And so we have come to the end of my Airtasker Burger Run, which took me to 10 burger venues in 10 days. I was asked numerous times during the course of the run whether it was difficult or if I was getting sick of burgers.

Difficult? Yes, only if you count having to [...]]]>

And so we have come to the end of my Airtasker Burger Run, which took me to 10 burger venues in 10 days. I was asked numerous times during the course of the run whether it was difficult or if I was getting sick of burgers.

Difficult? Yes, only if you count having to fit my burger eating around a more-than-fulltime job difficult. But I did it. Sick of burgers? Well, as my Facebook status points out, “No more burgers. I’m done.” … for about two weeks maybe

The main question on everybody’s lips, however, is did I find Sydney’s best burger? Well, without making any sweeping declarations, I think I found some great burgers in Sydney. The best? That’s always hard to say because as much as we objectify the task, a love of burgers is often viewed through meat griddled, mustard covered glasses. And as someone wise once said, “To each his own”.

Besides, 10 venues is hardly enough to find the best anything in a city as chock full of burger restaurants as Sydney.

What I can tell you is what was best out of the 10 venues which I was sent to. I didn’t do a scoring system, because knowing how anal I am, I would have agonised over a half a point here or there and where’s the fun in that? I did, however, stick to comparing apples for apples: Beef burger with cheese, chips and a soft drink. So, who came up tops? I decided to call out three winners. Well, two and an overall winner.

Most delicious burger goes to Rockpool Bar & Grill.

Best value meal goes to Moo Gourmet Burgers.

And the overall winner?

*drum roll*

Charlie & Co.

Where are the rankings, dammit?

Ok, ok! Here are the rankings for all 10, from bestest to worstest, with a snippet review and prices:

Charlie & Co – OVERALL WINNER! The burgers at Charlie & Co are good, though I do wish they’d make a standard cheese burger. Their Wagyu & Co burger is the closest, and comes with beetroot relish, gherkin, lettuce, aged cheddar and aioli. This burger is good. Very good. As are the addictive parmesan fries. Wagyu & Co burger = $16. Parmesan fries = $8 (regular fries is $6). Water = $4. $28 for my meal. TOTAL $28

Rockpool Bar & Grill – available at the bar only - MOST DELICIOUSThe brioche buns are perfectly soft and spongy; the thick patty is exquisite and a perfect medium rare. The onion relish is sweet, and the zucchini, which I still find a little odd, they all come together in perfect gastronomous harmony.Full blood wagyu hamburger = $24. Chips or fries = $12. 1L bottled water $9.50. TOTAL $45.50

Moo Gourmet Burgers – BEST VALUE MEAL I was worried about the historically hard, crusty Moo buns, but the bun this time was soft, and I actually enjoyed the burger, despite the cheese not being completely melted and the use of “mixed leaf lettuce”. The chips, however, were awesome. Crusty, crunchy, awesomeness. Classic cheeseburger = $12. Small chips = $4. Water = $3.50. TOTAL $19.50

BenBry Burgers Despite the unmelted cheese, the burger surprised me with each flavourful bite. The patty was perfectly cooked, the salad (which I normally deem unnecessary) actually tasted great and I think the aioli is the secret ingredient. We also had some fries and if you get fries at BenBry? Try the wasabi mayo. Oh My God Delicious. BenBry burger with cheddar = $8.50. Chips and water combo = $6 TOTAL $14.50

Burgerfuel I ordered a 1/3 pounder with cheese, which wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t mind blowing though it was hard to pin point what exactly was wrong with it. The patty was fine, though perhaps could have been more flavoursome. What they did get right was melted cheddar! Yay for someone finally doing melted cheese perfectly! 1/3 pounder with cheese = $9.90. Kumara fries with aioli = $5.50. Water = $3.50. TOTAL $15.75

Burger Joint The taste of the Burger Joint cheeseburger was good but something was not quite right. It might have been that the double layered cheese wasn’t melted fully in the middle, or the patty wasn’t as juicy as before. All in all a good burger but not great. Cheese & gherkin burger = $8.50. Small fries with aioli = $3. Bottled water = $2 TOTAL $13.50

Cooper’s Hotel The Cooper’s burger was… it was ok. The bun looked hard, but it wasn’t, which was good. The patty was all right if not a little salty. The innards were all just fine. But somehow the experience didn’t rate with me and I’m not sure if it’s because the chips were lukewarm and soggy? Because chips, they make a difference. And what else irked me was that the patty was significantly smaller than the bun so at the end, you’re left with a handful of bread and no meat. You know what I’m talking about? Yeah, that. I hate that. Burger and chips = $18. Soft drink = $3.50 TOTAL $21.50

Grill’d The patty was great, the beef was juicy and the complaint I have (if you can call it that) is the masses of salad which kept me from my patty (it took me five bites to get to the meat!). Another complaint is the use of the herbed mayo in the burger. I like herbs, I do, but I don’t understand some people’s need to herb everything – from the perfectly fine mayo to the chips (and the dip) but hey. I wouldn’t have the urge to come back again. Simply Grill’d burger plus cheese = $10.50. Snack chips plus dip = $4.20. Bottled water = $3. TOTAL $17.70

Four in Hand The Four in Hand burger wasn’t fabulous, mainly because it was too huge (first world problems, I know), with an enormous chunk of iceberg lettuce which I had to evict from the burger in order to eat the thing. I also found the bun too crumbly, despite being soft, and somehow the patty lacked a certain … oomph. Beef burger with chips = $20. Soft drink = $3.50 TOTAL $23.50

Burgerlicious Unmelted cheese, dry bun, dry patty. Need I say more? Cheeseburger meal (with chips and soft drink) = $11.40 TOTAL $11.40

Can you believe it? My 10 day burger run has finally come to an end. I asked Panu last night, “what am I going to eat now?” He said, “What you normally eat” and I’m like, “What do I normally eat???” I can’t recall a life before burgers, but I’m sure my waistline [...]]]>

Can you believe it? My 10 day burger run has finally come to an end. I asked Panu last night, “what am I going to eat now?” He said, “What you normally eat” and I’m like, “What do I normally eat???” I can’t recall a life before burgers, but I’m sure my waistline will be all too happy to remember.

My tenth burger experience was a little bitter sweet bitter. Bitter because well, it was my last burger, and bitter because… this was my wildcard choice (all other venues were chosen by Airtasker) and I really wanted to pick something awesome. I had all the intention of making Bedlam Bar my wildcard because as of right now, they still make my favourite burger in Sydney but some stupid voice in my head told me to go somewhere new, eat a burger I hadn’t eaten before.

So, based on a few recommendations, I went to Cooper’s Hotel in Newtown.

Cooper’s is actually very cool. You wouldn’t know it from the pub downstairs, but upstairs hides a spacious, airy bistro with a brilliant outdoor area. I ordered the classic beef burger and perched on a bar stool to await my last burger experience. Seriously, I talk like I’ll never have a burger again, right? Let’s see how long that lasts.

The Cooper’s burger was… it was ok. The bun looked hard, but it wasn’t, which was good. The patty was all right if not a little salty. The innards were all just fine. But somehow the experience didn’t rate with me and I’m not sure if it’s because the chips were luke-warm and soggy? Because chips, they make a difference. And what else irked me was that the patty was significantly smaller than the bun so at the end, you’re left with a handful of bread and no meat. You know what I’m talking about? Yeah, that. I hate that.

With the damage (Burger and chips = $18. Soft drink = $3.50) coming in at $21.50, I’d rather hit up Moo, or Charlie & Co.

So, what happens now? I will do a big fat round up post of all 10 venues and “rank” them according to my totally objective palate. Hehe, well, I’ll try anyway. Stay tuned for that post!

To read all my Airtasker Burger Run reviews, click here.

Cooper’s Hotel
221 King Street,
Newtown, NSW, 2042
(02) 9550 3461
website

About three weeks ago, my friend Martin tweeted me a link, suggesting it was something I might like to do. I clicked on the link and thought, huh, someone’s trying to find a good burger in Sydney? Sure I’ll bid for the task! Well, lo and behold, ’twas Martin who put me onto [...]]]>

About three weeks ago, my friend Martin tweeted me a link, suggesting it was something I might like to do. I clicked on the link and thought, huh, someone’s trying to find a good burger in Sydney? Sure I’ll bid for the task! Well, lo and behold, ’twas Martin who put me onto the Airtasker burger run and to thank him, I took him out to have the most prestigious burger in all of Sydney, the Rockpool Bar & Grill wagyu burger.

Rockpool’s burger is a funny one. It creates some cultural unease in me. It’s not that it’s a bad burger – the problem is, it’s a damn good burger – but at $24 a pop? The stingy Chinese person in me cringes as place my order and try not to think about how many packs of indomie I could have for $24 (35.29 packs, if you’re wondering).

The brioche buns are perfectly soft and spongy, the thick patty is exquisite and a perfect medium rare. The onion relish is sweet, and the zucchini, which I still find a little odd, they all come together in perfect gastronomous harmony. But still, it’s $24 for the burger and $12 for hand cut chips (or shoe string fries). With a 1L bottle of still water at $9.50, this meal comes in at $45.50!

To (sort of) quote John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, “God damn it’s a pretty f**king good (burger). I don’t know if it’s worth (twenty-four) dollars but it’s pretty f**king good.”

And yes, in case you’re wondering, I did wear my Airtasker t-shirt, even in Rockpool.

To read all my Airtasker Burger Run reviews, click here.

Rockpool Bar & Grill
66 Hunter Street
Sydney, NSW, 2000
(02) 8078 1900
website

Third last burger of my Airtasker burger run took me to BenBry Burgers in Manly last night. I was particularly looking forward to this because I hadn’t been to BenBry before and it’s been on my hit list for an eternity. Or about nine months, if you’re really counting. I’d read countless great reviews about this hole-in-the-wall [...]]]>

Third last burger of my Airtasker burger run took me to BenBry Burgers in Manly last night. I was particularly looking forward to this because I hadn’t been to BenBry before and it’s been on my hit list for an eternity. Or about nine months, if you’re really counting. I’d read countless great reviews about this hole-in-the-wall burger joint so my Sunday night was bound to be filled with deliciousness.

Right?

Well, when the burger first came out, I said to Panu “oh noooo, look at the unmelty cheese”. Le sigh. Because look, see the unmelty cheese? My heart dropped. I took a couple of bites anyway and despite the unmelty cheese, the burger surprised me with each flavourful bite. The patty was perfectly cooked, the salad (which I normally deem unnecessary) actually tasted great and the aioli, ah, I think that’s the secret ingredient.

We also had some fries and if you get fries at BenBry? Try the wasabi mayo. Oh My God Delicious.

The damage. BenBry burger with cheddar = $8.50. Chips and water combo = $6. A pretty darn good meal for $14.50!

To read all my Airtasker Burger Run reviews, click here.

BenBry Burgers
5 Sydney Road
Manly, NSW, 2095
(02) 9977 6055
website

First and foremost, sorry for the blurry photo. I was not, as you might think, drunk on burger goodness. It wasn’t even because the lighting in Four In Hand was particularly dark. Well, it was a little dark. I don’t have an excuse at all, except if I was to really dig deep, I’d say [...]]]>

First and foremost, sorry for the blurry photo. I was not, as you might think, drunk on burger goodness. It wasn’t even because the lighting in Four In Hand was particularly dark. Well, it was a little dark. I don’t have an excuse at all, except if I was to really dig deep, I’d say I was overly excited because the burger came out looking normal.

What does that mean? In case you missed it, the last time I went to Four In Hand, their beef patties were ridden with capers and parsley and all the most bizarre things that you’d never expect to see in a patty. But this time? It looked normal and boy, was I relieved.

Yesterday was day 7 of my Airtasker burger run and I reluctantly dragged my butt to Four In Hand, expecting the burger to be just as horrible as it was the first time I went. To my huge relief, it wasn’t. It also wasn’t fabulous, mainly because it was too huge (first world problems, I know), with an enormous chunk of iceberg lettuce which I had to evict from the burger in order to eat the thing. I also found the bun too crumbly, despite being soft, and somehow even though the patty was herb free, it still lacked a certain … oomph.

They also served the burger open, on a plate of chips. I didn’t like that, but that’s just me.

For $20 (burger and chips), I’d rather go to Moo. (Note: the damage was a round $20 as they didn’t serve bottled water so I had tap.)

To read all my Airtasker Burger Run reviews, click here.

Four In Hand (Bar)
105 Sutherland Street
Paddington, NSW, 2021
(02) 9326 2254
website

I have talked to everyone about Airtasker. I’m pretty sure that Airtasker didn’t expect me to, but by nature of the question “um, why are you eating 10 burgers in 10 days?”, the answer requires me to explain the whole idea of Airtasker and why anyone in their right mind would want to [...]]]>

I have talked to everyone about Airtasker. I’m pretty sure that Airtasker didn’t expect me to, but by nature of the question “um, why are you eating 10 burgers in 10 days?”, the answer requires me to explain the whole idea of Airtasker and why anyone in their right mind would want to pay me to eat 10 burgers. But even after I’ve explained it, most people are still baffled as to why someone would pay me to eat burgers, because anyone who knows me well enough knows I would do this all for free!

But shhhh, don’t tell Airtasker that!

In any case, 6 days into the burger run and I am still, believe it or not, excited. Especially since yesterday’s hit was Charlie & Co. I’ve been there a number of times, and like Burgerfuel, not always for the burgers. They make The Most Amazing parmesan & truffle fries On This Planet (I exaggerate not) that it warrants a meal all on its own. If you haven’t tried it, JUST FRIZZACKINGLY DO IT ALREADY.

Their burgers are good too and though I’ve said this before, I do wish they’d make a standard cheese burger. Their Wagyu & Co burger is the closest, and comes with beetroot relish, gherkin, lettuce (? I don’t remember lettuce yesterday), aged cheddar and aioli. Yes, I do like me some beetroot but it kind of makes it hard to compare apples with apples.

Regardless, this burger is good. Very good.

It’s not huge (big is not always better in burgerland), the bun is soft, the patty is super tasty and the cheese, it’s perfectly melty! This burger has shot to the leading position on my list, but yes it does cost a little more than the others. Wagyu & Co burger = $16. Parmesan fries = $8 (regular fries is $6). Water = $4. $28 for my meal.

But I’d come back and pay $28 for that again any day.

ps. I thought this tweet from Maria was funny:

Why yes, yes I am.

To read all my Airtasker Burger Run reviews, click here.

Charlie & Co
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
Corner Market and Castlereigh St
Sydney, NSW, 2000
(02) 8072 7777
website