ROYAL ALBERT HOTEL SURRY HILLS

ROYALE WITH CHEESE ($14 including a basket of crinkle cut fries and tomato chili sauces chips)

Beef / lettuce / tomato / cheese / tomato sauce / mustard / sliced pickles on burger and whole pickle skewered on top of burger. 

About time I got out of the Pyrmont Point Hotel, so off to the Royal Albert Hotel in Surry Hills to try their "Royale With Cheese". Obviously taking it's name from Pulp Fiction, the burger reminded me of what that movie's "Big Kahuna Burger" looked like and (may have) tasted like. Basically, it was one nasty little greaseball!

No beating around the bush, the burger was tasty. The meat was cooked well and tasted good, but it was super greasy. The sauce/mustard/pickle combo made for a very tasty little artery clogger, but there was so much sauce! Probably no surprise that those same attributes led to it being a very sloppy burger. Each bite was causing the bun and beef patty to slide about and not hold it's form, which made it hard to eat. It was made even more difficult to eat with the sauce dripping out all over the chips!

As I may have mentioned in a previous blog, I am a big fan of pickle on a burger, so it was good to have not only the sliced pickles on the burger, but also the whole pickle to finish the meal off with. Also, the spicy dipping sauce that came with the chips was really good!

So overall, not bad, it had some good points, but I can't score it too high as it was just too hard to hold onto while eating, and while I'm well aware you don't get a burger for it's health value, this one was just a bit too greasy for me.

Dan's Score: 3/5

Pyrmont Point Hotel - Portuguese Style Chicken and Bacon Burger

Portuguese Style Chicken and Bacon Burger ($19 includes chips)

with cucumber, tomato, grilled bacon, house made sambal aioli, guacamole & mixed leaf all on a damper roll. 

As my last blog on this site was from The Pyrmont Point Hotel, I thought it best to try a different burger. So today I went for the Portuguese Chicken Burger.

Was it better than the last burger I had here? Unfortunately, not really.
I had high hopes as i'm a firm believer that any food that includes the words 'chicken' and 'bacon' on the ingredients list is not doing too much wrong. And while the "Portuguese" flavour was good and had a bit of kick, the same problem occurred from last time...the bun was too tough. This pub needs to get a new baker to supply their buns, because it is the major drawback on any burger i've had here. The chicken was a little dry too, but only slightly, and was tasty enough to have been forgiven had it not been in combination with a bun that was dry and tough.

So overall, a good tasting burger, but again hard to chew through. If only this place would get better bread, they'd make a lot more dough.

Dan's Score: 3/5

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney

66 Hunter Street Sydney NSW 2000

02 8078 1900

rockpool.com 

David Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger ($24)
with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese and Zuni Pickle

This burger has to take the top prize as the best in Sydney. Our only other 5/5 burger was at The Meat & Wine Co*; the Blackmore's burger is in another league 6/5.

I can't think how this burger could be improved, the beef patty is generous, tasty and cooked to perfection. Even the pickles are good! You wouldn't consider slapping them against the window.

This was my first burger with a brioche bun and it really makes a difference. I wouldn't risk spoiling a good thing, so leave the lettuce and tomato on the side.

Paul's Score: 5+/5

*We were unable to replicate our original The Meat & Wine Co experience when we tried the same burger at The Meat & Wine Co Southbank Melbourne.