I LIKE TO think I’m a man that knows what constitutes a good burger. I discovered Fat Hippo on George Street whilst out walking last week and needed a quick bite beforecatching James Acaster’s show at the Playhouse. Now, I’m a huge fan of Butta Burger, which also happens to reside on this street and I was interested to see how they’d compare.
Hailing from Newcastle, Fat Hippo now has 14 sites across the UK with their first Edinburgh branch being a concession within Lane 7 on Rose Street. We occupied one of two banquettes by the window in what was a virtually empty restaurant; thankfully it did fill up to create a bit of atmosphere. We skipped starters, which were a bit carb heavy for me bar the frickle and wings options and proceeded straight to the burgers. The menu features beef, chicken, and vegan options as you’d expect with a side included in the price – something you don’t see very often these days. We both ordered an American beef burger (£12.90), mine with tater tots, Sarah’s with onion rings, and added a garlic mayo dip and a honey buffalo respectively.
The food arrived promptly on metal trays which annoyingly slid around due to the tiled table surface. The burger looked great on initial inspection, but I dived into the piping hot tater tots first – who can resist? They were as spectacular as they looked and enhanced by the garlic dip (£1), which was delicious but a little stingy in size. The burger was well-rested as no meat juices dripped out, which is a pet hate of mine. The two patties were correctly seasoned and decent quality beef, with plenty of oozy cheese and the tang of pickles in what was a neatly assembled burger. The buns were pillowy soft and stood up to the task commendably. Sarah’s jumbo onion rings had a light, crisp batter and weren’t too greasy but Sarah was given the wrong sauce, and it was difficult to get hold of someone to rectify what was only a minor problem.
By now my choice of seat was beginning to annoy me. They weren’t the comfiest to begin with and the guy sitting behind me wouldn’t sit still, meaning the wobbly seat kept pushing into my injured back; it became so uncomfortable in the end that I just wanted to get out of there.
Overall, a very good burger in many ways with excellent accompaniments. Is it as good as Butta Burger? Not quite, but worth checking out all the same and certainly good value for money compared to its competitors.
Web: fathippo.co.uk/
Phone: (0131) 605 0126
Address: 95 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3ES
Open: Seven days 11.30 - 22.00 (22.30 Fri & Sat)
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