It was obviously too hot in Nantes as I decided to sit outside, something which I try to avoid whenever possible to avoid cigarette smoke, insects and the risk of others displaying joviality nearby. This was MADE Burger, which had excellent online ratings and looked sufficiently appealing to justify a proper investigation rather than my usual approach of staring through the window and making several unnecessary circuits of the block to find something which meets my needs.
Ordering was simple enough and I liked the provision of buzzers so that I know when food arrives, it’s always a slight faff if they’re trying to call out food orders in a language I don’t know. The buzzer meant that I could sit outside in peace, confident that it would eventually summon me rather than the food quietly cooling on a counter while a member of staff repeatedly called for someone who sounded a little like “Julien”.
This is their standard smash burger with cheese and bacon and the presentation seemed carefully thought through. The burger was juicy and had a depth of flavour, actually tasting of beef which is always positive. I would have preferred the bacon to be cooked more, although I accept that my enthusiasm for nearly cremated bacon is a matter of personal taste rather than a failure of the kitchen. The bun was soft and the chips were particularly good, crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy within, which is exactly what chips are meant to achieve despite the number of establishments that continue to treat this as an optional ambition
The beer is the Blanche Écume from Brasserie Mélusine, a quite fruity wheat beer, successfully completing the whole arrangement. Indeed, on the beer front, I was pleased that there was a choice of three different local beers, none of which I’d had before.
The venue was all rather on-trend and it was heavy on the branding and perhaps slightly formulaic, but as long as the food quality is high then I’m absolutely fine with that. It got a little busier outside whilst I was there, but fortunately there was no-one smoking, no insects and the frivolity level remained relatively low. I’m also pleased to note that the large canopy meant that the temperature of the outside area remained cool, as I might not have mentioned, but it was too hot in Nantes.