Purveyor: Keg & Brew, 26 Foveaux St. Surry Hills NSW, Australia
Menu Item: Diablo Chicken Burger
Price: $16 AUD ($9.90 on Mondays)
Squawk: The smokey cheese was the only highlight of this burger – that, and it looked appetising when it landed on my table. How wrong I was.
Buaawk: Where to start? The chicken wasn’t spicy, as advertised. It was, however, overcooked, and had the consistency of chicken you would find in the frozen section of your local supermarket. The brioche tasted a day old. Even the freshest of brioche has no business housing a chicken burger, in my opinion.* I think it had coleslaw, but there was so little that I’m struggling to remember.
Rating: 2/10
– Tim B.
*Editor’s Note: This is a subject of much debate here at Holy-Cluck and is largely brioche dependant.
Purveyor: Neighbourhood, Bondi, NSW Australia
Menu Item: The Alabama Slammer
Price: $24 AUD
Squawk: It’s like the best American Southern fried chicken and coleslaw you’ve had rolled into a burger. I was standing out the front of this restaurant having a look through the menu, when a guy reared up next to me and boomed “You have to get the Alabama Slammer! I’m tellin ya, if it’s not the best f*cking chicken burger you’ve ever had, I will pay for it!!!” The lovely fellow was right and I payed for my own burger.
Buaawk: This thing is a clogger. There is nothing healthy about it. Except the cabbage.
Rating: 9.5/10
– Benny Z
Purveyor: The Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
Menu Item: Fried Chicken Burger
Price: $18 AUD
Squawk: The Local has long been regaled for its ever-changing and always wonderfully varied beer list, but not once have we heard anyone remark about the quality of their food. So it was a bit of a surprise for us to discover a such a good burger here. For starters the chicken itself was beer battered breast meat, the perfect combo of juicy and crispy. We did wonder which of the many beers on their list they used to make such a lovely batter. The perfectly toasted, almost burned, bun appeared to be too thick at first, but turns out it was merely fluffy and squashed down perfectly to fit into our gobs. We loved the artisanal pickles too and wished there were more of them, especially when they’re sitting atop a slice of that fake cheese product we love so well. (We love “real” cheese too). Finally, the chipotle mayo was an unexpected delight. This is a great burger and we were very sad when it ended.
Buaawk: We would have enjoyed a few more pickles. Things like Dijon mustard, crispy bacon or a nice Ox Heart tomato slice could have put this one over the top. Fries were good, but not spectacular. All that said, this one is a definite contender for the upcoming Best Burger Awards.
Rating: 9/10 Updated Score: 8/10 See comments for more info.
Bonus: Amazing beer list.