Review of Gourmet Burger Kitchen Major Tom
What they say:
30 day dry aged patty, blue cheese slaw, crispy bacon, Red Leicester cheese, beef ketchup, dill pickle.
Price: £10.95.
Calories: Unknown.
I’ve got a bit of a taste for GBK at the moment and up next on my mission to sample the entire menu is the Major Tom. I don’t get why it’s called that but I believe it previously went by a different name.
Regardless of what it is called, this is one of the more expensive burgers at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
Only the double patty packing ‘The Mighty’ is pricier at £12.45. The reason for the higher cost, I assume is due to the 30 day dry aged beef patty.
Today I was back at their recently opened Worcester restaurant and literally beat down the door at midday to get inside I was that famished.
I was like a burger-ordering cyborg. I pointed at the table I wanted, gave my order without looking at a menu and sat down to take in the passing lunchtime crowds.
After a short wait the Major was presented to me and the aroma coming from it was very enticing.
I’d seen a recent tweet by a fellow London-based burger blogger and his Major Tom looked better than this one. Despite a flash of burger envy I noted that presentation-wise it was still pretty good. I nearly saluted it…
This is in essence, a pimped up, deluxe bacon cheeseburger. I’d avoided the Major Tom for some time now due to the blue cheese slaw – to me it didn’t sound like my sort of thing.
But after the revelation of the Reblochon cheese on The Frenchie I decided to give it a go. I’m very glad I did.
The beef patty still had that trademark, naturally flame-grilled GBK taste but it’s got a definite quality about it I can’t quite put my finger on.
It’s just got a more refined taste to it and that works really well with the strong-ish Red Leicester cheese. It’s a good pairing actually as other cheeses would probably get a little lost but not this one.
I didn’t really get much “blue cheese” from the blue cheese slaw.
What I did find is that the Major Tom actually has a slightly spicy kick to it. Only faint, but certainly more than I was anticipating. I couldn’t decide if was from the slaw or the beef ketchup but I am airing towards the former.
I have never been a fan of ketchup and find most too sickly sweet and loaded with sugar. The GBK beef ketchup is on the complete opposite end of that spectrum. This one is rich, deep and very moor-ish.
I blatantly never thought I would write the next sentence but I actually could have had this as a dipping sauce for my skinny fries I enjoyed it on the burger that much.
In my The Frenchie review I’d talked about crispy bacon and my lust for this topping was satisfied today on the Major Tom. Cooked just how crispy bacon should be, this made for a mighty bacon cheeseburger for my lunchtime indulgence.
What I liked about this particular build (including the classic dill pickles) is that there was no salad. No fresh tomato to remove. Not even the obligatory house mayo. Just beef, bacon, cheese and the few additional components.
It’s a meaty classic with a slightly modern twist. Like the natural successor to my classic go-to in the noughties – the Burger King XL Bacon Double Cheese.
Prior to BURGER LAD® I NEVER tried anything different. Never. So this was always my burger of choice as it had no salad, no sauce. Just beef, bacon and cheese. And this sort of reminded me of the XL but with a much better quality and taste and with a slight kick of spice from the slaw (I think!).
I have absolutely no regrets about having the Major Tom. None. It ticked every box for me and I would recommend it to anyone.
At the moment, I’d have it hovering slightly below the Bourbon Street but above The Stack and The Frenchie.
My only thing to ponder is which will be my next choice? The Kiwi perhaps…!?
I did notice that the patty was cooked just ever so slightly over medium this afternoon, but make no mistake this had zero impact on the overall enjoyment.
At £10.95 for just the burger only it’s quite a pricey option. But like I said above, the Major Tom is a meat-lovers dream and is a contemporary twist on a classic bacon cheeseburger.
The Major Tom also benefits from an interesting blue cheese slaw which offers a slight kick and a mildly crunchy texture.
The premium 30 day aged patty is tasty, juicy and is complimented by the delectable crispy bacon and seductively melted Red Leicester cheese.
I particularly loved the beef ketchup and pickles and its refreshing to find a build with no salad and/or mayo.
Don’t be like pre-Burger Lad me and avoid it due to an ingredient you think you won’t enjoy because together they all work very, very nicely.
Burger Lad®
Website: http://www.gbk.co.uk/