The first match in the new Burger Monday Championships started strong with two well loved names. Hawksmoor’s charcoal grilled sausage and pulled pork burger up against Honest Burger’s 35-day-aged beef rib, rump and bacon patty with chicken skin!!
The event starts at 6:30pm at coffee house Climpson’s Arch which had set itself up to host two kitchens on opposing sides of the court yard. There are already many people signing in, and queues forming for both burgers. My group of new found foodie friends and I are able to snag a table inside, then we split off into two groups each entering a different queue.
I started with the Hawksmoor;
Pros
– The bun is firm to hold, but moist on the inside where the juices from the double patties have seeped through. I always admire a burger who’s flavour starts at the bun!
– I am a big fan of sausage patties, which are actually rather rare to find outside of McDonald’s breakfast menu. These were very tender with a sweet, meaty taste. The patties themselves were thin but doubled up and extremely juicy they worked well.
– Adding volume as well as controlling moisture content, between the two patties lie a bed of pulled pork. It adds an extra textual dimension to the burger. It also adds height to the overall structure.
– A mustard mayo spread out on the bottom bun has kick and compliments the pork surprisingly well. Has the same zing that is usually provided by pickles.
– The real treat was the of accompanying Sausage gravy French dipping sauce and piece or crackling for dipping. The sauce was creamy with a really meaty taste. The crackling was perfect, crispy without grease but not hard to bite through either.
Cons
– The tomato and tomato ketchup under the top bun did little to add to the burger, the tomato was mushy but as the burger was already very tender it wasn’t really needed. The ketchup itself was hard to taste.
– The melted cheese between the patties felt overwhelmed by everything else and no real “cheesey” taste was found either
– The patties were larger than the bun, combined with the juices made the burger very messy to hold and eat. For those who dipped their burgers in the sauce was even more apparent.
Next up came a much longer queue for Honest Burger as more people had showed up:
Pros
– The shape of the entire burger was beautiful, the bun held especially firm making it easy to hold and eat.
– The chicken skin in place of usual bacon was very crispy and added a great texture into each bite.
– The pickles at the bottom of the bun and the mysterious green sauce at the top both had a hint of oriental flavour which gave it an interesting depth to the overall taste.
– Peppercorn added with the pickles have extra crunch and a small bite
– Great thickness and shape of the patty
Cons
– Burger was very salty, the meat over salted in my opinion – although comparing mine with a friend’s I think I must have had an unlucky batch.
– Cheese was over cooked and plastic like in texture.
– Spinach added colour but no real taste (I would have been interested to see the use of rocket here)
– Although there were juice drips from my burger I felt it was too dry considering the thickness of the patty. This thought was further confirmed due to the cheese.
Overall both burgers were strong contenders. The more classic approach by honest vs the pork explosion of Hawksmoor. The event itself was enjoyable, as I find all young and Foodish events. It was a close tie between both parties with Hawksmoor winning by a slim 3 votes! They will now be moving into the semi-finals.