After a week of training, a few 5k runs and, pretty much 3kg of chicken breast, I figured the time for a cheat had arrived. After confirming the budget my wife and I actually decided on a huge Five Guys for the evening. Well, I decided, and my wife agreed reluctantly. Remorse is just one of those emotions that I struggle to contain so it was on seeing the board outside Carluccio’s, next door to Five Guys, saying three courses for £20 I broke! I gave myself the ol’ “You have trained so hard” self talk and decided that, if they did a burger, it may be a little healthier than Five Guys. So, a Carluccio’s Burger it was. The only sticky point was that the burger wasn’t in the menu for the deal. There goes the other two courses! (sticking to budget in this cost of living crisis is crucial!)
The Carluccios Burger Bun: 19/20
This was probably one of the best brioche burger buns I have eaten since our hit list topper Burger and Beyond. The bun at Carluccio’s was super light with a slight crunch through the toasted underbelly. We have spoken many times before about the importance of a bun that can hold the weight of the stack. This bun did extremely well to hold shape, without becoming saturated, even with the red onion marmalade threatening to soak through. It was soft, and fluffy, hands down one of the best buns I have tried to date.
The Carluccios Burger Toppings: 4/10
I opted to include the bacon, at an additional cost of £2.95 I may add, alongside the withered lettuce, and huge tomato. The bacon, or pancetta as Carluccios keep it authentic, was an absolutely pointless addition. Honestly, having just returned home from Italy last week, I expected a fantastic piece of bacon smoked with a great taste. What I actually got was a piece of dried out meat cooked within seconds of becoming toast, probably from an M&S pack. I really did expect that it would make a significant impact in the stack, as bacon tends to do, but it was completely redundant.
Tomato really isn’t my thing. So many times I wanted to remove it and enjoy the burger without the slime. But, as a professional I had to take the burger as it came, and be true to the cause. There is just something about a tomato in a burger that just doesn’t feel right. That being said, if this tomato tasted like the ones I tasted in Italy, perhaps this score would have been kinder. In short, Carluccios is probably feeling my wrath due to my flying home from Italy a little here!
The Condiments: 10/10
Mayonnaise and Red Onion Marmalade. I have to admit that when I saw the lineup in the condiments department, I was hardly excited. But, the red onion marmalade was something special! The flavour was phenomenal, albeit a little overpowering against the rest of the stack. But, when something is this good, I am all for it being the signature of the stack. The sweetness was a joy, with an almost infused red onion flavour oozing from the smooth jam like texture. The mayonnaise had a little signpost at the crown of the bun, but couldn’t make a flavour impact against the richness of this marmalade. If they jarred this, I would buy it, take it home, and layer it on toast.
The Carluccios Burger Cheese: 16/20
Mozzarella cheese is capable of giving that real burger porn look. I did expect to see the Mozzarella cascading down the side of the patty when it arrived. I have to admit I was a little disappointed; but this was down to the quantity, not the quality. The flavour was good, as good as Mozzarella can be, but the texture was delightful. A nice, smooth, cheese that was pleasing to the tongue allowing for a little substance before biting through the huge patty. My only disappointment was that there should have been more of it. I guess each chef will have their own idea of balance when it comes to making burgers, so personal preference is the only real impact on the scoring for Carluccio’s Burger.
The Patty: 18/20
I loved this patty. I was a little worried when the burger arrived at the table as thicker patties are something of a running debate at home. My wife likes two patties smashed, and I have become somewhat of an advocate of the notion too. But, the Carluccios Burger patty did exceptionally well to balance thickness with moisture. The meat was really well cooked, with a beautiful sear of blackness on the outside. But under the char, the patty retained a ton of moisture and a well balanced meaty flavour. I would compare this to the taste of the double whopper, except with great meat. The chargrill definitely sought to extenuate the flavour of the meat with a seared burn of salt and pepper. I could eat this patty again and again.
The Carluccios Burger Taste: 18/20
The overall burger taste was great. It was let down by an average bacon, withered lettuce and a ridiculously oversized tomato. I wonder if Carluccios used a well smoked, well cooked bacon, what difference that could have made to the stack. I loved the onion marmalade, although it was overpowering. I think a great bacon could have done well to temper the presence of the marmalade though, hence the disappointment.
Our Carluccios Burger Verdict: 85/100
Having planned to go to Five Guys for a mound of fries, I have to admit I was disappointed seeing a pretty average size burger being delivered to my table. That being said, I cannot fault the quality of the meat, cheese, bun, and condiments. I am not sure that the addition of an average bacon is worth shelling out £18.45 on a burger, but hey. While I can categorically tell you I will not be headed back to Carluccios any time soon, purely due to the price, I can tell you the burger is great. A special mention for the fries too, they were fantastic. They tasted fantastic, but the bowl of fries looked like something they serve tea in Chinese Kung-Fu movies, tiny.
