Age: A few weeks.
Previous incarnation: This site was recently home to the perennially empty Canal Reach Canteen. Despite offering a colourful daily spread of wholesome salads, plus decent coffee and pastries, it failed to lure punters a few steps further north from the bright lights of Granary Square.
Where exactly is it? You know that tall cream-coloured student accommodation block at the back of the King’s Cross development? Well, it’s at the foot of that. Positioned as a welcome staging post before venturing up into the outlandish bit of York Way, or a quieter respite from the queues at Dishoom and co, across the park.
So what goes on there? Burgers. Pure and simple. Yet the menu is more than just another streetfood-goes-bricks-and-mortar operation. Owner Paschalis comes from a background in big restaurants, and tells us this is the launchpad for his own concept.
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The focus is as much on the hospitality as the food, but with hanging meat taking centre stage in a glass-fronted cold store and daily cuts ground at the counter, this is also a real destination for serious aficionados.
Is the food much cop? The benefits of using freshly ground beef are immediately evident in the light and juicy patties, which melt in the mouth, (and ultimately also the hand, necessitating – gasp – use of a knife and fork).
You have a choice of either well-marbled, full-flavoured cuts, or can opt for something a little leaner, too. These are presented in three ways, with the House (£11) coming with a simple béarnaise and a strip of maple bacon. Pickles are sweet and crunchy atop beef tomato, lettuce and onion. It’s a purist classic of the genre.
Any frills are provided by sides, with insanely crisp truffle and parmesan fries perfect for dipping into perky globs of in-house ketchup, heavy infused with cinnamon and clove. Chicken, veggie and a vegan options are possible, and though they’re likely to be good too, this place is all about the beef.
And what do I drink? A clutch of Local (Redchurch) and Belgian beers or American style seltzers and smoothies. On recommendation, we took a rare foray into fruit beer territory with a Timmermans Kreik, the cherry cutting through the grilled meat’s smokiness.
What’s the service like? Calm and collected. Happy to advise on the day’s cuts, and unfussily whisking over the essentials when required.
Do say: “This little place off the beaten track might just do the best burgers in King’s Cross.”
Don’t say: “Can’t we just go to Honest?”
