Tommis Burger Joint

London’s love affair with Scandinavia continues as Iceland’s leading burger group, Tommi’s Burger Joint comes to town in late June 2012 with the opening of its first UK site in Marylebone. The American-style burger joint, which currently has five sites across Iceland, is the creation of Icelandic entrepreneur Tomas Tómasson, who has launched nearly 20 restaurants and hotels in his native Iceland, including the Hard Rock Cafe. Tommi will spend the first few months after opening in the UK, flipping burgers each day, and refining the offering together with head chef Siggi Gunnlaugsson, one of the group’s most senior chefs who has relocated to the UK with his family. The menu will be simple; based on a selection of burgers including beef, chicken and vegetarian. Meat will be carefully sourced from the UK, and course ground by hand on site to the recipe Tommi has perfected over several decades in the business. As with all sites in Iceland, burgers will be cooked on an American gas grill to enhance the charcoal flavour, and garnished in the classic diner style with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, chopped onion and Ketchup. A selection of alternative American classics will also be available, such as the Rib eye steak and Chicken in a honey sauce. Fries, Béarnaise and cocktail sauces plus a selection of interesting soft drinks, complete the offering. The 25-cover diner will have an informal, vintage feel, with mismatched recycled furniture, banquette seating and high retro stools. Adorning the walls will be American memorabilia, movie posters and shots of pop culture icons from Johnny Cash to The Sopranos. Whether guests eat in or take away, food also comes packaged in nostalgic brown paper bags. Tommi comments: ‘We are hugely excited about bringing our burgers to London as the capital has a huge appetite for them right now. Having eaten one every day for the last eight years and travelling the world trying out different styles, I know that a good burger joint should be fun, relaxed and most importantly taste great, so we hope Londoners enjoy our take on the burger phenomenon!”