Ben, one half of the team behind Babu Burger, explained the appeal of his burgers, which, as word has spread, have turned a trickle of walk-ins to packed houses on the weekend.
“A burger isn’t about the sauce. A burger is the meat. Sauces, the bun, everything is important, but we try to feature the meat,” Ben said. All the burgers are made from high quality steak which is minced daily, shaped into a patty, and cooked like any other piece of premium meat.
“We treat the burger like it’s a steak. You choose a size, and you choose how you like it cooked, and choose whatever you put on top. That’s it,” he said.
The burgers are served open, so the customer can see, and taste the meat. It comes unadorned, with a choice of house-made sauces on the side, and you are encouraged to try it before adding sauce. There’s a range of toppings you can choose to add, but the meat in the middle is the main attraction.
It’s hard to describe how good this makes the burger, the unadulterated loveliness of the flavours. For a burger fan like myself, the taste is magnificently satisfying. There’s the sense of a great quest ending, of a new world opening before your eyes as your tastebuds scream and your brain moans. It’s a little like falling in love for the first time after a lifetime of meaningless one-night stands. It’s a really fucking nice burger.
My order had strong, salty blue cheese, offset by crispy burnt bacon and just-soft fried egg, all on a palette opened with a gentle kick from chilli butter. And underneath everything, a deeply, deeply satisfying steak buzz.
Ben explains that there’s no mystery to his burgers, beyond using the best ingredients he can find, and making them as the customer likes. He started making them this way because it’s how he preferred them, but couldn’t find one anywhere. “I just couldn’t get a burger cooked the way I liked! Nobody ever asked me how I wanted it cooked!” He sounds incredulous.
Similarly, when Babu Burger couldn’t find a gluten free bun they liked, they started baking their own. They produce their own apple and pear ciders through a contractor, which is 100% fruit and served with crushed ginger to bring out the fruity notes, and better complement the burgers. The menu boasts air fries cooked in a special air-fryer imported from America, which uses pressure and high temperatures to produce a deep-fried texture to the fries without using oil. Nearly every ingredient is prepared fresh on the premises.
The freshness of the ingredients, and the low- fat high-quality beef, means comfort food that leaves you full of deliciousness, rather than regret. You walk out feeling like you just ate something healthy.
“We want our customers to enjoy their burger, but walk out feeling like they had sushi.” Ben says, and then adds, “Maybe not sushi, but they feel good, not weighed down by oil.”
I humbly recommend you get down and try it, or if you live on the south side, take advantage of the free delivery service, and get burgers and ciders delivered to your couch. Do it. The food speaks for itself, something that Ben is passionate about.
“That’s why we make everything fresh, the meat, the vegetables, and the fresh, fruity cider! I look at people who have been eating gluten free their whole life and they have to put up with eating a dry, crumbly bun! I’m not saying ours is the best bun in the world, but they see and appreciate its homemade and delicious! And our customers appreciate that.
“We take it one step at a time, letting the food take us by the hand and lead us forward.”
BY LIAM PIEPER
