DOES Manchester need another burger joint? London invaders Byron aim to prove the answer is yes by offering a taste of their much-loved brand on the corner of Deansgate and John Dalton Street.
The formula is simple good beef sourced from Scottish farms and minced freshly each morning, cooked pink and placed in a soft, squishy bun with a pickle on the side. Sound s familiar, but lets continue...
Customers can supplement their order with an array of side dishes and salads, including courgette fries, macaroni cheese, Caesar salad and tortilla chips. A selection of desserts, including Eton mess, rocky road, chocolate brownie or caramel and honeycomb sundae, round-off the menu.
Alongside these, there is a strong craft beer list which includes Camden Hells Lager and Brooklyn Lager, alongside Byrons own Pale Ale created exclusively by the Camden Town Brewery. Byron plans to regularly update its list of craft beers which are available alongside a five-strong list of Kentucky bourbons.
Byron has taken a while coming. Specialising in proper hamburgers, the chain was founded by Tom Byng in 2007, with the first Byron opening on Kensington High Street that year.
During a four-year stint in America, Tom ate enough hamburgers to sink the Titanic. His favourite diner was the Silver Top in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The hamburgers were simple, tasty things a bit messy, but made with good quality meat and only the classic adornments: some lettuce, tomato, red onion, and maybe a slice of cheese or bacon.
Back in London, Tom realised that there werent any restaurants offering hamburgers like those at the Silver Top. And so the idea for Byron was born: to do one thing, and do it properly (the Islington branch pictured looks pretty cool, too). See for yourself when the Manchester version opens in early June 2013.
Byron, 115 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2NW. http://www.byronhamburgers.com/