REVIEW: Mumu could be the pick of of the umami army in Northampton

For those who like their fries skin-on, their burgers brioche-bunned and their shakes 'pimped' read on. Mumu is the gut-busting hideout hipsters are craving for.
Mumu in St Giles Street is every bit as fun as a certain American burger bar chain. Plus it has cocktails.Mumu in St Giles Street is every bit as fun as a certain American burger bar chain. Plus it has cocktails.
Mumu in St Giles Street is every bit as fun as a certain American burger bar chain. Plus it has cocktails.

When the Seafood Restaurant closed its doors in St Gies Street in 2015 citing "unforeseen circumstances" as the reason for its departure, many feared the town had lost one of its best venues.

Within months a new venture was looking to take over the premises amid some grumblings.

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Mumu promised to offer what - let's be honest - a lot of other places were promising to offer at the time.

The Barbie-Mu.The Barbie-Mu.
The Barbie-Mu.

Stacked high burgers with a little wooden stick thing in them alongside Five Guys-styled skin-on fries, basket rather than plates, pulled meats, cocktails.

The market is now full of what quickly got labelled "hipster" diners.

And if you have already made your mind up about sticks in buns, or you think a brioche should be iced and served with a coffee rather than used as a beef vessel, you should probably stop reading.

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Hispter haunts have become the Radio One of eating out. Menus full of neat contemporary puns that make thirty-somethings feel a bit old; wacky typefaces designed to make thirty-somethings feel a bit old; restaurants full of twenty-somethings that make... you get the picture.

The Curly Watts.The Curly Watts.
The Curly Watts.

But let's put that all aside for one second. When venues get the components right, like Mumu, it is easy to see why there has been such a proliferation of modern burger diners.

The Mumu menu ticks all the boxes on the hipsterdom chart of course.

Puns, for instance, check.

I order the Barbie-Mu, a play on 'barbecue' and a freakishly disproportionate child's doll. A friend orders the Paris Stilton, another orders a side of 'chavvy' chips. You get the deal.

Stonebaked pizzas are well worth the 10.Stonebaked pizzas are well worth the 10.
Stonebaked pizzas are well worth the 10.
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Those of you who said you hated hipster diners? Just leave. You are going to hate this place probably. You will hate everything from the chipboard interior to the sauce selection.

Everyone else will want to know whether Mumus stands out from the crowd.

Thankfully, it does. In fact - maybe controversially - it could offer the best burger in town, while coming damn close to offering the best pizzas too. Though nearby Buddies will always remain the burger benchmark from which all others are judged.

The Mumu beef beasts are dripping with umami (Mu-mami?) sauces, genuinely good bacon, genuinely good pickles. Pizzas are American-styled and so laden with cheese they droop satisfyingly.

The Barbie-Mu.The Barbie-Mu.
The Barbie-Mu.
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The "pimped" milkshake pudding we order contains an entire chocolate brownie and a profiterole. What's not to like? Oh, and it's called a Curly Watts because it is also covered in a Curly Wurly. And whipped cream.

If you want an evening of gluttonous fun, this will be right up your street. The whole thing - including the Mumu branding it has to be said - is well thought through. In fact, the company works on a franchise model, so expect to see a Mumu or two popping up around the country.

When the Chronicle and Echo did a survey asking people which restaurant they most wanted to see in the town last year, one name topped the bill: Five Guys.

Why the rush? We have something just as good here. And Mumu does cocktails. And pizzas. Come on.

Price range: Medium (£10 -£14)

Chron score: 7/10

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