5. Burger Project
Neil Perry, known for a fancy burger creation at his upmarket restaurant Rockpool, set up Burger Project to give the fast food scene the celebrity chef treatment. The menu offers 12 different burgers, with chicken and vegetarian options.
Where can you find them: the terrace section of World Square in Sydney. Five branches are expected to open in Melbourne next year.
What we tried: Classic Burger
Price: $8.90
Brad: This has a weird, orange, oily sauce on it, which isn't appealing in any way. It's... uhhh, it's really not good. It didn't taste like anything. The sauce is not nice, the burger is just chewy. You can't taste meat, you just chew. And it's weirdly sweet.
Mat: Oh, she's a messy one! That's really... ummm... wet? It's sloppy at the bottom. The pattie is fine, but there's too much sauce. The bottom bun looks like a used Band-Aid. Nah.
Jemima: This one tastes too much like a salad. I can taste A LOT of vegetable in this. The pickle isn't pickled enough. It needs more cheese and sauce, and just more unhealthy in general.
4. Mary's
This uber-hot Newtown bar opened a takeaway joint in Sydney's CBD to cater to the office crowd. They offer four burgers, with chicken and vegetarian options, and the occasional special.
Where can you find them: Mary's (bar) at 6 Mary St in Newtown and Mary's (takeaway) at 154 Castlereagh St in the CBD.
What we tried: Mary's Burger
Price: $12.00
Brad: This has a fast food vibe to it. It tastes like it has some kind of smoked meat, like a deli burger in a weird way, and like it was made with thinly cut deli meats, even though it wasn't.
Alex: This one has a really weird smell. I don't know what it is, it's almost kind of fishy. The lettuce is a bit boring. It's an alright burger. But if I was in some sort of fancy burger place and had to pay $12 a piece, I'd be pretty pissed off.
Mat: That cheese tastes like chemicals... OK. It tastes like Cheezels, so right now, I'm deciding whether I should give it a 1 or a 5. But it's pretty dry, and the cheese tastes fake.
3. McDonald's
The American fast food giant recently expanded its menu to accommodate a gourmet range that includes burgers, wraps, and salads. Of the burgers, nine are beef and six are chicken or fish.
Where can you find them: anywhere and everywhere in Australia. See here.
What we tried: Clubhouse Angus Burger
Price: $8.10
Michelle: This has one of the prettiest buns of the lot. It tastes very fancy... a bit too fancy for me. The tomato was OK. The sauce was a bit much, though. It has some weird aioli on it.
Nick: This feels like a McDonald's burger. The bun feels like its been in a plastic bag for months. It's an OK burger... kinda dry. Nothing really jumps out, but I'd happily eat it again.
Brad: This looks like some kind of fast food burger. You can feel it - the bun is plastic-like. The other burgers are messy... and real. This one's well put together. I wouldn't not eat it, but I don't really wanna finish it.
2. Chur Burger
Warren Turnbull's empire was born out of the Kiwi chef's genuine love for burgers. It has since drawn a massive following of people hungry for anything oozing with flavour. Their express menu includes six burgers with beef, chicken, veggie, pork, lamb, and fish options.
Where can you find them:
Restaurants: 48 Albion St in Surry Hills (Sydney)
20 Constance St in Fortitude Valley (Brisbane)
Express: Wintergarden Food Court, 1 O'Connell St in Sydney
Shop 5 / 123 Eagle St in Brisbane
What we tried: Beef Burger
Price: $10.00
Michelle: This one looks a bit sad. The bread is very thin. Hmmm, that wasn't great. It's very dry, although it looks like it should be wet. I feel like everything's compressed and the meat's tough.
Alex: I really like this one. It's more like a classic burger. It's got the brioche bun, which is nice because it's more squishy and easier to eat. I like the pink meat, that was good! As long as it's not slimy, I don't mind my meat rare.
Brad: This one doesn't look very appealing. I hate pickles, so I'll remove it! It's a good-tasting burger, a lot of sauce, cheese, mayonnaise, and tomato sauce on it. It's a carnivore's burger. That's nice because what you're tasting is the pattie, which is what burgers should be.
1. Grill'd
Grill'd is an Australian fast food chain that takes pride in its healthy approach to eating burgers. Their NSW menu offers a whopping 19-burger list, of which three are vegetarian, three are lamb, six are chicken, and the rest are beef.
Where you can find them: sweet spots across five states in the land of Oz. See here.
What we tried: Simply Grill'd, in a panini bread and with added cheese
Price: $11.40
Jemima: That's a good one. I like the flavour, it's very simple. It tastes like your average takeaway joint burger, it doesn't have too much fancy additives. Not enough cheese, but other than that, it's good!
Mat: THIS IS DEFINITELY GRILL'D! I love Grill'd! They have a specific sauce that they put on and it's good. I hate raw onion though. So I always order my Grill'd burgers with no onion and tomato. I think they bring the burgers down.
Nick: The bun looks like it's from Woolworths - not a good first impression. The pattie is good. There's a lot of burgers that have heavy-tasting meat. This one has a more subtle taste, which I like. It's not overpowering.
