Squires Loft Steakhouse – 1 Queens Rd, Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia

Formerly known as The Grill Room, the Squires Loft Steakhouses are synonmyous with excellent quality produce and mouth watering meats. Looking around the place it seemed like a bit of boys club; not too many women around apart from the service. However, the diners ranged from mates sharing some steaks over a pint, businessmen relaxing after a busy day and there was even a long table filled with jockeys talking track. We ordered the chargrilled Wagyu Burger, served on a toasted bun with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and honey mayo. You also get to choose from a range of complimentary side sauces which normally cost you $4.50. Along with the burger there were onion-rings and chips. Those looking for a light meal, beware, the portions are large and quite hefty, even for the hungriest of carnivores.

“Such a clash of big flavours made me feel sick by the end of it. Individually the ingredients were great: the beef, gooey cheese, 2 pieces of thick bacon and Honey Mayo, but combined they were overpowering. Chips were slightly overcooked and they didn’t have enough salt. The onion-rings were great.”

“A burger that was ok but nothing too special. What made it better for me was the side of mustard that was really the hero throughout. With a drink you end up paying a lot.. but you do get a lot, including ok chips, average onion-rings and a complimentary side sauce (stay away from the blue cheese sauce! way too strong.) Would I go again? Probably not for a burger.”

“I was expecting a more refined product from these guys. Most of the elements on their own were tasty, but together, they started a flavour riot that was out of control. Props on the Honey Mayo and beef.. but a big thumbs down on the lettuce (way too basic, the kind you’d find in a 7-11 sandwich).”

Maranjaz Food Inc – Av. Revolucion 3727 Col. Contry, Monterrey,
Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Driving through Northern Mexico’s scorching summer heat, it hardly seems like anyone would be ready to tackle a monster burger; but duty calls. As you pull over on a busy road into what seems like a garage, you find the chef hard at it in front of the grill. Lucky for its patrons, Maranjaz Food Inc offers dining inside a white tiled, air-conditioned room filled with plastic chairs and where the owner sits with friends watching the football (soccer) on a big plasma TV. Quite a clean and quiet environment when compared with the sweltering heat and the noise of traffic blaring outside. I ordered the Especial that came on a toasted traditional sesame seed bun, 100g of beef, tasty cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, avocado and both ham and salami. Sauce and chillis are available on demand.

“I was so relieved once I saw that this place had an air-conditioned dining area. Summer in Mexico is not forgiving; espescially on a diet of tacos, burgers and chillis. The owner of the place brought me the burger and I was automatically impressed with the size… but that was really about it. My beef pattie was too thin and the lettuce was overloading my burger. I added some ketchup and mustard (chilli’s weren’t going to happen on that particular day) to try and punch up the flavour. Even then it still wasn’t doing anything for me. Adding both ham and salami were an interesting touch but they weren’t of great quality. The best thing about this burger was definetly the value for money.. working out to be around $3USD. If it were a cooler day, I had ordered double meat and asked to hold the lettuce this might of been Ok.”

Haché – 329-331 Fulham Rd, Chelsea, London, SW10 9QL, UK

We thought we’d include an exert from from Haché’s website that decribes them to a tee…

haché [adj] (pronounced ashay) vt minced viance, derives from the French ‘to chop’

“We set out to produce the best and most innovative burgers to be found anywhere. Restaurants depend on consistency of quality, so we make life as simple as possible by serving only the best of everything.”

The Haché burgers are served on a fresh Ciabatta bun with roquette, beef, tomato, sliced sweet red onion, special Haché mayo and two slices of premium melted mature cheddar cheese..

“I’ve never been a huge fan of big crusty buns like Ciabatta for a burger, but this bun soaked up all the juices perfectly and kept everything together, trapping in all the flavours. The beef was excellent and I loved how the house mayo and cheddar cheese worked together in adding a nice creaminess that took the burger to another level. All in all, the behind the scenes research and development combined with a fancy restaurant environment have really paid off. When it came to ask for the bill it came out with a small bowl of Smarties which was a really nice touch to finish off a great meal.”

Rub BBQ – 208 West 23rd St (between 7th & 8th Ave), New York, NY, USA

Opening its doors in 2005 and attracting meat lovers from all over NYC, its owner Andrew Fischel and partner in crime, critically acclaimed BBQ Pitmaster and Executive Chef Paul Kirk deliver an exciting menu that will keep you coming back week after week. On top of their show stopping meat platters and BBQ Ribs, on a Monday night the guys offer a “Burger Of The Week” that has the public and fellow burger-bloggers raving. Sitting in a busy tavern-style restaurant I ordered the “Burger Of The Week” which came on a plain toasted bagel, a moderately packed thin beef pattie, thinly sliced spanish onion and accompanied by wholesome dill cream cheese. Now what could be more New York than a Bagel Burger?.

“I was so amped to try this. I hadn’t stopped thinking about the idea of a Bagel Burger all day (thanks to my dining partner Robyn from A Hamburger Today.) As soon as I bit into it there was such a rush of different flavours: a sweet sharpness from the onion, that authentic bbq grill crunch from the pattie and then a creamy saltiness from the dill cream cheese. Such a simple idea but it was pure genious. Plus its been cooked well when even with a thin meat pattie you still have a fair amount of awesomeness dripping down your hands.
My only niggle, and I know it probably takes away from the point, but I would love to have tried this without the bagel; maybe instead using a brioche bun? Even if they didn’t toast the bagel? … It was a little too hard to chew. Still, its turned me onto dill cream cheese that I’m searching helplessly for down here in Australia. Any tips?
At the end of our meal I was lucky enough to meet Rub BBQ’s owner, the very charismatic Andrew Fischel, who told me all about about his passion for BBQing and some of the wicked ideas he has for future Burgers of the Week. All I can say is that when I move to NYC I know where I’ll be eating every Monday night.”

Grill Station – 89 Station St, Fairfield, Victoria, Australia

Tucked away in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, Grill Station is the sort of take-out that you’d only need to goto twice and they’d know you on a first name basis. Sporting a humble interior with plasma tvs on the wall, the warm and friendly staff dish out a range of grilled meats, salads and both traditional and gourmet-style burgers from lunch ’til late, 6 days a week (closed Mondays). We asked for the Hot Stuff burger that came with pure beef, beetroot, pickles, tomato, red onion, hot chilli flakes, crisp cos lettuce, sweet chilli sauce and spicy relish, all on plain kaiser-style bun. For an extra $3.50 you’ll get a side of chips and a can of soft-drink (which you will need!).

“I somewhat enjoyed this burger. It had a true, rustic homemade pattie that doesn’t have your usual perfect round shape. Although the pattie was a little thin, it was cooked perfectly and had a simple but tasty seasoning. The sweet chilli sauce versus the beetroot was a great battle; one tearing up your taste buds whilst the other tried to calm them down. I could only suggest the idea of maybe adding cheese to ease the spice of the chilli and maybe also a thicker pattie to bring the flavour of the beef to the forefront.”

“I love spicy food, however when the beef is this good, I’d prefer to have the spice toned down. The lettuce, tomato and beetroot were freezing cold and hard to bite into, so I tossed them aside pretty quickly. I’m not a fan of having flour on top of buns either. The back dining room felt like a combination of sitting in an industrial fridge whilst waiting for a bus. Having said that I’d like to try the Down Under burger they offer if I return.”

“When I found out that they did chili burgers I was really keen to try it. The result was good…. safe, but good. The pattie was imperfect and uneven, which I don’t mind at all as long as its tasty, which it was. The chili factor was definitely present, but maybe a little too dominant. The ratio of beef to “greens” was close to perfect. I really liked this burger, but I didn’t love it. It was just missing something that I haven’t yet put my finger on. Maybe hoping you guys could tell me what it is? Oh yeah… fries were damn gooood.”

“Their style of pattie was certainly the highlight of the meal. The lowlight was the car ride home; a cold Melbourne night, windows down on the free-way and what sounded like an audition for the horn section of an orchestra.. Top burger though.”

Bodean’s – Cr Poland & D’Arblay St, Soho, London, W1F 8PZ, UK

Just a two minute stroll from London’s busiest retail jungle Oxford Street, Bodean’s West in Soho is the deli-up, dinner-down, split-level destination for those after the authentic taste of the great American outdoors right in the heart of London. The burger offered is 8oz. of 100% prime beef, topped with Monterey Jack, tomato, lettuce, red onions and pickles, all on a toasted sesame seed bun, served with a side of fries.

“I felt like I was in a traditional American sports bar, with American beers, ESPN on the many plasmas and the word BBQ written everywhere. I was instantly impressed when they asked how I wanted my beef cooked (medium-rare). I then proceeded to collect my toolbox full of condiments and eagerly awaited the burger. When it arrived I found the beef was cooked precisely the way I had asked, with just the right amount of juiciness and seasoning. The cheese didn’t take away from the flavour of the beef and the bun kept it all together with too much slide. The homemade mayo and pickles on the side also meant you could add that extra bit of zest if you needed it.”