There is a particular kind of magic that happens at a chef’s counter. The room shrinks. The pace slows. Plates arrive in front of you with precision. London has fallen hard for omakase in recent years. In fact, intimate Japanese counters now rank among the most coveted bookings in the city. Secret Slider Club takes that same philosophy and does something very unique. It is a burger omakase, hidden inside the bustle of Mercato Metropolitano. Indeed, it is unlike anything I have eaten in this city.

The counter sits tucked into the Community Kitchen at the heart of the market. Eight seats only. Executive Chef Ricky Evans leads the experience. He builds, torches and glazes every course right in front of you. Meanwhile, his small team works in quiet choreography behind him. The result is nine courses of considered, theatrical, occasionally outrageous cooking. So across May, June and July, this is the most original dining experience in town.

Ricky knows a thing or two about burgers. Through his travels and kitchen experience, he is a professor of all things burgers. If omakase had a rebellious younger cousin, it would be Ricky.  This is the culinary equivalent of wearing trainers with a tuxedo and really pulling it off. He cooks with the confidence of someone who knows you’ll be back next week. Genius. 

A Counter Worth Finding

From the outside, Mercato Metropolitano Elephant and Castle hums with everything you expect. Independent traders. Global cuisines. Music in the rafters. The gentle chaos of a Saturday night. The Community Kitchen sits in the centre of all this. However, the Secret Slider Club counter inside feels like a secret hiding in plain sight. Low lighting, dark surfaces, eight stools, and the open kitchen that runs the full length of the bar. Sit down, settle in, and the wider world quietly recedes.

There is something deeply enjoyable about the contrast. Fine dining with a market hum in the background. Theatrical plating in a casual setting. In fact, you arrive slightly unsure of what to expect. Then you leave, already trying to work out when you can come back.

The Concept: Omakase, But For Burgers

Omakase, the Japanese tradition of leaving the menu in the chef’s hands, has exploded across London over the last few years, with intimate counters serving sushi, sashimi and seasonal Japanese cuisine to tiny audiences. Secret Slider Club is the first counter in the city to apply that same philosophy to the burger. Founded by Executive Chef Ricky Evans, the concept treats burgers with the discipline, craft and reverence usually reserved for fine dining tasting menus. Each of the nine courses is plated live in front of you, with luxury ingredients, globally inspired flavours and theatrical flourishes that make every bite feel like a moment.

Each slider arrives like a luxury handbag: small, perfectly formed, and strangely emotional.

Course by Course: A Nine-Act Journey

The menu unfolds slowly, with each course revealing itself only as the previous one is cleared. Here is what awaits across the evening.

Course One: Bacon Cheeseburger Ice Cream Sandwich

The opener arrives looking like a delicate pastry. A Cornish mature cheddar choux, finished with toasted white sesame, cradles a quenelle of wagyu bone marrow and beef ice cream. Smoked bacon crumb scatters across the top. A bright pickle gel cuts through the richness. Every flavour of a classic American diner cheeseburger lands in one cold, savoury bite. Indeed, the opener sets the tone immediately.

Course Two: Wagyu Tartare Dream Fry

Next comes the Wagyu Tartare Dream Fry. It arrives looking more like a slab of pressed golden pastry than a chip. Chef Ricky layers and presses duck fat confit potato until it crisps to within an inch of its life. He then crowns it with Yorkshire wagyu beef tartare, togarashi kewpie emulsion, black truffle, tomato ponzu cured egg yolk, 12-month aged Comté and furikake. It eats like luxury sushi. Of course, the textural payoff makes you stop talking for a second. This is the ultimate chip topped with very tender British beef. 

Course Three: Filet O Langoustine Slider

After that, the Filet O Langoustine Slider arrives. It is a cheeky nod to the fast food classic. However, the dish lifts the idea into a different league entirely. A crisp scampi-style Scottish langoustine croquette sits inside a soft brioche bun. Portuguese lemon sea salt, lobster emulsion and chopped Gordal olives finish the bun. Light, briny, beautifully balanced. Indeed, this is the moment when you realise just how seriously Chef Ricky takes his ingredients.

Course Four: Fried Chicken and Caviar Slider

Then comes the slider that will set the social feeds alight. The Fried Chicken and Caviar Slider arrives with a small gold tin of Oscietra Exmoor caviar beside it. You spoon it on yourself. Taiwanese-style fried chicken meets a mature cheddar and shiso seasoning, manuka honey buffalo sauce and a yuzu, black sesame and kewpie remoulade. The caviar lid completes the whole thing. Hot, cold, sweet, salty, briny, crunchy, all in one bite. So this is exactly the kind of high-low pairing that should not work. Instead, it does, completely.

Course Five: Thai Sausage Doughnut Slider

Next, the Thai Sausage Doughnut Slider is inspired by time spent in Thailand. It might be the most surprising course of the night. A juicy sai oua pork sausage patty arrives packed with fragrant Thai aromatics. Thai chilli jam, Thai basil emulsion and a crisp pork crackling crumb join the patty inside a savoury doughnut bun dusted with smoked sriracha sugar. The hot pink, sugar-dusted bun looks straight out of a bakery window. Of course, the contrast of sweet doughnut, fragrant herbs and crackling pork tastes genuinely unforgettable.

Course Six: Drink The Finger Bowl

Then comes the moment that sets Secret Slider Club apart from anything else on the London dining scene. The team places a small bowl in front of you. Inside, heritage tomato and cucumber water shimmers with a squeeze of fresh lemon. The instruction is simple. Drink the finger bowl. So you do. It lands cool, clean and gently savoury, washing away the doughnut sweetness and resetting the palate for the heavier sliders ahead. Indeed, this is omakase thinking applied to the burger journey. Every detail considered. 

Course Seven: Welsh Rarebit Cheeseburger Crumpet Slider

After the reset, the Welsh Rarebit Cheeseburger Crumpet Slider arrives. This is where the menu nods firmly back to British soil. Two 40-day dry-aged ex-dairy beef smash patties meet rich Black Bomber cheddar rarebit sauce and Welsh whisky caramelised onion jam. A buttery sourdough crumpet holds the whole stack together. Rich, boozy and unapologetically British. Indeed, you finish it and immediately wish you had room for another.

Course Eight: Death Row Spanish Wagyu Slider

After that, the Death Row Spanish Wagyu Slider arrives. This dish gives the evening its emotional climax. It also quietly anchors the whole concept. A Santa Rosalia wagyu beef patty meets Iberico guanciale bacon, preserved black truffle, D’Affinois cheese and a glossy champagne beurre blanc. A buttery brioche bun cradles the lot. Decadent, deeply savoury and richly satisfying. So this is the bite you would put on the list if you had to choose your last meal on earth. Indeed, the name is not an exaggeration.

Course Nine: Maple Bourbon Ice Cream Sandwich Slider

Finally, the journey closes with the Maple Bourbon Ice Cream Sandwich Slider. Maple bourbon malted Jersey milk ice cream sits between a condensed milk brioche bun. Miso salted caramel drips down the sides. A scatter of vanilla and maple candied bacon crumb tops the whole thing off. It looks like a slider. However, it eats like an ice cream sandwich. It also lands somewhere between a dessert and a wink back to the bacon cheeseburger ice cream sandwich that started the evening. 

The Drinks Pairing

An optional six-drink premium pairing runs alongside the menu. So it is well worth saying yes. The team have chosen the pours with care. Bright, sparkling openers lift the lighter snack courses. Then deeper whites and even a beer. Finally, a sweeter cider brandy pour lands alongside dessert. The team will happily talk you through each one as it arrives. Of course, if you would rather skip the alcohol, a thoughtful soft pairing is available instead. Either way, the drinks land in lockstep with each plate. So the rhythm of pour, plate, taste, repeat becomes part of the experience itself.

The Atmosphere

Eight seats are a small number, and in the second course, you are chatting with Ricky. Then by the fourth, you are comparing notes with the strangers next to you about which slider you would marry. There is a real warmth to the service. In addition, the lack of formality is refreshing. You can ask questions, take photos, and lean in close to watch the plating. Indeed, the team will happily share what is going on. The whole experience runs for around 90 minutes. So the tempo keeps things moving without ever feeling rushed.

Step away from the counter, and you are straight back into the energy of Mercato Metropolitano. This only adds to the charm. In fact, the contrast between the intimacy of the counter and the buzz of the market outside is part of what makes this concept work so well. It is fine dining with the volume turned up just enough, and it suits the burger beautifully.

Booking Your Seat

This is a love letter to burgers written with tweezers. Secret Slider Club runs as a residency at Mercato Metropolitano Elephant and Castle, from May through July 2026. So with a three-month residency window, this is the kind of booking you do not want to leave for next week. 

For more information, visit Secret Slider Club

All Images Courtesy of Secret Slider Club unless stated otherwise.