Rotary Bar & Diner, City Road www.rotarybardiner.com

The burger is dead is what the banshees of the Sunday style magazine screamed at the start of the year – but the burger shops keep coming and they are marching East from their Soho enclaves – first Meat Mission, then Hache (far too av to review) and now the new Rotary Bar & Diner.

Rotary is down the road from Old Street and joins Salvation Jane and Ozone by raising the standards of food in the local area. It is basically kitted out as a 70s living room / 70s office canteen – complete with model kitchen and small living room. However the kitsch gone mad look is tempered by the views of Old Street Roundabout on the right.

 The menu has the things you expect to see in this type of place – the smoker was just up and running on the day we went and they had the classics such as ribs, buttermilk chicken, burnt tips and other snacks previously butchered by TGI Friday. But when you come to a new place like this, you ignore everything and else go for the burger, it is the standard bearer which defines all other meals.

The classic beef comes with streaky bacon, cheese, slaw and a side of chips or salad for £10. It was a huge portion and the burger was up there with this best burger renaissance has provided – the toppings were well thought out, pickled slaw a sharp surprise, the burger held together when eaten until the last few bites and the ‘burger sauce’ showed pleasant attention to detail. The beef stood up well to these flavours and wasn’t overpowered by this diverse ensemble. The only negative was the delicate brioche bun, which, although fancy, has no place smacking it lips around these ingredients.

In terms of neighbourhood burger war this is better than Meat Mission and close to, but not quite as good as, Lucky Chip – the market leader in my decadent opinion.

The veggy burger deserves a big mention for sheer towering mentalness – it came with a triple stack of layered mushrooms and deep fried brie and a punchy don’t plan on kissing anyone for several hours pesto. Deep fried brie is worth trying on its own if you don’t have the uncarnal ability to order a veggy option.
 

In terms of sides the triple cooked chips were good copy of burger kings finest, and the salad was a thorough effort of a proper beetroot salad rather than a few green leaves with vinagerette.

This is a top quality place to come for your burgers and greasy food needs, with good attention to detail and a nice atmosphere – and although Soho is getting a bit saturated in these types of places I reckon Old Street will welcome this with arms wide open and two fingers up to the Sunday magazine foodies.