North Annandale Hotel, Annandale NSW 2038

Name: The North Annandale Hotel

Address: Cnr. Booth & Johnston Streets, Annandale NSW

Burger: Wagyu Beef Burger

Price: $16 approx


I now live within 30 seconds walk of the North Annandale Hotel. Annandale is an inner-west suburb of Sydney, approximately a 10 minute drive from the CBD. It's a fairly affluent area, with numerous local shops, including a butcher, chemist, several take-away shops and a small supermarket. The North Annandale Hotel sits on the corner of the two main streets - Johnston and Booth. I've eaten at the North Annandale a few times. The management has recently changed, and I therefore thought I'd eat there again.

My friend Nick, from Adelaide visited me recently. We both had a long day on the day he arrived, so decided to have a meal at the North Annandale. Nick had the "gourmet sausages" with mash, while I went for the Wagyu burger (second time). Nick (below) said the sausages didn't taste too different from those purchased from Coles, but said the mash and gravy weren't too bad.

Nick and his "gourmet" sausages.

My wagyu burger didn't differ much from the first time I had it (under the former management). It was what I would call an "Aussie" style burger.

It contained (from top to bottom):

• Caramelised (hardly) onion
• Beef patty
• Tomato
• Beetroot
• Lettuce
• Mustard
• Cheese

The Waygu burger, which should be known as the 'bland' burger.

As you can see from the above image, the burger wasn't that much to look at. 

Beef:

The beef, as I've said before, is the most important part of any burger. It should be juicy, not fall apart too much, and most importantly: taste of beef! Wagyu is prized for its marbling. This results in an extremely juicy, tender and tasty cut of beef. This beef patty was extremely dry. It also contained a ridiculous amount of binding agents (I'm guessing egg, bread crumbs etc.). There were far too many herbs. It did not taste like beef at all. It's what I like to call a "meatloaf patty". It would make an OK meatloaf, but does not belong in a burger. Although I ordered it medium rare, it arrived quite well done.

Cheese:

Cheese... CHEESE? What cheese? It was there. It was cheap. It was unmelted. Worst of all, it tasted like fridge. A wedge of cardboard would have added more to the burger.

Bun: 

You can get hamburger buns at most supermarkets. A few bread brands make them. Tip top make some OK buns. They are OK for home burgers. Apparently they are OK for North Annandale Hotel burgers too. Unfortunately, they must have purchased them in bulk, and put them in the cupboard for a few weeks. They were grainy and dry. Not good.

Extras:

This was essentially an "Aussie" burger, minus the egg. Most burgers don't contain caramelised onions, and certainly don't contain beetroot. If you read this blog, you'll know that I'm a burger purist. While I do enjoy a bit of beetroot every now and then in my burger, it has to actually complement the burger, and not try to salvage it. The beetroot was the only fresh part of this meal. The lettuce was dry and limp, and the tomato mealy. I hate mealy tomato. The onions were not cooked anywhere near enough. The North Annandale provided a fairly standard selection of extras, which CAN work well together. Unfortunately, they need to be fresh.

Fries:

The fries at the North Annandale are OK. I'd eat them again, but wouldn't be that excited about them. They essentially summed up the food at the North Annandale: OK if you're hungry, but nothing you'd travel more than 100 metres for.

Verdict

Don't bother. Although the North Annandale is not well known for great food, it should do better. I have not eaten many other dishes from the hotel, but those I did eat were a little better. It seems as if every pub must have a burger. This shouldn't be the case. A burger should only be on the menu if it has earned its place on the menu.

Meat

2.5/5
Cheese
2/5
Bun
2.5/5
Extras
2.5/5Fries

3/5

Total:

2.5

Read More

UPDATE:


It's been a long time since I've posted. My apologies. I moved from Adelaide to Sydney about a year ago.




I've decided that due to my current location, the Adelaide Burger Blog will now review burgers from both Adelaide and Sydney. The name will remain the same however.

Since my time in Sydney, I've had quite a few burgers, some good, some bad. I have about half a dozen reviews to do, and will post them shortly. In the meantime, here is some burger porn!

Read More

The Counter Burger - Crows Nest NSW

Name: The Counter Burger

Address: 118 Willoughby Street, Crows Nest NSW 2065

Burger: Custom beef burger

Price: $17.90 - Approximately $23 after customisation

I read about this place a while ago, and had been extremely excited to visit. The Counter Burger is a USA based burger chain specialising in custom-built burgers. There is a huge range of options, including beef, chicken, turkey and veggie burgers. There are three sizes to choose from (150g, 300g and 450g). The selection of cheeses is great, and the selection of toppings is amazing. On top of that, there are numerous sauces to choose from. I recently moved from Adelaide to Sydney, and a friend from Canberra came to visit. We are both burger nuts, so decided to go check it out.

Poor picture of the menu

The menu is interesting. You select what you want on your burger, and it is made for you. In addition to the custom burgers, there is a menu which offers standard burgers and various sides (such as cheese and chili/cheese fries).

My 'custom built' burger consisted of:

• 300g Beef pattie
• American Cheese
• Grilled Onions
• Lettuce Blend
• Red Onion
• Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa
• Honey Cured Bacon
• Dijon Balsamic Dressing
• Hamburger Bun

Beef:

One of the best things about this place is that you can order your beef to be cooked as you like. I ordered mine medium rare/rare. It was closer to medium rare/medium, but was very juicy and extremely tasty. I'm not sure what blend of meats they use, but the flavour is exceptional. It could have done with a bit more fat, but was very tasty nonetheless.

Cheese: I couldn't go past the American cheese. I love American cheese. There were some other good options on the menu (Cheddar, Colby, Danish Blue, Greek Feta, Horseradish Cheddar & Imported Swiss). The cheese wasn't melted too much when the burger arrived, but after having a few fries, it was perfectly melted. It was smooth and salty - perfect. I'm not sure if this is 'real' American cheese, or just the Australian equivalent that McDonalds Australia use (Kraft), but it was amazing. Next time I'll get the same, but probably a bit more of it!

Bun:
Although there are a few options (including english muffin and wholemeal bun), I went for the standard hamburger bun. The bun was sturdy, but failed to hold everything in. This was probably due to the fact that I poured all of the sauce onto the burger, without realising it was actually far too much! It was lightly toasted, and had quite a good flavour.

Extras:

Where do I start?? As mentioned previously, I got grilled onions, lettuce blend, red onion, roasted corn and black bean salsa and honey cured bacon. There were a few too many grilled onions (as you can see!) and they were slightly soft. They were still tasty though. The red onion added a welcome crispiness and freshness, as did the lettuce - both surprisingly fresh. The salsa was hard to detect, but I did taste it separately, and it was quite good. Not sure it added much to the overall experience though. The bacon was amazing. Perfectly cooked (crispy, but also had tender parts) and wasn't too salty. Absolutely amazing! The dijon balsamic dressing was very good. I'm still not sure if I made the right choice considering the other ingredients I chose, but it was very good nonetheless. Next time I will go for a more 'traditional' burger, consisting mainly of beef, cheese, mustard/sauce and pickles.

Fries:

In a word: Wow! My friend and I shared an order of cheese fries. I was going to go for the chili cheese fries (had them in the USA and loved them), but he wasn't keen. There was the perfect amount of melty, salty cheese. The fries were cooked perfectly, and were quite thin. The serving size was huge, and at $7 is more than worth it. It's really hard to fault these - enjoyed them a hell of a lot.

The burger my friend ordered

My friend ordered the 300g beef burger on a hamburger bun just like I did. He got bacon, american cheese, grilled onion and lettuce with BBQ sauce. He defined it as being 'great', and can't wait to go back. I couldn't agree more!

Meat

4.5/5
Cheese
4.5/5
Bun
3.5/5
Extras
4/5
Fries

4.5/5

An amazing experience. The novelty of being able to customise a burger aside, the quality of the ingredients, and care taken in the preparation were outstanding. I'm surprised they haven't been able to penetrate the Australian market further. I can't wait to go back. As mentioned, I will opt for a more 'traditional' burger next time - and will let you know how it goes!

Total:

4.2

Read More

McDonalds Felixstow - Double Quarter Pounder

Name: McDonald's Felixstow

Address: 465-467 Payneham Rd, Felixstow SA 5070

Burger: Double Quarter Pounder (Meal)

Price: $n/a



I must admit that I love McDonald's. It's not really too good for you, it's a huge global corporation and so forth. But I don't care. I still love it. I have a few favourites from McDonald's, but I get different things quite often. I love a Big Mac, and quarter pounders. Quite often I will customise my burgers. I will sometimes get a chicken pattie inside a Big Mac (as well as the beef), or even get a double-double quarter pounder (a pounder, right?).


After a recent visit to the pub, I got a craving for grease. My friends and I stopped past McDonald's in Felixstow, and orderd some. I ordered a Double Quarter Pounder Meal, as per the menu. I also ordered a Chicken Bacon Deluxe burger, and although it will not be eligible for the leaderboard, I will review it at a later date.

According to the website, the Double Quarter Pounder consists of:

Satisfy your ultimate hunger. Take two quarter pounds* of 100% Aussie beef, then complete the tasty picture with cheese, onions, tangy mustard and pickles. Bet your mouth is watering right now.


I love the beef at Macca's. It's greasy, tasty and doesn't have 4Kg of herbs and spices in it. Couple this with the yellow, melty America-type cheese, and you have one hell of a mouth party. Overall, it's a great package. 


Beef:
Amazing. Juicy, tasty and full of beefy flavour. Unfortunately, I am yet to find a non-fastfood burger that has these qualities. The meat was fatty, but I don't eat here because I'm on a diet. Very damn good beef. 

Cheese:
It's hard to fault the cheese at McDonald's. It wasvsoft, melty and very tasty.Apparently Kraft supplies the cheese. I don't think it's the same as you can get from the supermarket here, but it's very similar to the American cheese which is synonymous with burgers in the States. It's as close to the perfect burger cheese as I've come across in Australia. Mmm.


Bun:
The bun was a soft, sesame seed bun. It was fairly well made, and rarely fall apart. McDonald's have done well to work out the perfect ratio of bun to fillings. It wasn't all that tasty, but it did a good job of being a bun. 

Extras:
As the menu says, in addition to the meat and cheese, the burger contained onions, tangy mustard, and pickles. Not many extras, but they work very well. They complimented the meat and cheese well, and are not too overpowering. The pickles were a bit soft, but this happens regularly. It didn't ruin the experience too much.


Fries:
McDonald's are famous for their fries. They are fairly consistent, but there is still some variation from store to store, and from time to time. As I didn't eat them straight away (waited until I got home), they were a bit soggy. I like this though, so it was a bonus. They tasted fantastic, but were slightly over-salted. Pretty damn good, but not the best I've had (either at Macca's, or elsewhere!). 


Meat
4.5/5
Cheese
4/5
Bun
3.5/5
Extras
3.5/5
Fries

4/5

Great burger. Perfect balance of ingredients, and most importantly, great, juicy, fatty beef with yellow, melty cheese. You really can't go wrong with a double quarter pounder. I find the normal quarter pounders to be too out of balance for my tastes, it's hard to detect the meat and cheese flavour. 

Total:

3.9

Read More

End of Adelaide Burger Blog?

Hell no! I'd like to advise however that I am moving interstate. Sydney, NSW is the destination. This warrants a change in the review system. For the time being, the blog name will remain "Adelaide Burger Blog". Burgers throughout the country will be reviewed however. Burgers from overseas will still feature, but will not contribute to the scoreboard.

I will be in Adelaide for about a month every year, and will endeavour to sample as many delicious meaty cheese sandwiches as possible. At other times, I'd love to sample burgers which you recommend in Sydney. Any recommendations?


Burger on!

Read More