for me between Patty and Bun, Bleecker St and Honest.

Had a B-Rex at the Richmond Byron yesterday which was very good. We went a little later in the evening (around 9.30) when it was quieter, which may have contributed!

Regy53 · 19 Feb 2017 at 08:18

Yeah, you cant really compare five guys to byron, its a different eating experience all together.

I love burgers and love five guys and byrons, if out with my mates watching football at milton keynes casino we always go to byrons.

I do like five guys but if its the same price as byrons i know where i'm going. That said since byron dropped there skin on fries i have been left disappointed with their chips

the-evaluator · 20 Feb 2017 at 08:01

silverblack said:
I like salt on my chips but the combination of salt and frying them in peanut oil made them far too salty for me.
Maybe it depends on who is salting the chips.

Every other time I've had them they have been over salted to the point where they were inedible so the last couple of times I've been in I didn't have fries.

Psycho Sonny · 20 Feb 2017 at 09:39

glitch said:
After that... well, who cares how the food is presented or packaged? That's not the point I was making.

Well if I'm going out for a meal and paying £10+ a head. I want it served to the table and on a plate. Otherwise it's in the same boat as BK, Subway, Mc Donalds, KFC, etc.

Even wetherspoons serves to your table on a plate for around £5 a head. Nandos did too when it used to be around £7.50 a head (it's now around double that).

FrenchTart · 20 Feb 2017 at 10:37

Psycho Sonny said:
Well if I'm going out for a meal and paying £10+ a head. I want it served to the table and on a plate. Otherwise it's in the same boat as BK, Subway, Mc Donalds, KFC, etc.

Even wetherspoons serves to your table on a plate for around £5 a head. Nandos did too when it used to be around £7.50 a head (it's now around double that).

I think a far more important aspect of the meal is the quality of the food than whether or not the food is delivered to you on a plate.