Newcastle burger chain - Fat Hippo has finally arrived in Cardiff promising to serve the best burgers in the city. A bold claim, considering we have a fair few indies and otherwise, cooking up the fast food classic in the capital.
Taking over the former site of Bub’s Bar and Kitchen, Fat Hippo opened on Friday (May 20) and we went along on opening weekend to try it out and see if their bravado had legs. Fat Hippo was fully booked for both Friday and Saturday, so we managed to get a slot on Sunday evening, when the restaurant was still busy with a steady flow of customers.
The modern decor of spray-painted walls, showing burgers and other dishes, alongside the black and white look created a cool, modern feel. We were quickly shown to our table and given the extensive menu.
There was, as you would expect, an impressive range of burgers, including beef, chicken, and vegan burgers catering to many food types. Also on the menu was an impressive amount of starters, something you might not expect from a burger restaurant, and a very wide range of sides.
We kicked off our meal with the Wachos starter, costing £7.50 for a portion for one. Intrigued by the concept the Wachos starter is the famous Fat Hippo waffle fries topped with smashed beef, liquid cheese, guacamole, sour cream, H.H. Hot sauce, and jalapenos, much like a typical nachos starter.
Wow, they packed a punch! The H.H.Hot sauce and jalapenos created a nice kick, which was not too spicy to be uncomfortable but definitely there, and all the ingredients worked well together.
As a guacamole lover, I was impressed with the guacamole which had a strong nutty flavour and was nice and creamy. I was also impressed with the way the toppings worked on the soft and fluffy potato fries, making a nice and surprising change from nachos.
Next was the main part of the show and Fat Hippo's claim to fame-the burgers. We opted for four different burgers and the burgers on the menu ranged from £11.90 to £17.90 in price, all coming with seasoned hand-cut chips.
Going for the namesake burger, I had the Fat Hippo, which cost £13.90 and was a double patty with American cheese, smoked bacon, chorizo, onion rings, and Fat Hippo sauce. What a combination, the chorizo, and bacon were perfectly smoked and nicely salted pairing well with the beef burgers underneath.
It was clear with all the burgers we ordered that the portions are very generous and the burgers are packed and juicy. The Fat Hippo burger also came with two huge onion rings which were crispy and crunchy with the batter and the onion was not stringy. The only complaint was that the onion rings were quite bland in flavour.
We also tried a more unusual burger, the PB+JJ burger which was £13.90 and came with a double patty, American cheese, chunky peanut butter, bacon jam, and smoked chilli jello. There was a perfect amount of peanut butter, not too much and not too little, and it had a strong sharp taste. The jelly was sweet, balancing the nutty taste of the peanut butter, and we were surprised at how well all the ingredients worked together to create a very good burger.
The other beef burger we tried was the Swiss Tony, costing £12.90 - no dodgy upsell on this, though, the Swiss cheese made this option stand out. It also came with a double patty, smoked bacon, mushrooms, cajun onion strings, and truffle mayo. Alongside the highlight of the Swiss cheese all the ingredients worked well together, the onion adding extra flavour, and mushrooms a unique twist.
Alongside the beef burgers, we tried a chicken burger, the Great White Buffalo costing £12.90. This chicken burger came with buttermilk chicken, American cheese, bacon, Buffalo hot sauce, and purple slaw.
The chicken was coated in crispy, seasoned batter and the inside was tender and soft, simply melting in the mouth. The Buffalo hot sauce added enough spice to be tasty but not overwhelming. This chicken burger also made a nice change from a typical beef burger, perfect for if you fancy something different.
For sides the Hippo seasoned hand-cut chips were seasoned well and good chips to accompany the burgers. We also ordered a side of waffle fries for £4.50 and two dips, garlic mayonnaise, and chipotle mayonnaise priced at £1 for one or £1.50 for two.
The waffle fries were a real highlight, light, fluffy, and very well flavoured and seasoned they were better than the chips. It was a bit strange to pay extra for the dips but the chipotle mayonnaise had a good strong kick and the garlic mayonnaise was also decent.
Overall the burgers were delicious, juicy, packed with flavoured, and very well sized. To say they're the 'best in Cardiff' is a bold claim, but they are definitely burgers worth getting excited about. To keep up to date with our latest food and drink news you can sign up to our news letter here.
