BURGER PROJECT

Paul & Dan had:

CHEESE & BACON BURGER ($9.50)

Beef / cheese / bacon / pickles / onion / tomato / lettuce / "secret sauce". 

Dan says...

OK, so let's just start off by clarifying that all we can base our scores on here is the actual burger, not about the hype, not about the 45 minute wait, not about the rubbish chips and chicken wings on the side.

So let's get to the burger...

I was expecting big things, but to be honest...I shouldn't have. The burger was ok, but just that - ok. Not great and not bad, but just....ok.

While my complaints about burgers in the past have centred around the buns and the greasiness, i can positively say that this burger didn't suffer from those qualities. The bun was soft and tasty, and the filling was in no way too oily or greasy. And it had a good amount of lettuce, tomato and onion. It was also a decent sized burger for the price...not huge, but who needs a huge burger, you just want a good sized burger that fills you up, and this burger ticks the box there. 

So what let it down? Well, there was no pickle for starters. For some reason they forgot to put the pickle on my burger. But that's ok, we all make mistakes, that's why pencils have erasers. My biggest problem was the taste. The bacon flavour should have been an addition that enhanced the overall flavour, and not the dominant force that it was. By making the bacon taste dominate the overall flavour I couldn't really get a taste for the beef pattie, and definitely couldn't get a taste for the "secret sauce". What did the sauce taste like? I don't know, it was kept a secret.

So overall, i'd say this is the best burger so far out of those I've reviewed for the Sydney Burger Blog...but by no means does that make it a star in the universe of burgers around Sydney. I know i've had better. 

Dan's Score: 3.5/5

Paul says...

It was a busy day at The Burger Project and the staff were under pressure. Someone may have forgotten to put the pickles on Dan's burger, but someone forgot the salt on my chips! But, as Dan says, it's all about the burgers and Dan lucked out on the pickles. 

Given the Burger Project is a Neil Perry creation, it's hard not to make a comparison to Perry's Rockpool burgers, and for me, just like the Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu, this burger wouldn't be the same without the pickles. 

The beef patty was cooked medium, the way I like it, and it's a decent size for the price. The thing you will notice about this burger compared to most, is the difference that quality fresh ingredients make. You can't be a pickle hater when they are served up fresh.

I really enjoyed this burger, despite having a brief moment where I thought it tasted like a quality Quarter Pounder (maybe it was the raw white onion). This is a no fuss traditional style burger, just with quality ingredients. It's big on flavour, and if we were taking value into account, this could be one of Sydney's best burgers. Despite being more than twice the price, Rockpool's David Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu isn't twice as good as this burger, but it's definitely worth the $24, and it's still the best burger in Sydney.

When it comes to quality and value, The Burger Project has the burger chains covered. When the Burger Project expands across Sydney, it will make for a good alternative to Grill'd.

P.S. If you are hungry, give the chips a miss and get the "Double" beef patty burger.

Paul's score: 4/5

Kim had...

SPICY PORK BELLY($9.90)

Crispy Free Range Pork Belly, Salted Chilli, Pickled Slaw and Lettuce 

Kim says...

Well it’s been a very long time since my last blog and new burger around Sydney CBD. So what better way to get back into it then to try out a burger at the Burger Project. 

Today I had the Spicy Pork Belly, I thought I’d be a little adventurous and try something besides the usual cheese and bacon that the rest of the team were having. My first impression (after waiting in line for 30mins to order and then an additional 15mins for my food) was this reminds me of a Vietnamese pork roll. Which would have been GREAT if I ordered a pork roll, but even if it was a pork roll, I would have felt let down as it wasn’t that great either. 

To start with, where was the SPICE? Yes there was chilli, but it was so sweet that I couldn’t taste any actual chilli (I think this is probably due to the pickled slaw). When I see the word spicy in something, I expect it to at least make my tongue tingle. The crispy pork itself, well, there was definitely some crispiness but I felt there wasn’t enough of it or enough meat. I would have loved more of the crispy pork skin to meat ratio. But I guess you get what you pay for.

I think this burger would have been better off as a roll. My rating for this burger 2 stars out of 5. If it was a roll, I’d probably go with a 3 only. But try it and judge for yourself. 

Kimzy



Kim's Score: 2/5

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.

Revolver - Annandale

The Ultimate Cheese Burger

16 March, 2012

Paul says..

Revolver doesn’t specialise in burgers, but after being awarded best burger in the SMH Every Day Eats, we had to give it a try.

We were told by the friendly staff that this was more of a traditional style burger than a gourmet burger. I haven’t had too many traditional burgers with smoked mozzarella and pickled cucumber. The reality is, it is as gourmet as it comes.

The burger was so well presented it was almost a shame to eat it. Surprisingly, I had no urge to throw a pickle on the wall or ceiling.  The pickles and smoked mozzarella really make this burger a great burger.

Paul's Score: 4

See a pic on the Revolver website

Pete says..

The ‘Ultimate cheese burger’ Revolver’s only burger on the menu, which I feel they’ve done an awesome job of it is amazingly simply yet rustic with the smoked mozzarella and the added pickles and a patty that is has equal consistency which isn’t to juicy or dry. For a nice burger which is served with chat potatoes one would not hesitate about paying the $14.50.

Pete's Score: 4

Kim says..

We all had the same burger here, and surprisingly we didn't exactly rate the burger the same. Out of 5 I guess I rate the burger as a 3. Don't get me wrong, it was a great burger, the paddy was really nice, the bread was fresh & the sauce was great. It actually lost points because of the cabbage. I guess common sense would dictate I eat the burger without the cabbage, but then it would have been messy for me to remove the cabbage and it's not really a great burger if you have to add or take some away from it. Besides, it was already hard enough trying to eat the burger as the paddy was pretty fat.

Until next time blog fans! 
xoxo Kimzy

Kim's Score: 3


Marina says...

The only burger on the menu and it had way too much frou frou for me. In my opinion the potatoes served on the side stole the show they were delicious.

No showstopper - Marina

Marina's Score: 3