Hawksmoor – The Big Matt

We have been speaking about the Big Matt burger for a very, very long time. As a fan of the Big Mac, my best friend first introduced me to this version in conversation 3 years ago. I guess through the complications of Covid and the alignment of the working schedule, The Big Matt became less and less a possibility, until last week. Hawksmoor in Canary Wharf was the destination, the Big Matt the intention, and a couple of underground and overground trains to contend with in between. Was the journey worth it?

What we have in store

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The Bun: 19/20

Seeing the burger stack arrive on the table was a pretty exciting moment. The wobbly Jenga-like stack did topple as the waiter placed it down in front of me which was disappointing. Despite me repositioning the top bun to the stack and maneuvering the middle, I have to admit the shine on the brioche just reminded me of some of the great DIY kits. There is something about the Mcdonald’s Big Mac that brings back that nostalgia; perhaps it is that middle bun breaking up the stack. I have been a self-confessed Mcdonald’s hater throughout the years. The Big Matt’s buns through that in the balance. The top and heel were just perfect with a slight bounce to the push and s subtle sweetness. The middle bun was perhaps my biggest surprise, it was served quite thick which I thought may well disrupt the flavours and be a little too bread orientated. I was wrong. In fact, the middle bun was the star of the show. The way that this middle bun condensed under the sauce, moistness, and pressure of the stack reduced it to a thin layer of joy. I can only imagine that this is what Ross from Friends was talking about when he went crazy about his sandwich with the “Moist Maker”! The only reason I have even taken one point away is that I did feel the heel struggled under the weight and became mush by the end of eating, which did not take me too long!

The Toppings: 9/10

Shredded lettuce, pickles, and onions in the Big Matt are pretty great. I know the pickles didn’t go down too well over the table but for me I am definitely a fan of pickles and I thought these were pretty good. I admit the pickles were missing that little bit of sharpness I was expecting but that was counterbalanced perfectly by the brilliantly cut and fresh onions. The flavour profile was subdued by the well-shredded lettuce but added the balance to the “secret sauce” that Mcdonalds are yet to work on!

The Condiments: 10/10

Imagine The Big Mac sauce, which has to be one of the best sauces out, then think of the gourmet version with the best ingredients which takes exactly the same. This was an exceptional recreation of the crowd favourite. Even writing, I find it hard to explain the perfect balance of sweet and sharpness spread across a stack with a meticulous ratio. Sometimes when you have an ace up your sleeve a chef could be inclined to over saturate in order to please, but not with the Big Matt. The ratio of sauce to stack was enough to compliment but not dominate against all the other components.

The Cheese: 19/20

The cheese was really good, although being honest, the flavour was a little muted by the sauce and patties. I think the cheese was Red Leicester, but I am not a chef, so this is purely based on an educated guess. All being said, the cheese added a balance, and also displayed that burger porn looks, oozing down the side of the stack.

The Patty (s): 20/20

This burger came with two of the best cook patties I have seen to date. Sublimely cooked to perfection just a little under medium with an ever-so-pink strip in the middle. I really like aged beef with rich flavour and I have been surprised by my own preference being challenged in the Big Matt. I have read, since, that the meat is dry aged at Hawksmoor; how long for could be a more prominent question. The patties had fantastic chargrilling flavour and just completely blew me away.

The Taste: 20/20

It is by far and away the best tasting burger I have ever eaten. Yes the sauce was great, yes the meat was perfect, yes the onions added another dimension to the flavour profile but it is, arguably, the balance of this stack that wowed. Every single bite was an experience at Hawksmoor and I had to actually really think hard before giving this burger 100/100. I nitpicked at a bun on the heel, I touched on a slightly under pickled pickle, I think it could be argued I was a little harsh!

Our Verdict: 97/100

We have a new Top Spot Burger in the Hit List and boy did it deserve it. Hawksmoor is a beautiful restaurant and the Bar was a nice setting to have a meal with a friend in London. The price, £14, is competing with some of the restaurants we have reviewed at Cheeseburgerme but the burger is not comparable to the others. I thought this was night and day to some of the best we have tried and I would vouch for this burger being the best burger in London by some way. You should check out Hawksmoor’s website here