LUCKY CHIP, LONDON

From January 2012

I’ve been hearing great things about Lucky Chip for a while now so when I met up with my gorgeous friend Cassie for a wander round Broadway Market on Saturday, I was delighted when she suggested that it should be our first stop.

Lucky Chip is a pop up burger van located in Netil Market Car Park, just around the corner from Broadway Market in East London. This burger van serves the most incredible selection of top quality meat and veggie burgers, hot dogs, hand-cut fries and home-made sauces, all cooked-to-order.

We arrived, starving and cold, at about 1.30pm but the queue was snaking around the car park and out onto the pavement, so we decided to have a wander around the market, hoping that when we returned it might be a little quieter. Wrong! We returned at 3.45pm and the queue was still there. Had it even gone down? I doubt it. We queued for half an hour and no matter how cold it was, or how slow the queue was moving, people were still joining it.

As we queued, we pondered over the menu and I must say, its a tough decision choosing what to order. As we stood there shivering, the burgers that passed us on their way to their rightful owners, looked incredible. I was strongly tempted by the simple cheeseburger but then the ‘Sheen’ caught my eye…beer soaked onions, philly, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar and aioli. And then I noticed the ‘Eastwood’, their vegetarian option…portobello mushroom, roasted peppers, eggplant, pecorino, cress and aioli. Now I know it sounds odd to go to a burger van and order a vegetarian burger but I suddenly had to have it. And Cassie had decided to opt for the cheeseburger so I knew I could try hers. I also knew already that this would not be my only trip here!

We finally got to the front of the queue, ordered our burgers, our fries…two portions of naked fries, one with truffle oil, some wasabi mayo for Cassie and aioli for me and two bottles of Coke. (Why does Coke always taste better out of a glass bottle? Even in the cold?) We managed to get a seat at one of the tables situated under the heater and 15 minutes later Cassie’s name was called out and we got our food.

Wow! It was fantastic. As soon as I saw Cassie’s cheeseburger I was filled with food envy. Why oh why hadn’t I gone for the cheeseburger? It tasted incredible! Served in a sweet brioche bun, the beef was cooked perfectly. It was moist and juicy and perfectly seasoned.

I almost didn’t want to bite into my vegetarian option, and then I did….Oh. My. God…..it was amazing. The meatiness of the portobello mushroom, the sweetness of the roasted peppers, the smokiness of the aubergine…it all worked so perfectly together. It was one of the most satisfying mouthfuls of food I’ve had in a very long time.

And their fries are fantastic too. They are freshly hand cut every day from fresh seasonal organic potatoes with the skins left on, then cooked in locally sourced rapeseed oil which is filtered daily, then sprinkled with Maldon sea salt. Drizzled in truffle oil, these are a treat in themselves. So crunchy on the outside, so soft in the inside, they’re divine.

The only unfortunate thing is that the food didn’t last long. I could easily have had another burger straight after. I think the next time I go I’d be tempted to order two burgers at the same time. Going by the time it took me to practically inhale my veggie one, I think I could easily have another burger waiting in the wings that would still be warm by the time I got to it.

Lucky Chip is definitely worth the wait, even if it is freezing. My mouth is watering at the thought of going back next weekend. I am fully intending on working my way through the menu.

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter, where they regularly update their followers on their menu additions and location.

Lucky Chip, Netil Market, London Fields, E8 3RL, Tuesdays-Sundays
@Lucky_Chip
www.facebook.com/Luckychip