The menu includes a range of South American cuisine, including tacos, burritos, fajitas and quesadillas. There are also typically three burgers on the menu; all of which I have ignored on my previous visits, largely because the rest of the menu sounded more appealing.
However, things change when you slap a burger of the year award on to the menu and if that doesn't sell me in to it, I'm not sure what could. Let's look at this number then. The 'Buenos Aires Burger' boasts a chargrilled, aioli topped, 100% prime short rib & chuck beef patty with crispy baby gem lettuce, smoky pork chorizo, caramelised onions, Emmental cheese and fresh chimichurri in a toasted brioche bun. Wow, right?
I mean okay, this was a moderate looking burger upon arrival. I was certainly not blown away by the presentation, though I guess my expectations were perhaps too high given the accolades this burger comes with.
On paper, the ingredients have endless potential. In reality? I have had much better. Let me start with the good: the caramelised onions. These were delightfully sweet and boldly attempted to offset the smoky pork chorizo.
Unfortunately, the chorizo, whilst well-flavoured, was a little too prominent in the burger. The thickness of it almost matched the patty and it quickly overpowered the palate. On top of that, it was too dry within a burger that lacked a real 'sauce'.
The Emmental cheese was layered on the patty and was relatively mild in taste, but well proportioned. As for the chimichurri, I'm not sure where this was but I certainly couldn't pick up the taste.
Funnily enough, the same could be said for the aioli topping on the patty. Non-existent from what I could tell. Instead, the patty was a little dry and clearly overcooked. As a positive the meat did taste seasoned, but unfortunately this could not redeem it.
I think the reality is the burger that won the 2017 'National Burger of the Year' is not the same one put in front of me on my visit. This could be down to a bad day in the kitchen or that this burger descends in to average when produced to a mass market. Either way, it is disappointing not knowing what the true burger of the year tasted like. The 'Buenos Aires' is a middle-of-the-road attempt with the pro's coming in the form of the caramelised onions and interesting mix of ingredients, whilst the drawbacks include the overpowering chorizo, a dry patty and an absence of chimichurri and aioli. Maybe next time I guess?
Patty Master Musings:
- To add insult to injury here, we were also chased down the street and accused of not paying the full bill. They had somehow overcharged us for desserts we didn't have. This was not particularly thrilling giving we were only one of a few tables occupied in the entire restaurant. Oh well - the service was otherwise friendly.
- The lunch menu is reasonably priced with some good choices on it.
- Did I Dip It? Ketchup was required to reduce the overpowering flavour of the chorizo.
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