Fat Dad’s has moved inside for its latest venture
The Oakie burger at Fat Dad’s at The Gallimaufry(Image: Bristol Live)
It was the pair of plump red lips that stopped me in my tracks as I walked up Gloucester Road.
They were painted on the black A-board on the pavement outside The Gallimaufry under the logo for Fat Dad’s.
Until then I had no idea this award-winning burger business had launched a pop-up at The Galli but it’s here Wednesday to Friday (4pm-9pm) and Saturday (2pm-9pm).
And what great news for the area – Fat Dad’s is unquestionably one of the best burger businesses in Bristol.
It also has one of the most interesting back stories as it started life serving burgers from the back of an old converted American school bus renamed Betty.
I first came across it a couple of years ago when it parked up in the car park of a brewery in St Philips and I was blown away by the quality of the dirty beef chilli fries.
More interesting is the story of owner and self-taught chef Paul Clifford who left a 20-year career in the pharmaceutical industry to follow his dream of being a chef.
He cut his teeth in restaurants in London and Bristol, including Wilson’s, Adelina Yard and Souk Kitchen, before sourcing an American school bus from Brooklyn and renaming it Betty after his grandmother.
But there was also a health scare along the way, too, as Paul’s early prostate cancer diagnosis led to three years of treatment.
The ‘Fat Dad’ name apparently stemmed from his young daughter who occasionally called him that when the treatment resulted in his face swelling up for a time.
Since he launched the business in July 2022, he had moved from his original Middle Eastern menu into smash burgers and hasn’t looked back, becoming a finalist in the National Burger Awards 2024 along the way.
Fat Dad’s at The Gallimaufry on Gloucester Road(Image: Bristol Live)
Part of the success of Fat Dad’s is the high quality ingredients Paul uses from local suppliers like Beast Butchers and The Bristol Cheesemonger, both on Gloucester Road, and Lievito Bakery near Bath for the buns.
The menu at The Gallimaufry is short and to the point with five burgers, from ‘The Classic’ (£12) – dry-aged beef smash patties, American cheese, crispy onions, lettuce, dill pickles and burger sauce – to ‘The Schmokie’ (£14 – two dry-aged beef smash patties, smoked organic streaky bacon, double Applewood smoked cheese, crispy onions, dill pickles and smoked bacon and chilli mayo).
Two of the burgers are vegan or vegetarian, including ‘The Hallou-me-up’ (£12.50 – deep-fried halloumi, rose harissa mayo, pickled pink onions, rocket and candied jalapeños).
I went for ‘The Oakie’ (£13) which is apparently the Fat Dad’s tribute to the Oklahoma fried onion burger.
Served in a soft, seeded milk bun, it comprised two dry-aged beef smash patties, thinly sliced sweet Vidalia onions, American cheese, Applewood smoked cheese, crispy onions, FDK burger sauce and Frenchy’s American mustard.
Gloriously messy – I got through three paper napkins – the melting cheeses and two types of onion provided plenty of flavour and contrasting texture, and the sauce and mustard played their part but it was the deep beefy flavour of the two patties that shone, which is not always the case in burgers.
As a side, I had the seasoned fries (£4.50) – hot, crisp, skin-on chips liberally seasoned with rosemary salt. The generous portion was enough for two people.
In a city bursting with burger joints, it must be hard to stand out from the crowd but Fat Dad’s really does.
This was the best burger I’ve had all year and a return visit is already planned – it won’t be at The Gallimaufry forever so grab the chance while you can.
Fat Dad’s at The Gallimaufry, 26-28 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8AL. To Book, email info@thegallimaufry.co.uk or call 0117 9427319.