MEAT.MEET.ME.

MEAT LIQUOR

After what seems like months of Homer Simpson-esque salivating and calling upon my vegetarian(ish) boyfriend to 'just suck it up and take me, eat some cheese or salad' the day had finally arrived. I was FINALLY going to Meat Liquor. Having read much about Yannis and his amazing ethos about how he thinks people want to eat and what they deserve to eat, and his love for what he does is right there on every plate thats served, its a true gift.

As we arrived and left the gail force wind and rain outside, you are greeted by a definite 'lived in' atmosphere, for all it is still in relative infancy, dark and seedy lit by red lights. The staff were pleasant and efficient and we were seated within 20 minutes (scholars maintain that queueing times are generally a lot longer). This can only be a good thing.....right???

We take our seats and I order a 'Meatjito (geddit?) it arrives in a jam jar, this seems to be the norm across many bars and restaurants at the moment. I'm not complaining. Its kitsch, its retro and I love it. Their cocktails all seem to be around the £7-8 mark which is pretty average in a lot of places in London. My friends had the Belgian beer Vedett which came in 330ml cans (same as a coke can) but for around £4 is pretty expensive.

I order the Dead Hippie Burger which by all accounts is Meat Liquor's crowning glory. Their take on the Big Mac. 2x beef patties, Dead Hippie Sauce (a mustard based delight), cheese, onions and gherkins between a gorgeous and slighty sweet bun. We ordered fries and their homemade 'slaw (made with red cabbage instead of white, giving it a lovely purple hue), and waited with much anticipation. Again, waiting times were not unrealistic, around 20 minutes again.

They arrived. No plates. Each burger wrapped in greaseproof paper on trays covered in red gingham. We were not here to be civilised. We came to eat meat.

Its not until I am 3/4 through my burger that I remember I was meant to take a picture...oops. So I have pilfered one from a friend of mine. The burger was delicious, moist and slightly pink in the middle, the ratio of cheese and sauce was just enough to stop the burger being sickly or falling apart and the gherkins added a sweet crunch. The fries were standard french fries, we opted out of the chilli fries for some reason....something I immediately regretted when I saw a tray go by moments later. And like I said the purpleish 'slaw was light and full of flavour of the red cabbage.

All in all, Meat Liquor is a massive success, proven recently by the opening of a second branch in Covent Garden, aptly name Meat Market.

My only gripe with meat liquor (and it is TINY) is that it is so dark inside you literally have no concept as to whether its daylight or not outside. And the daylight literally stabs your eyes when you exit the building. like I said, a teeny tiny gripe which I wouldnt even want them to change as I like the dark and seedy vibe inside......erm yeah. In short I loved it.

http://www.meatliquor.com/