Meat59 Torquay – Truffle Shuffle

Review of Meat59 Torquay – Truffle Shuffle

What they say:

6oz hamburger patty, wild mushrooms, wilted spinach, caramelised red onion and truffle mayo.

Price: £9.00.

We were in the seaside resort town of Torquay for 24 hours on an Easter getaway, incorporating our second love – fresh seafood.

As you know, whenever I travel I always research my destination for reputable burger joints just in case I get the chance to do a review.

There were a few names that came up in my search, but the recurring name was Meat59.

Torquay itself pretty much caters for all tastes when it comes to food. High end seafood bistros, cheap as chips café types, an array of standard chain restaurants and the charmingly named Stuff Your Face.

We went with Meat59.

Located a short five to ten-minute walk from Torquay Harbour on Abbey Road, Meat59 was established in 2014 and is about to open its second location in Exeter.

Inside, you’ve got the burger joint norm – wood benches, stools, burger imagery on the wall – this could be any one of several burger places we have visited in the past.

It’s fairly dark in here (we’ve got window seats for the decent lighting) but you can’t help thinking that the atmosphere in the evening would be excellent.

Miss Milkshake described it as “refined grunge with a hipster edge” and I would have to agree. Our excellent host James, told us that the previous evening had been a record for takings – they must be doing something right on the English Riviera.

The menu offers something for everyone and had we not been so over indulgent the night before (at the excellent Number 7 Fish Bistro), we might have stretched to something beyond just a burger each. We’re looking at you Filthy or Dirty Fries.

I had already decided what I was going for and it was to be the Truffle Shuffle.

What you get is a tight, precision build – aesthetically it certainly looks the part.

Starting from the heel of the bun, you’ve got a lavish amount of the truffle mayo with the 6oz hand-pressed beef patty sitting on top.

The build is completed with a suitable number of wild mushrooms, caramelised onions, wilted spinach and more of the mayo.

It looks fantastic, it smells great, but how does it taste?

Meat59 are very proud to source as much local produce as possible from within the Devon and surrounding areas and it shows.

The Truffle Shuffle is a creamy, indulgent burger housed within a very respectable Crusty Loaf Bakery bun.

The luxury commences with that truffle mayo. It’s strong. I’d say it is an acquired taste and quite a “grown-up” burger sauce.

It’s bordering on overpowering everything else on the Truffle Shuffle but just holds back. Perhaps this is why Meat59 recommend adding blue cheese to it for an additional £1.00 – I didn’t.

The burger is very messy which comes from an abundance of the mayo. Perhaps just a splodge too much, but an enjoyable experience all the same.

The hamburger patty has got a texture which screams “hand-made” and you can tell care and love has gone into its development.

It’s not too tightly packed to create the dreaded “grill steak” texture so many burger joints fall foul of. It’s very commendable, cooked slightly pink throughout, but I believe a slight bit more seasoning is needed.

And I think that’s more to do with the Truffle Shuffle than the patty overall.

I had a bite of Miss Milkshake’s customised Raging Bull and that tasted stupendous. I just think the Truffle Shuffle needed more black pepper in the beef to just give a bit of pep to cut through the luxurious creaminess from the umami of the mayo.

The wild mushrooms are great – full of flavour and complimentary to the mayo and beef.

You also should credit the cooking technique of the caramelised onions on-board. These retain their slightly sweet characteristics due to not being cooked down so much that they lose all taste and texture.

Meat59’s Truffle Shuffle is a good burger. Maybe just a seasoning tweak on the patty and a drop less mayo and you are looking at a great burger.

For me, I certainly enjoyed it and if you’re looking for an alternative to the fantastic seafood restaurants Torquay is boasting, then hit up the guys at Meat59. I doubt you will be disappointed.

And I didn’t even mention Chunk from The Goonies…

Burger Lad®

Website: http://www.meat59.com/