Review of Handmade Burger, Ocean Terminal

This is a largely positive review of the Handmade Burger restaurant in Ocean Terminal.

This is a largely positive review because, after numerous visits to the burger venue, it has been largely positive. That said, there’s a picture at the end of this review that might alarm, but it’s worth reading the notes around that.

There’s been a renaissance of restaurants on the topmost floor in Ocean Terminal. Fears that closing the skate park would harm the atmosphere of the shopping centre seem to have been unfounded. We’ve had a Frankie and Bennys installed, a Pizza Express installed,and the struggling Potters is closing to become a Bella Italia. Handmade Burger is part of the renewal and tucked back in the corner.

Beware queues outside Handmade Burger if you are in a hurry. The venue uses a misleading double queue system. First you queue to get a table. Then you queue again to place your order. Your order, most likely, will not be quick to arrive at your table.

Of course, one of the reasons your burger order will not be quick  is because Handmade Burger in Ocean Terminal, like Handmade Burger restaurants across the UK, try and make things fresh. The lack of freezer to fryer, of course, slows things down.

With the freshness in mind it is worth that some of the speciality burgers – the cheese stuffed burgers – are limited. They run out quickly too. That’s a real shame for me because they are simply the best burgers on the menu and I don’t know whether they’re available until I’ve made it through the table queue and have a seat.

Having a seat at Handmade Burger is good. Okay, the two people tables are a little small but they’re clean and comfortable and the larger tables are nice. The view, if you’re lucky enough to get by the window, can be amazing. It’s a wonderful view of the Leith dock and you can see everything from oil support ships, to expense yachts to military vessels and even the rare helicopter.

The staff are friendly and fun – and an asset to the chain. I’ve seen Handmade Burger employees react calmly and swiftly to the news of a tomato ketchup explosion. They did so with a smile. If you’re new to the menu the staff are certainly worth talking too – and, generally, they’ll make certain you know what you’re doing (and that you’ve a second queue coming) before they leave you to make your decision.

So what about the food?

It’s pretty good. The burgers are good quality. This blogger likes to get the best possible match between bread roll and burger and to be critical that’s sometimes where Handmade Burger falls down – I’m not always a fan of their rougher, more coarse, textured rolls.

One of the big plus points for Handmade Burger burgers, after the freshness, is the willingness to accept orders with changes. This blogger frequently orders “plain” meals – with all the dressing and sauce excluded. Since the burgers are made freshly Handmade Burger can deliver.

There have been exceptions though. The menu includes a child/junior menu which has a fishfinger burger. The adult version was dropped from the most recent menu. This wasn’t a problem according to @HandmadeBurger corporate Twitter account. Just ask for an adult sized one, they said, and all would be well.

This blogger’s experience suggests that that isn’t always the case. The local kitchens fret – and refuse. You can’t have it “for free” they said; there’s no button on the till for them to use. I can see their problem – the “junior” fish finger burger uses a single, but rather giant, fish finger and the adult version would surely use two.

Not the most appealing burger to look at. This is what happens when food allergies mean you need to skip on the dressing and sauces combined with the Edinburgh kitchen’s unwillingness to deviate from the child menu. It looks bad – but when the finger is cut in half and replaced on the bun the overall burger is much better off.