Change is so beautiful, as is hindsight. I was never a burger girl, but over the last few months the halal gourmet market has improved so much that I actually really enjoy them now. So much so, that I travelled all the way from my little town in NW London all the way to Ilford. I have to admit I don’t usually venture out this way so it was a bit of a treck and a whole new world but WELL worth it!
A minute’s walk from Ilford station, Built Custom Burgers is a new burger establishment open for a few months now. The experience is one I love, it’s so interactive and lets you create the type of burger you’ve always wanted, tailoring the whole burger experience to your specific tastes.
There is also a set menu if you didn’t want to create your own burger. So how does it work – 2 simple steps!
- Choose either single or double chicken or beef – the beef is 100% Angus beef
- Move onto the counter and choose your ingredients.
The passion in every single step of their ingredient, every part of the process is so evident and I love that! I can imagine it’s a bit of a longer process and it may get a bit tedious when it’s busy, but they take every burger as an individual order so they don’t mix up yours and your mate’s orders, which actually makes alot of sense. Imagine if you chose the double beef with the honey mustard and got the single with the barbeque instead! You wouldn’t be a happy bunny, would ya?! But I love the concept of creating your own burger to suit your own needs rather than saying “hold the onions and go extra on the jalepenos” – this way you make your own!
Now the actual food – I went for a double beef burger and my friend went for a double chicken (yeah we’re those kinda girls, single just doesn’t cut it!)
The beef burger was a bit dry and maybe needed a bit more sauce, but the good thing was that even though you choose what sauces go in your burger they actually provide you a small sample of all the sauces to go with your burger incase you want more.
The sides were phenomenal! Between us, we got the garlic tots, cheese tots and garlic fries. The fries were so crispy and tasted so so good, but .. please pay attention when I say this… the garlic tots were AMAZING, like nothing I have ever tasted before! My only regret was that my friend and I were sharing it!
Overall, I think it’s a great concept, kind of like a higher quality Subway for halal burgers! I really enjoyed the whole experience, it’s a fun, interactive way to get the burger you want, your way. I also REALLY enjoyed the sides, probably more than I should have! The burger was really good, although the set menu seems quite amateur at this stage, with only 2 milkshakes and no desserts! (I repeat no desserts!) I loved the passion of the guys at Built Custom Burgers though and am hoping they will build on the current menu, but it’s definitely a good start for them.
Food – 8 out of 10
Service – 9 out of 10
Atmosphere – 7 out of 10
Experience – 8 out of 10
Overall, giving Built Custom Burgers a total TLH score of 8.5 out of 10.
Address: 112 Cranbrook Road, Ilford, IG1 4LZ
Website: www.jikonilondon.com
Halal Status: All halal, no alcohol served
Closest Station: Ilford (Overground, TFL rail)