By SEAN DOUGLASS
Winning anything five times in a row is usually an indicator that something is pretty good. Two weeks ago, Lola Jeans was named Battle of the Burger champion for the fifth time, maintaining a vice-like grip on the North East crown.
Burgers have gone well beyond just two slices of bread and a beef patty. And judges at the Wylam Brewery contest found that Lola Jeans is still the best at coming up with something creative. But how does it match up to the hype? We went to their Newcastle venue to find out.
What’s it like?
After the success of the Tynemouth original, Lola Jeans opened a Newcastle city-centre bar in November 2014. Found on Market Street, a minute’s walk to the Theatre Royal and Grey Street, the location is perfect. It’s relaxed, it looks cool, it’s comfortable. In those respects, it’s exactly what you would expect from a snazzy city-centre bar/restaurant.
The décor combines exposed brick, some colourful artwork and chandeliers to give it an old-meets-new, functionality-meets-art vibe. With it being a late-night bar and having a basement bar as well, there is a lot of open space so you don’t feel squashed in.
How are the starters?
There are seven starter options on the menu and almost all of them looked enticing in their own ways. The Philly cheese steak spring rolls were brilliant, the meat was so tender and it was full of flavour but I could gladly have eaten another as there were only two on the plate.
There were plenty of halloumi fries, which were described by my colleague as “squeaky”, with a good crispy batter on them so a solid option indeed. The deep-fried calamari received similarly good reviews for quantity and flavour but all three were quite expensive and it felt like they were a bit padded out with a hefty amount of salad.
What were the main courses like?
There are some interesting sharing platters for 1-3 people (yes, sharing a one-person platter is a bit of a contradiction), a “clean menu” for the health-conscious, and a selection of sandwiches and tacos.
But the three of us could not look beyond the list of two-patty burgers, which includes their competition-winning creations. My “Baby got back” burger – covered with bourbon and bacon jam, Monterey Jack cheese, brown ale and maple-candied bacon, onion strings and Lola’s sauce – balanced sweet with salty really nicely and the meat was expertly cooked.
Have you ever thought to have Monster Munch on a burger? Me neither – but one of my colleagues tried it on the James P Sullivan. Topped with cheddar cheese, rump steak, shoestring onions, Lola’s steak sauce, Tennessee barbecue sauce, red onion jam and pickled onion Monster Munch; it all came together in one sticky, meaty bonanza. The steak was cooked nicely and despite my scepticism, the Monster Munch were a nice, crunchy touch.
I was slightly envious of another colleague’s decision to get a John Dillinger, which seemed to impress. Garlic butter brioche, mozzarella, Napoli sauce and crispy pepperoni sounds like a good combination of Italian flavours and it proved to be just that. The garlic butter brioche was a particular hit but it was a good blend of flavours all round.
The burgers received unanimous praise – but it was hardly perfect. After generous portions of salad with the starters, the burgers all came with the same again. To tweak a bit of sound advice from Bart and Homer Simpson, you don’t win friends with double salad.
The chips were a big disappointment. Triple-cooked they had no crunch or flavour and resembled oven potato wedges, while the “pizza fries” were overcooked at the edges and were largely quite dry. It was filling – no room was left for dessert – but it’s safe to say the main courses were a mixed bag.
What are the drinks like? Any additional thoughts?
As well as a good selection of beers there are 10 pages of cocktails, spirits and wine to choose from. We each had a cocktail (Lady Eleanor, China Rose Petal and the Mamie Taylor) and all were excellent, perfectly mixed and not exceptionally expensive for a city-centre bar.
The overall bill, including the drinks, clocked in at £81. For three starters, three burgers and two sets of chips, that seemed a bit expensive so it’s not a cheap meal out by any means.
If you’re a burger fan, maybe it’s worth a try – though it’s not the best I’ve had in Newcastle – and I would not be in a hurry to go back, champion or not.
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