special edition burger. when the butchershop bar & grill heard about our plan to find the best burgers in the world and in particular, the best that scotland had to offer, they were quick to throw their hat into the ring and tell us that their customers thought that they made the best burgers in the country. the staff at the restaurant invited pamela and i to come and sample their burger, have a chat with the owner and decide for ourselves.
situated in glasgow’s west end just minutes from kelvingrove park, the butchershop bar & grill is a manhattan-styled neighbourhood steakhouse and cocktail bar offering the best quality steaks, fresh seafood and expertly mixed signature cocktails. if you are looking for the perfect hangover curing brunch, lunch with friends or a romantic dinner – the butchershop delivers it all. now in its second year in glasgow’s west end, the butchershop was born through ownerjamesrusk’s love and passion for new york city. living there for many yearsjameslearnt the craft of great food and service working at the famous soho-based french bistro ‘balthazar’ owned by renowned new york restaurateur, keith mcnally. he wanted to create an atmosphere where customers could experience high quality service and an exceptional standard of food – a place that could capture the hustle and bustle and buzzing atmosphere of new york city to glasgow’s west end.
as we walked into the butchershop, we immediately noticed how busy it was. the restaurant was packed with customers and there was a cool, lively vibe in the air. we were greeted at the entrance by james, who showed us to our table. as we sat down, we had the oppertunity to chat withjamesto discuss our project a little.jamesthen took our order and asked us how we wanted our burger cooked, which is always a good sign and a great way to tell that the burger you are about to eat is freshly made.jamesalso told us about a top secret burger that he had been working on that has only made an appearance on the butchershop menu on a select few special ocassions. the burger that was described to us sounded too good to be true, and i’m pretty sure that we both must have drooled a little as we listened! we decided to go for the special burger thatjameshad recommended along with the butchershop’s signature ‘butchershop burger’. as we relaxed with a couple of ice cold pints of birra moretti, we looked forward to what was about to come.
the limited edition special burger (pictured above) consists of a mouth-watering monster-sized homemade minced fillet beef patty, iceberg lettuce, fresh tomato, pan-seared foie gras, slow cooked short ribs, truffle mayonnaise and gruyere cheese all served in a delicious toasted brioche bun. the burger came served with the butchershop’s special skinny fries to round it all off. asjamesbrought the burgers to our table, he seemed genuinelly excited to have us try the food. we knew we were in for something special.
when we started this website, our aim was to find the best burgers in the world and tell our readers about them. we also wanted to find the best burger that scotland has to offer and really highlight good quality food around the country. this is our third review and i think the search for scotland’s best burger may be over already. after one one bite, i looked at pamela and we both agreed that it was without a doubt the best burger we’ve ever had – not just in scotland, but anywhere in the world.
whenjameshad originally described the burger to us, i wasn’t sure how short ribs would work on a burger and was curious to find out. the slow cooked ribs practically melted away in my mouth and the sweet hint of the glaze complimented the juices from the meat and the foie gras perfectly. the gruyere, which up until this entry, i’d never had on a burger before, finished everything off absolutely perfectly.
i also need to touch on the use of the brioche bun and how it added to the burger. the bread was toasted and was very lightly sweetened – not so much that you’d feel like you were even eating sweat bread but just enough so that it added a nice flavour to the burger and that you weren’t eating “dead bread”, asjamesput it.
after we had finished,jamessat down for a chat with us and the first thing i had to ask him was why the burger wasn’t on the menu all the time. he mentioned that he has reserved it to feature on the restaurant’s specials board from time to time, however due to increasing demand, it may become a permanent resident in the near future. we toldjamesthat the burger was simply the best we’ve ever had and pointed out that he’s set the bar pretty high for the others that we are going to discover on our quest to find the best burgers in the world!
it’s clear thatjamesand the butchershop staff are extremely passionate about what they do. just sitting back and listening tojamestalk about the ageing process, how the beef is sourced and everything else right down to the importance of selecting the right burger bun, it’s clear that he is a man who knows what he is talking about and someone who knows what makes an unforgettable burger.
despite being a burger website and wanting to focus on the food as much as possible, i need to highlight the excellent level of service that the butchershop offers. from the moment you step inside the door, you are greeted and treated like an old family friend. the staff are more than happy to discuss the food with you and offer recommendations based on what you are in the mood for.jamesand the rest of the staff go out of their way to make sure that every last customer leaves happy and this is one of the many things that make the butchershop a place that you will want to visit time and time again.
the butchershop’s limited edition burger is without a doubt the best we’ve ever had. follow the butchershop on twitter @thebutchershopgla and at facebook.com/butchershopglasgow to keep updated with what is going on at the restaurant. tell them that you want to know when it’s going back on the menu and when it does, tell your friends – this is one burger you do not want to miss.
quite possibly the best burger in the world.
for more, please see www.jamesvsburger.com
(photography: pamela graham photography)