To be honest, I was not really impressed with the burger offerings at Wellington on a Plate this year and I was not really going to try any. However, after surfing through my Instagram account there was quite a bit of food porn available on what the Wellington eateries were offering for WOAP this year.
Instead of blogging about the eateries separately, I have decided to just to write a post every few days about what I have sampled.
Scoapa: Spaghetti & Meatball
Pork and herb meatballs braised in tomato with a pickle and provolone cheese in an Arobake milk bun, with tomato salt ‘spaghetti fries’
An Italian classic made into a burger. I thought it was presented very well and I liked the spaghetti fries with their tomato seasoning that was made from fresh pasta. The Burger was really good and I really loved their meatballs and the sauce and the pickle added a nice sharpness to the burger. I do wonder though if these are the same meatballs that Tommy Millions use and that Scopa serves every Monday night.
Score 8/10
Charley Noble Eatery & Bar: Charley’s Double Cheese Burger
Housemade Angus beef patty with house BBQ sauce, zucchini pickle and double cheddar cheese in a Brezelmania semolina bun, with house fries
This was presented quite nicely and up to the usual standard of Charley’s. The fries were really nicely cooked and had a good crunch to them with a truffle seasoning to them. The Burger was really nice. The beef patty was served medium-rare with a nice slightly crisp crust. The zucchini pickle added a nice sharpness to the burger and the cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce brought everything together. The bun was nice and soft. Overall a really good burger.
Score 9/10
The Ramen Shop: Haiku Burger
Longbush free range pork
A mixture of our preserves
Soft steamed white bread roll
This burger title just reminds me of Ricki Baker. The burger was overall very good. I loved the pork patty which was nice and succulent. The mixtures of the persevere gave a nice contrast to the hoisin sauce and a bit of crunch. The bun was really nice and soft and I love how they added some mushrooms to give it a more earthy taste.
Score 8.5/10
Portlander; The Free Bird
Quinoa and polenta-crumbed free range chicken with baby herb chiffoande, aioli and Ruth Pretty tomato chili jam in Bordeaux doughnut bun, with buffalo agrias
It was interesting how this burger was served on such a big plate. The burger looked alright and looked like it could easily fall apart with one little shake. The buffalo agrias was really nicely cooked, which was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, I did wish though that they pre-salted the potatoes. The burger was good but not as good as it could be. The burger was surprisingly quite sweet and the tomato chili jam did not have enough of a kick. The bun was interesting, but I think they should have grilled the inside or crispen the outside. The lettuce was slightly limp and maybe having whole leaves of lettuce instead of cutting it eat. The best part was the chicken, which was nicely cooked, seasoned and had a good crunch to it.
Score: 7.5/10
Trencherman's Travels 