GBK and Byron don’t quite cut it for you? Then maybe Slabs in Marylebone is the answer to your upmarket burger woes.
London is saturated with burger joints at the moment, from international chains to back street pop ups. Especially in East London. As much as you are likely to bump into an early-twenty-something with a beard and skinny jeans, you are likely to come across a trendy crew of patty flippers that promise something dirty and different. But heading westward, you begin to cater for a different crowd. Girls’ in oversized jumpers turn to pretty dresses and that crazy Australian on their travels turns to a tourist fresh out of the West End having seen a musical.
So with that said, this is where Slabs comes in. It’s somewhere to enjoy a burger with glass of wine. Just as the East is stealing Millie Mackintosh, Slabs is taking the burger trend and tidying it up for a more discerning diner.
The whole experience is fraught with juxtapositions. The walls are bare concrete, but the fixtures are polished and bright. Their secret special sauce (much akin to Big Mac sauce) comes in a pretty serving pot. The burgers are big and messy, but come on a marble slate with ostentatious cutlery. (The knife is pretty hefty which was impressive though)
The staff were incredibly helpful and served us with advice and smiles and the presence of the owner, from a Michelin star background, is always appreciated; seeing him get stuck in on the floor and take pride in what he does. It’s as if they belonged in a more homely setting – Slabs’ dining area is almost too polished to expect such warm service. If we were to return it would mostly be for the staff – which is why we’re not surprised to hear that most of the diners were regulars.
The servings were generous. My sweet chilli squid, heaped on my plate with rocket, was delicious as was the king prawn starter. The burgers, one wagyu and the other chorizo and beef, served open, were a bit difficult to enjoy. The patties were huge – which is great – but with the brioche bun on top they towered taller than a small child. So avoid trying to tackle them that way and opt for the cutlery and eat like you’re at your in-laws for the first time. Even this proved hard to do as the slates they were served on slid around the table.
The onion rings needed to be seasoned & cooked a bit longer but the homemade triple cooked chips were good. The sliders looked amazing, though maybe too heavy on the brioche.
Slabs is in a strange position where they aren’t quite reaching a high enough standard of burger to be classed as an upmarket alternative to regular burger places but then they don’t have the menu and prices to compete with the likes of Patty & Bun or MeatLiquor who aren’t too far away.
Their regular clientele and warm service would make them an ideal place to go for a meal that competes with what Meatliquor or Patty & Bun offer. Somewhere a bit more homely away from the hype, crowds and milkshakes, in an upmarket setting. Especially as the majority of what they offer is made in house, fresh. Or alternatively they should ditch the long seating and opt for a proper high end dining experience with experimental open burgers. Serving a wagyu burger is great but they didn’t make the most of it. If I’m honest, with the aforementioned burger joints close by, I wouldn’t return to Slabs. But if they got rid of those slates the burgers were served on and made their menu/prices a bit more creative and competitive then I definitely would – especially for the service.
THIS VENUE HAS NOW CLOSED.
