Tongue n Cheek, Berwick Street Market

The humble burger, the American cousin of our beloved sandwich, who we have made welcome ever since it first arrived on our shores in the 1950's. As loved as they have always been, their popularity now is as high as ever, thanks mainly to the rise of the 'gourmet' burger. Use of the word gourmet to describe foods unsettles me
but there is a simple rule to follow. If anyone uses the word gourmet then undoubtedly what they are trying to sell you is not.

What better place than London then, for the burger to go from being a Pauper to a Prince. A London where new fads are welcomed as often as Big Ben chimes. A London where groups and 'secret' events will be set up for the sole purpose of discussing with irritating seriousness, the most recent craze. A London where uniqueness is championed, then copied until it is no longer unique and as a result is deemed commercial and as a result becomes undesirable. This is the London where the burger can climb to new heights.

With the recent surge in the popularity of street food in London, this has allowed the burger to take centre stage. Each burger stall that has popped up has their own take on what they consider to be the finest burger, none more so than Tongue n Cheek. They are an Italian food inspired street trader who are championing the lesser used cuts of meat such as ox tongue, ox heart and pig cheeks. Their speciality is the heart breaker burger, named as such due to the combination of ox heart and 60 day aged beef.

The heart breaker really is a very meaty burger thanks mainly to the top quality beef - supplied by Nath the butcher from the Butchery Ltd - but also because the inspired choice to add ox heart gives it a much fuller flavour. The burger comes in three forms, original with cheese, the chimicurri, which I have yet to try mainly because I can't help but order the 3rd burger, the belly connection. They also do a porky sub -slow cooked pig cheeks in a port reduction served with coleslaw. Its good but not a patch on the burgers. The cheesy is what we all expect of a classic burger, cheese, lettuce and pickles mustard and ketchup. An excellent burger for £5. To be honest if this was the only burger they did I would be very content. The burgers meaty and juicy, really juicy, messy juicy but in a good, mop up the juices later way. The cheese is cheesy, its cheddar so you can't go wrong. All in all an exceptional burger, I would say you'll have to go a long way to find a better burger, but you don't. All you have to do is allow your eyes to drift a little to the right on the menu to spot the Belly connection. This is a game changer of a burger. Pimento mayo, pickled red onion, rocket, the meaty juicy heart breaker burger, Gorgonzola, and to top it all off a couple of slices of fried belly pork. Good lord its good, dangerously addictive good. Its so moreish you would think it should be illegal. All for £6.50. That is cheap for what is effectively Class A food.

One little gripe, I would like a better bun to house the burger. A nice bread roll verging on the sweetness of brioche that has been given the privilege of a long slow fermentation would probably make this the best burger in the world, for now though, it is the best burger in London.

Rating: 4.6/5
Cost: ££(£)

Open: Wed and Thurs Lunchtimes Berwick Street market. Other various streets throughout the week

Twitter: @tonguencheeks

Pizza Pilgrims, Berwick Street Market

Yet another arrival on the ever buzzing Berwick Street Market, Pizza Pilgrims have one aim - to make the most authentic tasting Neapolitan pizzas. To be honest they may have other aims too, don't we all have dreams, but I am not aware of what these might be. So, for simplicity's sake let us believe that authentic Italian pizzas are all that matters to them, now and forever.

In order to achieve this aim the pilgrims went on a pilgrimage (can you see what they've done there, very clever) to Italy to learn how to make the very best pizza from those who invented it in the first place. Just sounds like an excuse to go on holiday to avoid working though to be fair it seems to have been fruitful, they are now indeed making pizzas. Holiday or not it worked.

Now all that seems pretty sensible. What seems less sensible is the idea to build an oven in the back of their van. They haven't gone and stuffed an everyday electrical kitchen oven in the back, that would just be silly, they have instead built a proper wood/gas burning oven, that can reach temperatures up to 400 degrees. Though I can't fault their ingenuity, I am starting to wonder if the pilgrims aren't as smart as I first thought.

The Peerless Margherita

It seems the Pilgrims don't do things by half which bodes well for the pizzas. Most days this consists of 3, they vary from time to time to keep things interesting, for us and I guess themselves. Of course first on the menu is the Margarita. A classic, and a prerequisite for anyone making authentic Italian pizzas. This is always there, and it costs a very reasonable £5. The other two are the specials so to speak. They chop and change depending on the wind. Not strictly true the wind has nothing to do with it. It depends on what they fancy making and what ingredients they have. Favourites are the Nduja (spicy sausage), marinara (garlic, oregano) and portobello mushroom with smoked garlic, all £6. The pilgrims keep to the Italian pizza covenant that less is more when it comes to ingredients. Don't go expecting 10 different toppings, unless of course you bring your own! The quality of ingredients is paramount when keeping things simple, and the Pilgrims don't let us down. All ingredients are gathered fresh daily from Berwick street market, guaranteeing quality and flavour. Pizzas are not all about toppings though. A good base is as important to a pizza as hair on a cat. Cut corners here and your pizza will never fulfil its full potential. I am glad to say no corners have been cut. The dough is given a proper fermentation, allowing it to develop an ever so slightly sour taste, that is rare with most pizzas. Plus the the use of the authentic style oven gives the cooked base that characteristic stone baked/charred taste. If I had one slight criticism, it is crispness. It is chewy and toasty crisp in places but I would prefer a little more crunch. This is being very picky though as for something that is cooked in the back of a van it is near perfect.

With all good things though there is a catch. Unfortunately with street food vendors, it is always the same catch, sporadicity. They are always too keen to up sticks and set up stall elsewhere for a day, or 2. Musical festivals are the main draw, which I guess is understandable, a choice between the side of a road or a field with music and drunkards with money to spend on your wares is not a difficult decision. Its just unfortunate that on some days your pizza fix will have to wait. Fortunately these pizzas are worth the wait, so don't be too sad. Plus they generally keep their fans updated via twitter, so you'll be able to plan ahead.

Rating: 4.5/5
Cost: ££

Open: Generally Mon -Fri, 12 till 3ish

Pizzapilgrims.co.uk