Boom Burger and I have been having an online flirtation for quite some time. It started with a casual browsing of their website, with a few sneaky peeks at what the menu had on offer. Before I knew it, I was doing background checks, gathering information and reviews, checking their Facebook whenever I could. Pictures were saved on my phone so that I could take quick glances while I was in lectures. It was only after I found myself repeating 'Boom Burger' in my sleep, that I decided to take our relationship from cyber to reality.

I set off for Boom Burger with a severe fear of being Catfished. I've witnessed the trauma of one too many who find out that their online soulmate is actually a misshapen form of evil. However, I had no reason to be paranoid, for Boom Burger did not disappoint. Set on Portobello Road, the restaurant is unmissable, with it's bright Jamaican colours and blaring reggae music. The inside isn't very big so I would recommend going on a weekday, but the staff are extremely friendly, and all the food is cooked right in front you.

The menu consists of an array of Caribbean-inspired burgers and sides, including salt-fish, jerk wings and plantain fries. Their signature piece is the bacon jam, which comes with their 'Boom Burger (beef patty, cheese and bacon jam) and the Brunch Burger (egg, bacon and avocado salsa), but unfortunately I did not get to try it. 

I went for the 'Jerk Boom', a burger consisting of jerk chicken, fried plantain, rocket salad and a mango and pawpaw sauce. 

The combination of flavours was amazing, and they actually managed to find the right balance between sauce, filling and bun-softness (yes I measure these things) that usually results in sloppy burgers. The chips were surprisingly good too, so much that my mother -who doesn't eat chips - ended up eating them as well.

My only regret was not trying anything else on the menu, as if the 'Jerk Boom' is anything to go by, I missed out, though I'm not sure if I could have managed more, as the meal was extremely filling. Luckily the venue is placed amongst Portobello Market, giving me the perfect excuse to browse whilst I walked off my meal and reminisced on my first date with Boom Burger. I'm very certain that a second will be in order.