Gourmet Burger Kitchen

The Gourmet Burger Kitchen is a chain of restaurants that specialise in, you guessed it, burgers! A good deal more salubrious than your average burger chain, GBK excels by doing simple things surprisingly well. With minimalist décor and an unpretentious menu, the quality of the burgers really does speak for itself.

The Restaurant

I visited the GBK in Beckenham High Street, so this section of the review relates to that particular branch.

The inside of the restaurant was clean and stylishly presented. I was half expecting it to be a 1950's American themed affair like so many other burger places but thankfully it was not. The walls were decorated with some nice pictures and the pine floor was clean and shiny. The table were also clean and tidy and nicely laid out. They had some chilled out music playing but at a sedate level so you didn't have to battle against it to make yourself heard.

The menu was printed on a large mock-chalk board hanging along the back wall and was clearly visible from any seat in the place. It included instructions on how to order your burger and the various choices they offer. So far, so good.

The Menu

GBK boast an impressive range of beef, chicken and vegetarian burgers, with around 25 imaginative varieties to choose from. There are also lamb and venison burgers and even wild boar or buffalo for the more adventurous. All of the burgers looked great but there were a couple of stand-out ones for me. These included The Habanero Chilli Burger, The Stilton Burger, Kiwiburger (with egg, cheese, pineapple and beetroot) and The Aubergine and Goats Cheese Vegeburger. With so many choices it took me a while to whittle down my selection but that's fine because the onus is on you to go and order at the bar when you are ready (no pushy waiters hassling you for a decision).
GBK also offer a range of salads and side dishes, but the emphasis really is on the burgers here.

The Price

At around £7.50 for a burger (not including chips!) you are certainly not in McDonalds territory here. Thankfully that is evident in everything at GBK, from the burgers to the décor.
We got hold of a voucher from moneysavingexpert.com which allowed us to order 2 burgers and 1 portion of fries for £10. That is a serious saving on what we would have paid without the voucher, which probably would have been around £20. Result!

The Burgers

On to the main event: the burger. After much umming and aaahing I opted for the Mexican burger. This is a beef burger topped with spicy bean salsa, guacamole, sour cream, red onion and salad. When it came, the burger was nicely presented and looked fresh and colourful. From the first bite you can really taste each of the burgers constituent flavours, which complimented each other fantastically. The meat was cooked to perfection with a noticeable difference between mine, which I ordered 'medium' and my girlfriends, which she ordered medium-rare. The beef had a lovely flame grilled taste (and not in the fake, Burger King 'Flamegrilled' way). All of this was served on a fresh, toasted sesame bun.

To be honest I am not the biggest burger fan ever, but the quality of these burgers really impressed me. They are a good size for the price, without being obnoxiously massive. With the use of the voucher, I thought it was fantastic value for money. Obviously burgers are synonymous with fast food. At Gourmet Burger Kitchen they have moved burgers on a bit, without turning them into something pretentious or convoluted. It is a great example of how a little care and attention can turn something simple into something immense!

The whole experience was very enjoyable, from the well presented dining area to the exceptional burgers on offer. I would not hesitate to recommend GBK to everyone, even if your not usually into burgers.