Some Like It Rare....

The Classic

Hmmm, well, it's more that I like it rare, but it was a lunch with the girls and we were swinging on a rare pendulum.  The venue - the deliciously beefy Byron.  Having said that they do have a veggie option on their menu - what I trust would be a juicy portobello mushroom and, weirdly, to my mind at least, a chicken option.  The mushroom I can understand, cooked well, a large portobello can be firm and juicy - but chicken?  Naturally, it's a fillet and quite frankly, what's the point?  Unless it is cooked absolutely perfectly it will almost inevitably dry out - and there are no dietary requirements (whether cultural or religious) I can think of which would not be met by a nice mushroom in favour of a chicken.  Still, I'm sure it's lovely if you like tomato mayonnaise and baby spinach with a piece of chicken fillet on a bun.



The Skinny


But we're big girls- that is we are all over the age of 21 and we are mature in our appetites and knowledgeable about what pleases us - nor are we afraid to say so.  All in all, delightful companions.  Armed with the aforementioned qualities we cut a swathe through the menu and the burgers.  There was the skinny.  A fine choice (but not mine).

 

There was the Classic, another excellent choice - still not mine, though.  And there were our side orders.  More coleslaw and why not? - when it looks like this and tastes exactly as the perfect coleslaw should - a light but creamy coating of crisp vegetables. 

Truly wonderful onion rings, defined by crispy, light batter.  A closer inspection revealed that the batter had been seasoned.  On reflection I suspect this was the secret to the excellence of the onion rings.

There were some very nice skin-on fries - greaseless and serviceable - perhaps not as crisp as they might be, but a very decent, respectable kind of chip - the kind you'd be happy to take home and introduce to your loved ones. [Franklins' chips the other week were better.]  Although you'd be lucky to find a chip which even approached Byron's around here.  Usually this would spark off a wee rant about the dearth of decent restaurants in Crouch End - that's restaurants rather than nice places to have cake like Sable D'Or, or indeed, the newly-opened Riley's and their wonderful home-made sorbets and quite nice ice-creams.  I'll save it for some other time.  Besides there are lots of delicious places down Green Lanes and up towards Finsbury Park.  Also, it's not as if I'm deprived of lovely food, ho-ho.  All I can say is, thank goodness I go to the gym - that, and the fact that I'm Stroud Green and proud of it.  I just visit Crouch End, probably because I feel sorry for them and I'm a charitable kind of person.

   

A Byron

So, finally, here it is - my eponymous burger.  For the record, both of my companions had their burgers cooked medium rare (this is as standard at Byron, anything else is by special request).  Suffice to say, usually I would hesitate, but Byron does what they do very well, their provenance is good, their beef is of excellent quality which means, for once, I can have a burger cooked precisely the way I like it. 



A rare Byron



I should correct myself and say, for twice, because this is the second outing for me and for one of the other lunchers.  The first was the King's Road branch and this second visit was to the Covent Garden branch.  Stunningly consistent and delicious as was my Byron which I did indeed have served rare!

To be honest, there wasn't much room left after lunch, so for supper I just managed to squeeze in a tomato and olive salad.  Reasurring, I know, to have evidence that I do actually eat the tomatoes, not just buy them - and they are particularly delicious with the olives from Budgens in Crouch End - with herbes de Provence and minus their stones.  Simple and quite perfect.