FEMAIL taste tests London's latest burger craze

Gone are towering bulky burgers with a steak-knife rammed through them - the latest trendy food offering taking over the UK has been a much leaner variant.

A smash burger, thought to have been popularised in the US, consists of a much flatter bite than its chunky brother.

The key is in the Maillard reaction - named after French chemist Louis Camille Maillard, who discovered that when amino acids and reducing sugars react, they create a distinctive flavour in the browned result that gets our taste buds tingling in a way that's strangely addictive.

Achieving this reaction in a burger takes plenty of heat, good meat, and the trademark 'smashing' technique that sees balls of minced beef squished and squashed until the patty itself is thin as thin can be, with the crust we have all come to love.

They've been popping up all over London - with many viral foodie-hotspots popping up - but which one takes the crown?

FEMAIL decided to tackle the arduous task of taste-testing eight high-rated options in the West London area in search of the best bite - which we were able to order from Deliveroo.

My criteria focused on five main factors: Crispiness, Structural Integrity, Meat Composition, the bun - and whether there is a need for a double patty. 

The ideal burger, to me, would only have required one patty to achieve its result, would be crisp at the edges, would not overwhelm the flavour with fatty meat, and be contained in a bun that is soft, but not soggy.

Elsewhere, I was looking for a burger to be smashed but not crushed - there's nothing worse than one slipping and sliding all over your hands as you try to catch falling flakes of meat. 

I sampled a selection of eight - one of them from Gordon Ramsay's hit burger spot - and was shocked by the ones which emerged at the top of my list.

Here, FEMAIL looks at which West London burgers smashed our expectations - and which didn't deliver...

Sidney's, W12 8PH 

Rating: 6/10

£8.49 (£10.47 with delivery)

Starting with the Sidney's Cheeseburger from this menu, I found myself underwhelmed. 

The menu promises two smash patties, cheese, pickles and a mysterious 'Sidney's sauce' - and while it certainly looked appetising, it struggled to perfectly hit the mark for me.

The meat was well done, but I found myself wondering about the necessity of a double patty in this case - it felt like eating a normal chunky burger without the standout crispness and levity that a smash burger brings.

Having said that, the melted cheese was perfect and maintained that way surprisingly well throughout the day. 

Street Burger, WC2 E7NE

Rating: 10/10

£13 (£18.92 with delivery)

I was excited when I first came upon the Next Level burger from Gordon Ramsay's burger joint.

Even taking it out of the bag, I felt giddy because of how perfectly crisp and thin the two patties were.

We selected the closest thing on the menu which was similar enough to a 'normal' burger - which contained smashed double beef patty topped with American cheese, onion and a Sriracha mayonnaise.

It was love at first bite, and I found myself being unable to give this one a bad rating. The Sirracha gave everything a perfect kick, and while I'm normally critical of a double patty, they were so thin and exceptionally cooked that it worked well.

My only qualm was that it was structurally quite messy - the bun was too small and lashings of the beef were hanging over the edges, making it difficult to contain. 

Five Guys

,

 W11 2EB

Rating: 6/10 

£9.85 (£11.92 with delivery)

FEMAIL'S TOP THREE

1. BRONSON'S BURGERS

2. SUPER SMASH BURGERS

3. STREET BURGER

The Little Cheeseburger from Five Guys has been a classic go-to for me - so I was expecting great things.

It is arguably one of, if not the most, famous smashed burger offered by a mainstream chain in the UK.

However, I fear that while Five Guys has always been excellent fresh off the grill, this one didn't survive the takeout test.

I opted not to go for any toppings and stick with the classic cheeseburger - so this can definitely be improved on by the customer themselves - but if you're fancying a stripped back, classic smash burger this one may not be the one.

It's described on the menu as: 'American-style cheese melted between fresh patties and placed on a soft, toasted sesame seed bun. Choose as many toppings as you want.' 

The meat was not as flavourful as it could be, and the bun felt dry. One of the bonuses of a smashed burger is that they can elevate the juiciness of the meal - with the patty being crispy on the outside and softer on the inside.

However, I felt this didn't deliver that. However, Five Guys still gets points for being a failsafe option that is sure to please, and its excellent sesame seed bun. 

Super Smash Burgers, W9 2AH

Rating: 10/10 

£7.50 (£9.98 with delivery)

For £7.50, at Super Smash Burgers you can get a Super Smash Burger (an intuitive name) with a 3oz. smashed beef patty, gherkins, ketchup, mustard and American cheese - which I thought was incredible value for money.

I was very impressed on first bite. The single smashed patty was perfect, and was expertly contained within the parameters of the bun with no spillover.

The sauces were strong but not overpowering. The lettuce added a nice crunch, and wasn't an extra you needed to add on. The bun was soft, and not soggy. 

Overall, this was definitely one of the winners. It was tasty, and perfectly contained. I found it better than the Gordon Ramsay burger despite being essentially half the price. 

Black Bear Burger, SW1 E5NE

Rating: 7/10

£11 (£14.50 with delivery)

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I have a turbulent history with the burgers at this joint - as earlier this year, I got food poisoning from eating their Classic burger (which I had also asked to be Well Done, an option you are specifically offered).

It's definitely a nice enough tasting burger, that I could happily tuck into it despite having vomitted the flavour up before. 

The menu says it has: 'Two Aged Beef Patties, Shredded Iceberg, Pickles, Burger Sauce, and American Cheese.'

However, it failed to fully redeem itself, because while the structure was there, the meat was (as was the case last time I ordered) pink in the middle.

A smash burger is an excellent pick for Well Done meat enjoyers like me because you're more often guaranteed a higher surface area that is cooked and directly exposed to heat - but while this tasted nice and had all the elements including a crispy patty, great cheese and sauces, as well as a fluffy bun - it didn't stick the landing with that one crucial detail. 

Flat Out, NW6 6NJ

Rating: 5/10

£6.90 (£10.28 with delivery)

This burger restaurant is not exaggerating with its name - the patty for Flat Out's Single Cheeseburger (for which I selected Ketchup & Mustard as my toppings) definitely was smashed.

However, in this case it veered on being so thin that everything else overwhelmed the meal, and you couldn't really taste the meat.

While it was structurally sound, it doesn't get full marks for the lack of meaty flavour.

However, the description on the menu certainly sounds appetising: 'The champ - a truly undefeated burger.

'Two mighty fine crispy smashed patties with THREE slices of melted American cheese, diced onions, gherkins and your choice of our delicious house sauce or that classic combination of ketchup and mustard.'

Gourmet Burger Kitchen, SW7 3LE

Rating: 5/10 

£10.45 (£12.59 with delivery)

I yearned for the nostalgia that GBK - which used to be the trendy burger joint when I was at school - brought when our 'Smashed Classic' with two patties arrived. 

However, I was deeply disappointed. Despite the meat being stunningly tucked into the buns and filled to the brim with sauce, it tasted like nothing.

It was a shame - as the burger looked absolutely delicious, and super appetising. It came with American cheese, gherkin and onion with GBK house mayo.

Bronson's Burger, SE11 5JR

Rating: 10/10 

£10.45 (£16.09 with delivery)

We truly saved the best for last with this Double Barrel (with mayo) option from Bronson's Burger, which topped my list as the victorious best smashed burger in West London.

It was made from two dry aged 100% beef smashed patties, double American cheese, and brioche bun. 

The meat was perfectly cooked, but most importantly, it was excellent meat which wasn't too fatty nor too lean.

The cheese was perfectly melted and the seeded brioche bun was fluffy, but could easily hold up the two patties inside.

Despite there being two patties, it also wasn't an overwhelming bite. I will definitely be eating there again!