BRIM Burgers

There's a new kid on the block. And that new kid is juicy! BRIM Burgers opens this week (May 2021) and is incredibly conveniently located at the bottom of our road. It occupies a decent sized plot just along from Lawn Lane Fish & Chips and Lawn Lane Peri Peri. It is the site of former Toraabs Karahi House which was sadly a Covid casualty but the owners recouped and reinvested in a new venture: BRIM burgers. It is decked out in monochrome stripes inside and out, and very difficult to miss.

Their schtick is that all their burgers are made from smashed, grass fed British beef (no frozen patties here!) and are layered up and filled to the brim with delicious ingredients. They have a signature burger sauce too which is our kinda jam....or sauce.....whatever....... They do hot dogs, milkshakes, loaded fries and.....OMG.....tater tots! And if the menu didn't allure you enough, the guys behind it are also top class human beings and donated 100 free burgers to the homeless at the DENS project in Hemel Hempstead before opening. The owners Amad and Jwad are passionate foodies, seasoned restraunteurs, and loyal Hertfordshire-ites who are bringing a new burger joint to Hemel, so it's only right we try 'em out for you!

We went with their recommendation and ordered the Brim Burger, The Street Dog, Fries and Tater Tots. That came to £23.15 (we paid for a couple of extra sides, but without these it would have made it closer to £20).

Pressed for time? This review is easy. This is bloody excellent and you should try it ASAP. Hmm? You want more? Fine...

The burger comes wrapped in foil and your mind immediately goes to Five Guys: which is probably it's obvious comparison point. Like Five Guys, the patty was moist and crammed full of flavour. It was tender, succulent and the edges of the burger had perfectly caramelized from grilling. Worth noting at this point that we got an 8oz patty but you can get smaller or larger too. The melted American cheese added to the decadence of this burger, by oozing through the burger and bringing a creamy buttery flavour to each bite which contrasted well with the salty bacon and pickles. It held together beautifully too. Despite all the oozing and juiciness of this burger, you wouldn't call it a 'dirty' burger; this felt a bit more measured. From the composition, to the flavours, to the quality, this is an EXCELLENT burger.

Whilst you can get a good burger a few places in Hemel, the hotdog and the tater tots are really exciting, as that's pretty hard to find in Hemel. The hot dog (we went with the Street Dog) was oozy and saucy, with a fiery kick. and whilst the sauces dripped down our hands as we scoffed them down, the dawg still held together really nicely. The grilled onions felt fresh and went brilliantly with the chives and Wild West sauce.

The tater tots were SO good. Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside like a hash brown bite! They come topped with BBQ sauce, wild west sauce, and spring onions. Oh, and the skin on fries were bloody excellent too. Make sure you pay 50p extra for the rosemary and garlic salt - elevates it to another level!

The only slight niggle I would have is the portions are on the smaller side. That's totally fine, as its nice to eat a burger and fries without needing a lie down afterwards, and you can really taste the quality and freshness, but it's worth bearing in mind when you're ordering that you may want to add more sides to try, oh no!

Service:

Ordering is through Just-Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats so it's super convenient. You can also order in person and you can eat in too; the place has a few bar stools to prop yourself up on whilst you wolf down your delicious burger.

Quality:

Super fresh meat and great sauces with well considered creations here. BRIM is going for something a bit different and you can taste it.

Value & Price:

£20 will feed two - but if you can, push to £25 with extra sides - as the portions are little on the small side.

Overall:

OUTSTANDING- Really impressive - it's hard to make a burger joint stand out when every gastro pub in town does one, but BRIM really manage it - not only with excellent burgers, but stuff you're not like to find elsewhere like tater tots. The new boys in town are very much worth a try.