An ethical burger bar which makes waste reduction and recycling a priority. Could this be the way forward?

The Venue
Carnaby Burger Co is just off Carnaby Street, on Fouberts Place, a prime location for exhausted and hungry shoppers and passers-by. From the outside the restaurant looks more like a fast food joint, there are tables outside for that all important al fresco dining in the summer and somewhere for smokers to shelter in the rain. The inside is rather like school canteen, with the walls decorated in a rather lurid shade of green and a kitchen that looks just like a school one. There’s a blackboard describing the specials and a bar in the corner. Overall there is plenty of space (although some of the tables are slightly crammed in) and clever, low lit spotlights.

The Atmosphere
It seems Carnaby Burger Co is busy every night and it’s perfect for shoppers, passers-by and local office workers. Weeknights are packed with lots of groups of young people and a few couples dotted around. It’s quite noisy and lively, with a young feel about it, and the atmosphere is relaxed as friends relax and catch up over beer and burgers. There isn’t a huge amount of staff, though, and the visible ones all seem to be very busy.

The Food
There are the usual starters you would expect in a burger joint, deep fried spring rolls (£3.50), calamari (£5.50), garlic bread, Caesar salad and soup of the day. Spring rolls are slightly cold and not particularly crispy. The filling is very average, but the sweet chilli dipping sauce is spicy and hot, making the rather dull spring rolls much tastier. The calamari is nice but nothing to get too excited about either. The batter is light but a bit soggy and the calamari doesn’t taste particularly fresh. The garlic dip it’s served with is a little gloopy and sweet, so better just to eat it with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Overall a little disappointing.

Main courses are better. All the beef used in the restaurant is from traceable British beef from British farms, important in today’s world when so much food is flown thousands of miles from other countries, unnecessarily. There’s a grill section including sirloin steak (£16.95), rib eye steak with blue cheese (£16.95), grilled salmon fillet with ginger and spring onion (£10.95) and char grilled chicken breast (£9.95). All of the grill selection comes with a choice of sauces to accompany your dish ranging from peppercorn to chilli butter. A great alternative if you don’t fancy a burger.

As you would expect from a burger restaurant, there is a huge choice of burgers to choose from, including beef burgers, chicken burgers, lamb burgers and vegetarian burgers. Beef burgers include teriyaki burger, chilli burger, egg burger, blue cheese burger and so on. The chicken burger with brie and cranberry is a popular choice. The chicken breast is juicy and succulent (chicken burgers can be a bit dry) and the cranberry sauce isn’t too sweet and tastes homemade. The brie is melted and creamy, the textures and tastes work brilliantly together. The Quorn burger with cheese and red onion is crispy and tasty but the bread bap it’s served in is a little too big and takes up most of the room on the plate. The chips are a little over fried and taste oily.

Other options for vegetarians include portobello mushroom burger with sweet peppers and rocket and falafel burger with hummus. Hot dogs made with British pork are also on the menu with prices ranging from £4.65 - £6.05 and there’s also a decently sized selection of salads. The children’s menu includes fish fingers and burgers but all in smaller servings in comparison to mum and dad.

Puddings portions are large, so it may be an idea to share! Classic tiramisu (£4) seems to be a winner and cookies and cream cheese cake is a pleasant surprise, a creamy cheesecake on top of a chocolate digestive base. The base is hard and crunchy and the cookie pieces on top are worth fighting over. For the more health conscious there is a classic fruit salad (with or without ice cream) or a warm chocolate brownie.

The Drink
All your basic spirits and mixers are available here as well as a good beer choice. Budweiser, Grolsch, Corona and Staropramen are in bottles. The wine list consists of five white wines, five reds and one rose, a very reasonable number for a burger bar. The El Muro Tinto is full bodied, flavoursome and reasonable at £14.10 a bottle. The Sauvignon from Chile is smooth and creamy, a slightly lighter red wine but more expensive at £19.95. The El Muro Blanco is refreshingly fruity and the Italian Pinot is always a winning choice.

There is a cocktails list (£5.25) serving everything from Woo Woos (vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry) to the more exotic Melon Cooler (rum, melon liqueur, orange and cranberry). Milkshakes are the chosen drink of children and teenagers and are all freshly made on the premises out of flavoured ice creams.

The Last Word
A modern burger bar with an ethical streak. Every piece of meat is British, all the waste is recycled and environmentally friendly materials are used inside and out of the kitchen. The Carnaby Burger Co also gets involved in local community schemes and supports local events and charity fundraisers. This ethos is so important in today’s world and is refreshing to see a restaurant that takes so much care to be socially and ethically responsible. Overall the food is good and there’s a huge choice for just about everyone.

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