Handmade Burger Company, The Oasis, Meadowhall, Sheffield
Back to basics for top handmade burgers...
SOMETIMES I find myself wrestling with the great questions in life, such as will we ever defeat terrorism, is it milk or tea in first when you brew a cuppa, and does Sheffield need yet another burger bar?
I'd have said no to the last one until I visited Meadowhall the other day and came across the Handmade Burger Company.
Like rats, you're never that far from a burger bar, but few of them really measure up.
The bun inevitably has the texture of candyfloss and the pattie is a little light on meatiness. The saving grace of many beefburger joints is the relish tray which tours the restaurant.
You have to make sure you've got enough red pepper or sweetcorn relish and perhaps just a little bit of mayonnaise and, go on then, some pickles to add the taste yourself.
Handmade is a small chain based in the Midlands and Meadowhall, its fourth restaurant, is the first in the north and it prides itself on going back to basics.
The burgers are all handmade on the premises from traditionally reared, grass-fed fully-traceable beef, or so the claim goes. Its chips don't spill out of a packet but are double fried on the premises. And the buns are made of sourdough by local bakeries.
That's the claim and judging from the taste it works.
Handmade is on the upper floor of The Oasis and it doesn't go in for overhead model railways or pictures of Hollywood and pop stars. Instead, it's a bit minimal, in black and white, with food facts as quotations on the walls. Staff wear grey T-shirts.
The music is a bit too loud but you can get round that by sitting at the tables outside.
We get a big welcome from manager Adam Pearce who tells us to order at the counter, get a number and the food will be brought to you.
There are 30 burgers on the list, half of them beef, from the classic burger to satay, smokey barbecue, ploughman's (with cheese and pickle), posh (with horseradish and rocket), balti, chilli and Milano (with pesto).
There are also chicken burgers but these are really hammered chicken breasts in a bun, a couple with lamb patties (there's a tikka masala), five veggie (some made of beans but can you really call an onion bhaji a burger?), a couple of fish (one from fish fingers) and some in kiddie sizes.
Most burgers are fivepence short of 7 and then you have to add your chips so we're talking a tenner a head before drinks.
We had Mexican beef salsa (6.95), classic chicken (5.95), a portion of fresh cut chips (2.65), handmade coleslaw (2.25) and, just to be greedy, a portion of onion rings (2.45).
My burger was really beefy with some good spicing and the sesame seeded bun had a good bite with a tangy taste.
Each burger comes with its own relish and I reckoned mine (chiefly avocado) was a bit dull. Chips were excellent, crisp outside, fluffy inside.
No claims are made about Handmade's chicken but it's flavourful and my wife's coleslaw was excellent.
Adam says the beef comes from Scotland – "we can't get the quality we need elsewhere" – and the potatoes currently come from Rotherham. The menu refers to the chips as "fresh cut" not handmade.
"We did have someone to do them by hand but it took up all his time. They are now done by machine."
The biggest selling burger by far is the one with cheese and bacon at 6.95.
I miss the relish tray (you can buy dips at 1.25 each or three for 3.25) and you can have any dessert you like as long as it's ice cream.
With a glass of Peroni (2.95) and an apple juice (2) we paid 25.20.
Well worth a visit for some of the best burgers around.
Food Review
Handmade Burger Company
The Oasis, Meadowhall.
Telephone: 0114 256 8945.
Open all week noon-10.30pm (weekends may change). Vegetarian options. House wine 10.95 (from 3.30 a glass). Credit cards. Disabled toilet.
My star ratings (out of five):
Food ****
Atmosphere ***
Service ****
Value ****
Theme restaurant. Do not compare ratings between places of different style or price.
Got a view? Add your comment below.
BUY ONLINE: Buy The Star - Monday to Saturday - for local news, sport, features and ads. Sign up on line by clicking here.
READ MORE
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
