A TALE OF THREE BURGERS

Plan B by Becasse
204 Clarence Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: 9283 3450


GPO Oyster Bar
No.1 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph : 92997700


It all started with the Rockpool Wagyu Burger. In the last month, I have eaten three burgers, which is more than I normally eat in a year. Although the flavouring (and especially the brioche bun) of the Rockpool Burger was good, the experience had been been soured by the presence two things that should not have been there. I am prepared to give most places more than one chance, so I will return there at some point to see if I fare better on a second occasion.

I had yet to have Plan B’s Wagyu Burger, but having been struck by burgermania, it was onward ho.

Herewith, the $10 Plan B burger, described as “600-day grain fed wagyu beef burger”.

A significant $8 cheaper than the Rockpool one, I found it quite different. The sesame seeds on the bun were a welcoming “old school” item, but I must confess that tastewise, I preferred the Rockpool brioche. The patty itself was saltier than Rockpool’s, and with a little bit of charred crunch to its exterior, but unfortunately, fell apart as soon as I cut the burger in half (for ease of consumption). Needless to say, the fork came in handy. I did enjoy the beetroot, another “old school” item.

Part way into the burger, I began to wonder whether I was just unlucky, or had been jinxed by some sort of manic Burger Diety, as lo and behold, I encountered two unexpected visitors again, only in this case, it wasn’t gristle and cartilage, but gristle and well, you can see for yourself....




I could do nothing but laugh resignedly at this point, but it did make me turn slightly monomaniacal about having another burger sooner rather than later. This time, I thought that I’d go with the “non wagyu” approach, but still target a location where I’d hope that the burger would maybe be a bit interesting, and at the very least, tasty, and in a price range between Rockpool and Plan B. Maybe I'd get lucky.

The destination was by chance rather than planning, and it was the GPO Oyster Bar. Their $15.50 beef burger, described as “Pure beef pattie [sic] (160g) seasoned with onions and garlic and served with egg, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, mayonnaise in a buttered Panini and served with chips” was presented as follows –



I think that the photo speaks for itself – the presentation is rather basic, the patty is considerably flatter than the other two, and the egg rather institutional in appearance. The chips were as they appear, rather ordinary.

A cross section gives a better indication of the innards -

What can I say? It was a burger. It wasn’t an exciting burger, but of the three that I’ve eaten this year, it was the only one gristle free.

[AP]