One sandwich wonder: We try London's new cult bun shop The Black Hamburg

Midnight snack: The refreshingly simple Black Hamburg on Stroud Green Road

A hot sandwich at midnight has instant appeal. Especially if it’s a wedge of beef shin, zinging homemade kimchi, chilli and melted Ogle shield cheese, packed into a pillowy Pullman bun that just about contains its juicy mass.

On Stroud Green Road, tucked between a taxi firm and a roti takeaway, there’s a hole in the wall where chefs in the know get their fix. It’s called The Black Hamburg. The menu is scrawled on the window. It’s short, just two sandwiches. There’s the signature, that smokey beef shin concoction (£6.50), and a rotating cast of specials, which start at £5.

A popular one is the Vadavan lamb shoulder, pickled sultanas, labneh and fermented green chilli toastie but options for the less carnivorous include miso aubergine, peanuts, spring onion, kimchi and aged cheddar. The minimal menu is part the draw — if there are only two options it frees up your brain for other life choices.

Co-founder Ian Macintosh, who also runs modern British restaurant Heirloom in Crouch End says: “The idea behind The Black Hamburg was to create a late-night fast-food option for off-duty chefs, or anyone who wants to eat quality fast food. Any chef will tell you that no matter how high-end the cuisine you are cooking, we all love fast food.” He came up with the name years ago; Black Hamburg was the original name for the English muscat grape.

You can take away or stay in the warm shop, which has space for just four people at the counter. Last Saturday they were playing famous bacon sandwich eater Ed Miliband’s Reasons to be Cheerful podcast. In the evening it’s BYOB and revellers stumbling out of Rowan’s Bowling Alley a few doors down have come in with mini bottles of prosecco as well as ales from the Stroud Green branch of Clapton Craft.

The Black Hamburg is the result of a series of fortunate coincidences. Macintosh and his business partner Michael Spurgeon met more than 10 years ago while backpacking through Brazil. They lost touch but bumped into each other in Crouch End, where they both own restaurants. Spurgeon is behind the cocktail bar Nickel. They went for a drink and noticed a vacant site that used to be a hair salon. One picture of a haircut on offer remains in memoriam, called The Blue Boy.

Macintosh explains the logic behind the menu: “We wanted to do what we do well. We spend a long time perfecting these sandwiches and they are the business. Secondly, experience taught us overcomplicated menus can lead to excessive waste, so we were careful to avoid this for economic and environmental reasons. Finally, we don’t have the space for an expansive menu.”

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What they decide to make is based on what’s in season, says Macintosh. “We are firm believers in using the right ingredients at the right time of year. While there will only ever be two or three sandwiches available at any one time, we change the menu weekly so there will always be variety.”

They make the fillings from scratch, without additives or preservatives, and plan to sell the kimchi and fermented chilli sauce. Both are addictive. Meat is sourced from within a 50-mile radius of London, while the bread and buns come from Seven Seeded Bakery in Watford. Try to go when they have a foccacia special. They’ve recently bought a toastie maker too.

North London’s appetite for hot sandwiches is insatiable. The Black Hamburg joins Max’s Sandwich Shop further up the road. They’re getting on well. It seems that there’s room for more than one sandwich expert in the neighbourhood. You could even go on a crawl.

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