The Accidental Burger

Ok so small tidbit about me: i am forever on the epic quest to find the most perfect burger. It is surprising how many people get the humble burger so very wrong.

My Breakdown of the perfect burger:

• Mince: has got to be simple..nothing super extravagant just simple, salty, beefy goodness
• Cheese: HIGH IMPORTANCE - must be real cheddar that oozes as it melts and quite sharp to taste
• Bun: toasted lightly on the grill, shiny top half and an almost chewy texture. none of that flaky stuff - will NOT tolerate cheap/old buns
• Lettuce, tomatoes etc: fresh, duh
• Pickle?: nothing too big please
• Sauce: ahhh the all important sauce question - classic tomato? garlic aioli? special sauce? (almost always tomato and some form of mayo) anything that complements the mince is always good and i am open for sauce interpretations in any burger
• AND complimentary points: fries - i've tasted many a fry in my time and i have a favourite...crispy on the outside, mashed potato on the inside. mmm

So one day in New York, we were booked in to have lunch at the Oak Room in the Plaza and once presented with the menu, i quickly realised that the choices were incredibly limited. Joel Robuchon offered more than the Oak Room did for lunch...odd

anyway, the only thing that appealed to my hungry belly was the burger. But then again, i was always skeptical about burgers on the expensive side. They usually don't live up to expectations. Anyway...the burger arrives and i am pleasantly surprised....VERY pleasantly surprised

First, the burger:

you can see from the photo that the bun has a nice shiny sheen which is guaranteeing a nice chewy outer layer but super soft but toasted inner. I'm getting excited. Then i see a beef patty, so simple and delightful i simply must taste it to see how it really measures up. first bite, PERFECTLY SEASONED. In addition, probably the most perfect, sharp ozzing melted cheddar. Sauce - a mix between tomato and garlic aioli. bliss. fresh lettuce and tomatoes - check! And to top it all of, the smallest most darling pickle providing the most perfect amount of saltiness. This is a perfect burger!

Now the fries:

As you can see, the burger was surrounded by A MOUND of fries! Thank you Oak Room for being so truly generous with your fries. Always a GOOD thing. The shoestring fries was crisped to perfection but sadly after demolishing my burger, it was a struggle to clean up the fries...

So the result: demolish - FAIL

And how does the burger rate?? 9/10

Speaking of which, i just recently visited Jus Burgers in Perth. Not only is it a rising burger chain in the Perth food scene, but it also happens to be backed up by substance!! They have good burgers!! But lets save that for another post...