Our somewhat underwhelming visit to the Cambridge, the other day, set off a little flurry of Twitter speculation as to where the best burger in Edinburgh may truly reside. I have a few new places to try, so I greatly appreciate those suggestions, and some consensus emerged that the burgers at The Dogs tend to be a favourite with most, including me.
Exterior
With all this talk of burgers, it seemed only appropriate to head somewhere to sample one. Holyrood 9A was suggested, but inclement weather rendered The Standard a more palatable choice.
Located on Howe Street, it’s a smartish bar that I’ve frequented from time to time, often associated with watching sporting events, as it has television screens liberally peppered around the place.
Burger with bacon and cheese
Much as with the Cambridge, their menu is burger focussed, so we all went for their “Standard” burger, with a range of toppings chosen, to suit the palettes around the table.
Our team of questers, this evening, comprised Patrick, continuing his short visit from Istanbul, Rosabelle, freshly arrived from New York for a flying visit, and regular questing chums Iain and Aileen, who have joined on many occasions, including at The Ship on the Shore and Hector’s.
Once we’d cleared up questions on whether the burgers could be cooked to different levels of rareness, and addressed a slight mix up with one of the orders, we contemplated our choices. The burgers looked quite promising, with neat accompanying salads, and chunky chips. A side portion of onion rings proved both crisp and popular.
Blue cheese burger with chips
Sadly the burgers fell limply into the “too lean” trap. The sesame seed burger buns were prone to disintegration, too. There was far too much dry crumbling, where juicy moisture should have reigned. The chips were quite good, but couldn’t really save the day.
We had a jolly time to ourselves, and I quite like the style of the place, but sadly, The Standard joins the list of disappointing burger experiences. I think I’ll give this particular search a rest for a bit, but look forward to trying Katie’s Diner, Brass Monkey, and others, in the coming months.
Scores
Blythe scores The Standard
2.5/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
3.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 12/20
Today’s questers were: Aileen, Rosabelle, Iain, Patrick, Blythe
We ate: Standard burgers (5), with various toppings including bacon, mozzarella, cheddar, onions, blue cheese; onion rings
We drank: red wine, ginger beer, whisky, lager
We wore: blue, black, blue, black, blue
Total bill: c.£80
