Plan B by Becasse – 204 Clarence St, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Plan B by Becasse is a hole in the wall cafe that shares its kitchen with its big brother Becasse. Catering for the corporate lunch crowd they offer a 600-day grass fed Wagyu beef burger with beetroot, caramelised onions and cheddar cheese.

“This burger will have you counting the minutes till lunch time. With probably one of the best rustic styled Wagyu beef patties I’ve tried. There was a nice subtle sweetness from the caramelised onions and beetroot, but I would have liked to have seen the cheese melted on top of the pattie.”

“A really tasty croissant like bun. The beef was a crumbly sausage like patty with loads of flavour. Quick and easy to eat with very little drowsiness.”

“A good inner-city lunchtime burger for people on a short break, and without too much drowsiness to affect your kick-ass presentation back at the office. I really like the pattie, the sweet bun and just the right amount of beetroot. Really good value for $10.”

“Saturated with flavours that screamed Pepper Steak, were a balance of nonchalant beetroot and a soft but distiguinshed cheddar cheese. A quick meal, but quite a memorable one.”

Middle Park Hotel – 102 Canterbury Rd, Middle Park,
Victoria, Australia

Originally built in 1889 and reborn in 2009 as the Middle Park Hotel (previously Gunn Island Hotel), we sat surrounded by monogrammed carpet, wood panelling, moose antlers and sporting memorabilia. The menu features plenty of meat and classic English dishes. On the bar menu you will find a Wagyu Beef burger featuring a sesame seed brioche bun, onion marmalade, lettuce, tomato pickle and huge chips.

“First of all the burger has a fantastically cooked and seasoned Wagyu beef pattie and an unique onion marmalade that has a peppery bite to it. As for the rest, I wasn’t that impressed. From the bun that was a little dry and too big, to the very disappointing chips/wedges – too big, no seasoning, no flavour, no good.”

“After tasting the beef on its own, I removed the lettuce and tomato as they were only getting in the way of it’s amazing flavour. There was a really great spice to the marmalade as well. Matching Ralph Lauren polos on the staff look great.”

“A pub burger with two great features: the Wagyu beef pattie and onion marmalade. There was a good amount of lettuce and fresh tomato. The downside to it all was the bun and thick wedges. There was way too much bread and I would have preferred it toasted. The wedges were oily and too thick. We also ordered shoestring fries ($6) and they did not dissapoint. I say get rid of the wedges and put the fries on the side.”

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“Whoever had the idea of adding Horseradish should get a raise.”

Big Mouth Burger Co. – 584 Main St, Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia

At this suburban yet edgy burger haunt, size really does matter. Big Mouth Burger Co will win you over with both their colossal flavours and exquisite service. Our burger came with premium lean beef, cos lettuce, trim bacon, tasty cheese, grain fed egg, roast tomato, caramelised onion, herbed mayo & tomato chutney. Their chips deserve a mention, and if you still have room, indulge in the Spanish Doughnuts with dark chocolate sauce.

“The store resembles a franchise burger chain, but the burgers stand on their own four meaty legs! The meat pattie was perfectly cooked with a charred outside and a blissfully juicy centre (just a little pink), the way meat should be. Topped with a good amount of steaky bacon, it meant there wasn’t much need for a lot of seasoning.
A fantastically cooked egg, as well as their herbed mayo really pulled it all together.”

“Do not remove the skewer, it is in there for a reason! I obviously learnt this the hard way. Even though I had an extremely messy experience, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It tasted as if it had been cooked on a BBQ. The cheese didn’t really come through for me, however the egg made up for it. Bonus points for the complimentary Churros!”

“All round a good solid burger experience. It was big, ingredients were fresh and the service was exceptional. There really wasn’t one stand-out ingredient in the burger. All ingredients played their role like a well rehearsed orchestra playing Mozart’s Symphony #26 in E Flat (great burger music). Chips were good.”

“It happens. You eat a messy burger and you end up with no meat and just the “boring bits”. This was not the case here. With such delicious, fresh produce, all dripping with herbed mayo & tomato chutney, it was a pleasure from start to finish.”

T.G.I Friday’s – 500 Chapel St, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia

First opened in New York City in 1965, and now expanded to over 700 restaurants in 54 countries, TGI’s has a lot to boast about. Two impressive feats include serving 19.8 million hamburgers worldwide, and starting the concept of “Happy Hour”. With a reputation for delivering huge American-style meals, our burger of choice was topped with sautéed mushrooms, caramelised onions, melted Swiss cheese, mayonnaise and a side of crunchy fries.

“Mushrooms! Combining them with such a tender juicy meat pattie you really are getting something a little unique. With some sweet caramelised onion atop the pattie and some fresh spanish onion below, I can’t remember the last time I was so impressed by onion. I was a little let down by the cheese though, it’s flavour didn’t really come through like I was hoping it would.”

“I was not expecting this. I would not typically order this burger but I’m so glad we did. Couldn’t tell you what the beef or the cheese tasted like and frankly, I didn’t care. This burger is all about the blending flavours of the mushrooms and onion. Pretty and pleasant waitresses, all happy to refill your glass of coke is pure bliss.”

“Meant to be an International burger (by TGI standards), I thought it was more of a common sense burger. But rather than entering a debate about what International means to me, all I can say is that you must have this burger. It had a good amount of mushrooms, which I thought needed a touch more seasoning, but still quite passable, a very juicy pattie and sweet caramelised onions. Chips at TGI’s are always good.”

“Delicious.
A mushroom trip that puts Amsterdam to shame.”

Collins Kitchen at Grand Hyatt – 123 Collins St, Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia

Located within Melbourne’s highly esteemed Grand Hyatt, Collins Kitchen is where you might find yourself having lunch opposite a couple of CEOs, a traveling family, or an international sporting icon. An open kitchen invites you to watch on in awe as the chefs perform their magic. Our burger was set on an extra fluffy white bun with Grilled Wagyu Beef, caramelised red onion, tomato, watercress lettuce, pickles and a salsa-like relish. Chips are an added extra, for the not-so humble price of $8, but a bowl between two would suffice.

“What a bun, what a burger. This has to be one of the most simple burgers in town, yet is still one of the greatest meals I’ve eaten. Sure, its a hefty price tag, but you’ll be leaving happy with every dollar you’ve spent. With no sauce or cheese between this delicious bun, the Wagyu beef pattie stands out as something special. I recommend using the side of sweet tomato relish for a little extra tang.”

“True burger aficionados order without cheese or any sauce. I never understood this until now. I could have eaten just the the beef and bun and still would have paid full price. Very professional wait staff and girls in ties serving burgers is just plain hot.”

“I felt something was missing from this $24 burger. You know a great deal of preparation was put into it and you see it when the burger is presented to you. The grilled flavours were great and all the ingredients on one of the softest buns I have ever tried worked well. What was missing was the human touch of imperfection; where each bite should taste different and a new suprise waits for you with each mouthful.”

“As soon as I bit into the warm Wagyu pattie I was flooded with memories from one of the finest places in the world… New York City. This burger is of an International standard and should be eaten slowly. Savour the flavour because there is not much out there like it. True to their word, all produce used is of an ultra high quality, creating what I can only describe as, royalty amongst burgers.”