THE PLACE
Apart from, incredibly, searching for dogging information, more people come to the SOURCE website looking for tips on Brighton’s vibrant burger scene than anything else (we wonder if those two activities go hand in hand in any way). One thing the burger crew haven’t been able to find yet is a review of Troll’s Panty, and, yes, we’ve had it in the neck for that, but during our big burger round-up the van was between sites. A year on, they’ve settled into a booth in the beer garden of, aptly, The Hobgoblin. It’s time to find out if the hype is true.
THE MEAL
Two burger options – that’s all you’re getting. And by that we mean you can’t have chips, onion rings or truffle oil. The choice is ever-changing, but on our visit it’s the ever present Imperial (£6.50) and The Smoky Mountain (£8.50). The latter (pictured), to which we add an extra patty for £3, is a big, sloppy, wonderful mess. Loaded with extremely smoky rum BBQ sauce, the tender, 35-day-aged meat oozes juice and all dignity is thrown to the wind. With a type of bourbon bacon jam, garlic mayo, caramelised onions and smoked Foresters cheese there are lots of flavours going on, but it gels perfectly. Also impeccably balanced is The Imperial – there’s a sharpness where the St Giles cheese meets the tangy pickles and American mustard that’s spot on and lets the top quality beef sing.
THE VERDICT
So the question is simple: is this the best burger in town? The answer is more complicated. Ignoring the cost, yes, without doubt this is the best burger you can buy in our city. Brighton Burger is very good and less than half the money, but Troll’s Pantry is worth every single penny too. It’s probably not possible to make a burger with more love, attention to detail and vision than Troll’s Pantry do. It’s going to take something special to knock them off the top spot.
WERE WE SUSSED?
To be honest they were too busy to do anything but concentrate on cooking.
The Hobgoblin, York Place
facebook.com/TheTrollsPantry
Weds-Thurs 12-2pm, 6-8pm; Fri 6-9pm; Sat 12-2pm, 6-9pm; Sun 1-3pm
