Have you ever paired your burgers with wine? No? Me neither. Well, I’ve had a bottle of wine with my meal or burger many times before but never have I thought about pairing it with its specific ingredients. Ben’s Canteen in Battersea are trying to change all that however, serving up mini sliders alongside delicious wines paired specifically with each one. It’s a fantastic idea – especially as burgers to me were old hat, making them exciting all over again. And the burgers here really were absolutely delicious. The restaurant is located on the rather busy St John’s Hill but despite constant traffic the music inside quickly drowns it out. They also have a second site in Earlsfield. We settled ourselves in here at Battersea with a couple of well-made classic cocktails in the form of a potent Negroni and smooth old-fashioned, both of which packed a nice punch and warmth.
Thinking the sliders were going to be on the small side, as you would presume – we ordered a couple of nibbles to help wash down our cocktails with. A bowl of deep-fried crispy prawns, chorizo and jalepenos was an absolute stunner here at Ben’s Canteen. Carefully cooked, golden and full of flavour. Equally as satisfying was the spiced duck nuggets served was an outrageously good home-made hoisin sauce for dipping. The guys here should really be bottling the stuff it’s that good. If you make it down to Ben’s add both of these to your order, you won’t be disappointed.
And then the kitchen released the sliders upon us. Gargantuan not so little beauties ready to pair with our wines. The restaurant surprised me actually, serving a Pinot Gris with our cheeseburger (instead of the classic red), Malbec with the Hawaiian pulled pork bun (instead of a white) and Champagne with a deliciously unhealthy posh fried chicken burger. All of the wines went so well with each burger and a special mention must go out to that classic cheeseburger. A stunning mix of umami laden beef patty, American cheese and BC (own blend) burger sauce. It quite literally leaves me salivating now at the thought of biting into it again, washed down with that Pinot Gris.
With barely any room left for just about anything, we finished up on a liquid dessert – a salted caramel laced espresso martini. It was honestly one of the best I’ve had in London – working its way into my Top 5. It’s no wonder this cocktail is Ben’s signature here, you can taste each flavour, from the caramel to the vanilla and finally the sweet Kraken rum.
Our burger and wine pairing evening at Ben’s Canteen was so refreshing given how the London dining scene is at the moment. Burgers aren’t the craze they once were and eating one is now as normal as the white burger van was seven or so years ago when we didn’t realise such quality could be found in a burger, long before the Byron days. It may just be a simple spin of pairing with wine here but it works so well and was so enjoyable and fun that I may just be back on the burger wagon again. A great evening and one you should all be booking into.
