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Thursday 26 February 2015

Pretentious Burger Kitchen, Bristol popup

Jem French, Daniel Whittaker and Andrew Bond are pretentious. And they're heading our way.

Let me rephrase that. Jem, Daniel and Andrew are the people behind Pretentious Burger Kitchen. With a breadth of experience in the food business- everything from The Crown at Whitebrook to the Celtic Manor to boutique hotels- they have recently launched Pretentious Burger Kitchen, operating from the ready-made pop-up space at 40 Alfred Place, Kingsdown- the  'world's first permanent pop-up restaurant', no less- a compact space which has given them a footing from which to introduce their food to Bristol. Praise has been fulsome, fanatical almost, in such a short time. Just sixteen days. Long, hard days no doubt, but still such a brief window in which to establish a reputation.

Consider that these sixteen days are the culmination of more than twelve months' preparation, and you start to suspect something special is afoot. A year of research, of experimentation, of trial and error and refinement and finally, satisfaction.

Their roots are in South Wales. And this is where it gets interesting for anyone interested in Cardiff's eating-out scene, because they are coming our way. Your way. With the aim of producing the best burger they can.

You won't find any bought-in ready-formed patties here, however good: the commitment to producing their best extends to controlling every aspect of the process. From deciding on the beef (Ruby Red from Devon, aged a minimum of 21 days), to settling on their favourite supplier, to visiting the farmer, to knowing the names of the cows they serve up. No, really. If all of that sounds a little too close to carnivorous reality, a tad too 'red in tooth and claw', you'll have to pardon me, because knowing and respecting your main ingredient seems close to their hearts here.

The menu is very much a build your own affair. You start with a choice of single or double patty (or a vegetarian option, though that not detain us here) and then add to your heart's content. Salad, sauces, cheeses are supplemented by onion rings and bacon at 50p extra.

Sides? Onion rings with not a hint of greasiness, rustling against each other like autumn leaves. The chips, thick and served skin-on, piping hot and crisp.


A surprise, then, when talking with them later, that they were unhappy with the sides and had considered not serving them at all. They obsess over every component, which brings us back to that all-important meat.

A huge factor in what makes these burgers unusual- unique, in Cardiff- is the way they are made. As it is minced, the meat is kept in its extruded strands and then bound together in an elongated 'sausage'. If any of this sounds familiar, it's because it's the method advocated by Heston Blumenthal, although their test phase saw them modify the proportions of chuck, brisket and short rib to their own recipe. It is ground three times, using different mincing plates, to produce the desired texture. Not quick work, certainly, but indicative of an attention to detail that borders on the obsessive. The theory goes that this alignment of meat fibres will give an open texture, an entirely different 'bite', a novel feel in the mouth.

The process is so important to Pretentious that there were pictures of it hanging on the wall.



And it pays dividends. Boy, does it pay. From the first mouthful.

Ever the sceptic, I had ordered my double burger- two 6oz patties, £10- with one in the bun and one on the side, so as to really get to grips with the meat with fewer distractions. Streaky bacon and American cheese (what is it about this stuff that is so wrong, yet so right?) topped it all off.


You feel you're not so much biting into the burger as through it; the sensation is much more akin to eating a steak tartare, especially as they came a beautiful pink. This is still something that happens far too... rarely, if you'll allow the clunking pun. The beef is impeccable, well aged and everything it should be. Taken with the bun, it makes for an impressive mouthful. A very impressive mouthful.



The double stack attempted by m'colleague, despite it being almost as large as his head, was pronounced similarly impressive. The difference in the feel of these thick patties does take some getting used to, but after the first one you wonder why more places don't prepare theirs the same way.

The answer, naturally, is cost. Is this the fastest way to make burgers? The easiest? Of course not. It's fussy, time-consuming and therefore expensive work. It would also be far, far easier to buy in readymade bread. Here, too is far from the cheapest way to go about things. But you get a very clear sense that quality is paramount here: that the end product must be of the highest standard. You don't take the trouble to mince (and mince, and mince again) raw meat unless you care about the integrity of your product and believe you should have control over every possible element.

Oh and the bread? They bake it themselves, fresh daily. But you already guessed that. They have a light brioche roll, seeded and finished a sunkissed gold, toasted and sturdy enough to keep its shape.


They are confident in what they are doing. When we were invited to try their food, they asked us to just turn up any time, any day, unannounced and unbooked, so we would get a warts-and-all picture of what they do. That's confidence. No showboating, no special treatment. Just 'this is what we do, we think you'll be interested'. That confidence is well-placed.

If it's not obvious yet, Pretentious have set a rather lofty standard for themselves. There can be little doubt- none- that they will be a major presence on the local scene and will be right among the very best the city has to offer. 'Gourmet' is a term tossed about like cheap confetti in burger world; the 'go the extra mile' philosophy here fully deserves the accolade and poses an interesting challenge to local competitors.

Oh and that name? It arose as an in-joke about a fine-dining restaurant where the food would be of the highest quality, but the service relaxed and informal. Pretentious? No. Dedicated? Certainly. Remarkable? Without doubt.

This is the sound of the bar being raised. Reset. Recalibrated.

If they can replicate the form they showed in Bristol, then Cardiff- you are in for a treat.

The only problem now will be managing your impatience...

Photos: Jordan Harris (@TheGrillBarrel)

Pretentious Burger Kitchen are currently in the process of arranging their first Cardiff pop-up, and plan to find permanent premises. To find out more about the people behind the project and what they hope to achieve, see The Grill & barrel's piece here.

Keep up to date via their Facebook and Twitter pages.
 

 We were invited as guests of PBK, and as such all food and drink was complimentary. However,  we consider that this did not significantly impact on our opinions. They did not know when we would be arriving. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the restaurant did not see this review before it was posted on this blog.


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