Day 17 - final swim

I went for my final swim this morning (990m). This brings me to a grand total of 10km (10,012m to be exact). I am very pleased that I have achieved the swimming goal. 10km seemed like a bit of a stretch at the start, but anything less doesn't sound very impressive. Looking back I wish I had pushed myself to swim further than 660m earlier (my standard 20 length swim). By the end of the 17 days a 1km swim is manageable - but then maybe this is only because I built up to it.

My final burger will be tonight at The Bresolin. They don't take bookings, but did assure me on the phone that they would not run out of burgers (fingers crossed). I will report back soon.

Day 16 - rarebit sauce and a venison burger

I did a 1,054m swim on Saturday morning and was suitably hungry when I went along to The Hideaway to try the burger everyone has been talking about. Much to my chagrin it was not open for lunch, so I went along to the GP instead. The GP can always be counted on for doing a classic, solid beef burger.  This year they are doing the 'Rare-Bit Burger': Handmade beef patty with Kingsmeade Wairarapa Jack rarebit sauce and beetroot relish in a Pandoro bun, with twice-cooked hand-cut chips. 

The burger was big, the patty was juicy and the rarebit sauce was nice and sharp. I am a big fan of Kingsmeade cheeses so was pleased to see the Wairarapa Jack making an appearance. There was something of an astringent note to the burger (kind of like a vinaigrette) that did not work that well, and the bun didn't seem to be anything special. I give the Rare-Bit burger 6.5/10.

I had another encounter with Kingsmeade cheese later on Saturday evening when I went to try 'Some Sort of Burger' at Five Boroughs: 'Wild venison patty with truffled Kingsmeade Ngawi brie, exotic mushrooms, black garlic mayo and foraged blackberry ketchup in a Zaida's squid ink milk bun.' 

The squid ink bun was good - soft but not so soft that there was a loss of structural integrity. The patty was juicy and well seasoned, and the brie was hidden inside and came oozing out. I am a big mushroom fan so was hoping there would be more of a mushroomy flavour. Despite this, the burger was very flavourful in terms of the venison itself . I couldn't really taste the blackberry in the ketchup, but it was a beautiful mauve colour. I award Five Borough's 8.2/10 (more work needed on the name!)

Day 15 - a triumphant fish burger and a solid chicken burger

I had lunch at Charley Noble's on Saturday. I was very excited to eat their 'Ebisu Burger', and it did not disappoint. To the contrary, it was outstanding. The official description of the burger is: Moana Pacific fish burger with house chutney and Japanese mayonnaise in a Brezelmania squid ink bun, with shoestring fries. The presentation of the burger was the best I have seen yet. It comes on a bed of hot rocks with a lemon half for squeezing attached to a fish hook. The fries come in their own woven flax bag.

The fish patty was light and well seasoned. It was miles away from probably every fish patty you've had before. It felt flaky in the mouth - like they had just managed to bind the fish together. The chutney and mayonnaise accompaniments worked well - just the right amount to lubricate the bun with no dripping. There were also very thin strips of cucumber to add crunch. The squid ink bun was novel (and very, very dark) - but not at all squidy, which I think was good given how light the burger was. Overall, I felt the burger was innovative, unexpected, refreshing and fulfilling. I could not fault it so will duly award 10/10. I know some may disagree with such a high score - but I think that it is important to keep in mind that this burger was not trying to be the ultimate cheeseburger. Instead, it has set its own criteria and met them with aplomb.

NB: Charley Noble's won the official competition last year with a burger that I didn't particularly like (even after vacating the pineapple from the bun), but everyone else seemed to love. I think Charley Noble's would be truly deserving this year.

Later that evening I went to St John's bar to try the unofficial 'Biggies Burgers' menu. St John's does have an official burger entry, but it didn't make my shortlist and I had heard good things about the Biggies Burgers. I went for the chicken burger. This was good - it had a large piece of juicy chicken, cheese, lettuce and creamy mayo. The bun was nice and soft. It also came with a fun paper hat to wear (not pictured). I think the chicken burger was good solid stuff, so would give it a 7.3/10. There was also a delicious pina colada shake.

Day 14 - overcome by offal

Another 1,054m after work on Thursday and then to Capitol to be brave and try 'The Brain Burger': Lightly crumbed lambs’ brains with celeriac and caper remoulade, and crispy sage in a Pandoro brioche bun. 

I am not a huge offal person, but do eat things like lambs kidneys and would happily eat just about anything Capitol can serve up. The burger came out. It looked and smelled beautiful. The bun was golden, there was inviting remoulade poking out and two crunchy crumbed bits of lambs brain were perched inside the burger. I took one bite. It was creamy. It was very unfamiliar. I thought about what I was eating and then just could not go any further. The burger wasn't devoured by my table companions, but they did a lot better than me. I feel it is unfair to rate a burger that I only had one bite of, so I am not giving it an official score. I do think that the creaminess of the brain may have been a bit much with creamy remoulade in any event. I very much enjoyed the pappardelle the person next to me ordered.

Day 13 - the BK style

I realised today (Wednesday) that I was going to have to ramp up the swimming dramatically in order to meet my 10km target. I did 1,054m after work (32 x 33m lengths), and was ravenous afterwards.

I had the Egmont St Eatery burger for dinner. It is called 'Cheese, Beets and Meat', which is a fair description but fairly unimaginative as far as names go: PrimeStar aged beef patty with housemade smoked beetroot relish, fried pickled onions and Jack cheese blend, in a fresh steamed bun. 

There was quite a wait for our meals (there were a lot of burger eaters, even at 8.30pm), but eventually I got to set into the burger. It is in 'the BK style', by which I mean the bun is steamed and the whole thing is quite soft. I personally quite like this, but I know some people like a bit more form. What saved this from too much squidgy-ness was that there were fried, crunchy onions in the mix. These were very enjoyable. I liked the simplicity of this burger - it was a classic cheese burger done well and the beetroot relish was enjoyable and necessary to cut through the cheese and beef. I award the 'Cheese, Beets and Meat' 8.2/10.

Day 12 - garbanzo burger

Last year I highly rated El Matador's vegetarian chickpea burger, so was keen to try this year's 'Fuego Burger': Spicy garbanzo patty with wood-fired beetroot, parrilla-smoked mushroom, preserved lemon and olive salsa in an Arobake bun, served with patatas bravas.

The burger is absolutely huge. You will not leave hungry. As promised, the mushroom is smoky and the patty is spicy. I think there was a key problem with the burger however, in that there were no onions, garlic or cheese to be seen or tasted. Without meat (which is not an issue for me) I think these are key ingredients to get a tasty savoury flavour into a burger. Last year's burger for El Matador had feta, which worked really well. This year's burger had aioli, so I don't think a quest to be vegan was behind the burger. The other companion at my table who had the burger commented that each element of the burger was nice, but it was a bit like they were all fighting one another. I agree. I usually like mushrooms, but took mine out because the smoke flavour was so strong. The patatas bravas, on the other hand, were excellent. I award the 'Fuego Burger' 6/10.

Day 11 - an unanticipated venison burger

I didn't have a particular burger planned for Monday (and had gone a little bit off all the paua burgers I had planned). After a 660m swim, I ended up at WBC to try 'The Classic': Ground local venison with house smoked and aged cheddar, pickled Spanish onions in a Pandoro burger bun, with WBC chipped potatoes.

Some other burger aficionados we knew were sampling the burger when we arrived, and there was a moment of drama when the waiter momentarily informed us they were out of patties. Fortunately the moment passed and burgers were available. The cheddar was sharp and the pickled Spanish onions provided savoury flavour which was the best bit about the whole burger. The patty didn't taste particularly venison-y (cf The Portlander burger), but was pleasant enough. The bun was a little dry. One of the other burger aficionados commented (as a compliment) that it was a bit like a really good homemade burger, which I think is fair (if only I could make Spanish onions like that). The fries were satisfactory. I award 'The Classic' 7.6/10.

Day 10

A rest day.

Day 9 - pulled pork and a wedding

Saturday brought sunshine and an early afternoon wedding, but I was determined to get a burger in. We went to Ti Kouka on Willis St and had the 'Aporkalypse Now' for brunch with a group: Slow roasted bourbon glazed Longbush Pork shoulder with ginger ale bacon, apple and smoked BBQ mayonnaise in a Leeds Street Bakery grilled bun, with hot sauce, crackling and pickles.

I questioned whether this was in fact a burger, or rather a pulled pork sandwich. It was the only burger I had ordered thus far that I had to eat with a fork and knife. The burger was quite greasy, and the bread (not really a bun) that the pulled pork came in was also fried. Some thought this may have been a strategic move to keep the bread from becoming soggy. The pickles were left separate to the burger. The actual pork was well flavoured. Overall I was not hugely impressed, but I know there are quite different views on this. For example, in the sauna at the pool post-swim one evening I overheard a burger conversation along the lines that the rumour was there was somewhere that was better than Duke's (the person had it on the tip of their tongue: "it's on Willis Street... Ti.... Ti.... Ti something".

I award the 'Aporkalypse Now' 7.4/10.

I can confirm that the wedding was a lot of fun and that on Sunday there were fish and chips, but no burgers and no swimming.

Day 8 - more quack quack oink

On Friday I had Beach Babylon's 'Oriental Bao Burger': Braised Longbush Pork belly with BBQ duck and Asian slaw in a steamed bun, with sesame-salted Asian street fries and sriracha mayonnaise. 

I was a huge fan of this burger. First, the steamed bun was not at all doughy (unlike Dragonfly's bun). Second, the flavour combination from the 'Asian slaw' and the roast pork was just right. Some in my group did not like the large bits of fat that came with the roast pork, but to me they just made the burger all that more delicious (albeit, they potentially drowned out the duck - but the five spice flavouring shone through). The mayonnaise that accompanied the fries was not very sriracha-y, but all in all a delicious burger that I would eat again. I award the Oriental Bao Burger 8/10. 

I did a big swim (1km) up at Karori pool before this burger.

Day 7 - friendly crustaceans

On Thursday night I tried The Larder's bug burger - not an actual bug, but a Morton Bay Bug aka a little lobster. The lobster was lightly battered and came in a house made bun (or so it seemed), with chilli, cucumber, ice burg lettuce and capers. There was some kind of mayonnaise and the fries came with a rich aioli. The flavour was delicate and luxurious, and The Larder did well not to over power the flavour of the seafood. The chilli was spot on and the size was just right for me. I award the Bug Burger 8/10.

Another 660m swim on Thursday night, and the lights around Oriental Bay were very pretty.

Day 6 - twice as nice

Today was a big day with two burgers on the menu and no swim. I've done over 3.5km though, so am making good progress. 

For lunch I had The Portlander's most excellent 'The Hunter Games' burger: venison patty, cherry relish, Swiss cheese, onions, lettuce, bacon. This was superb, as was The Portlander's burger last year. Every item in the burger had a role to play. You could tell the cheese was Swiss cheese. The lettuce was crunchy. The relish gave the necessary tangy sweetness. The bacon and onions added flavour and the patty itself was exceptional. To top it off you get fried potato skins. I award the Portlander 9.5/10 (I don't have anything to report home about the bun, but it didn't detract).

For dinner (luckily sometime later) I had Dragonfly's prawn shui mai burger with wasabi slaw and chilli jam - it comes with prawn chips with nori salt. The prawn patty was fragrant, generous and tasty and I really liked the pickled vegetables in the burger. There was a nice hit of heat (although it didn't taste too wasabi-like). This burger was good to have after some meat-heavy variations and I didn't miss the usual grease load you get with potatoes as the side. My one complaint is that the steamed bun is a little doughy in places. I award Dragonfly 7.8/10.

Day 5 - little pigs, little pigs

I rushed to the pool after work to do my 660m, and then to Zibibbo to try the 'Porky Cheese'. If you like pig, then this is the burger for you: Wood roasted pork jowel patty with black pudding, crackling, double cheddar, apple pickled cucumber, and Garage Project Hāpi Daze mustard, with house French fries. The burgers were very large, and very porky. I liked the way the cheese had been melted onto the bun (in an unctuous quarter-pounder way). The pork jowl patty itself was intense and delicious, but for me there was just too much black pudding (I had to put aside some of mine, to be eaten by a dining companion). The black pudding was high quality with good spicy notes, but when combined with the pork patty it made for a burger that was a bit full on. It also would have been good if the cucumber was more pickled, to give the necessary cut-through. Marks for the mustard sauce and decadent crackling. All in all, a good effort (and adored by some at the table), but not top of my list. I award the Porky Cheese 7.5/10.

Day 4 sundown

Another 660m swim this evening and it felt a lot better than yesterday! I have a busy week of burgers ahead and am pondering my original list; I'm hearing rumours about what's good and what's not. Another issue is that St John's has a pop up restaurant that is part of WOAP, and is doing burgers, but the burgers are not official entries in Burger Wellington. However, and like last year, these look so good that I think, like last year, I just might make an exception. They also give you a nostalgic burger joint paper hat to wear when you order a burger... The other rumour I am hearing is that the Pan de Muerto burger is exceptional, so there may need to be a change of plans. On a practical note, if you are planning on eating at The Larder, call ahead and say exactly what you are planning on ordering - they are doing two burger sittings an evening and in between you can order the set menu.

Day 4 - surf & turf

No breakfast after a big Sunday and a burger planned for lunch (could re-title the blog 'doctors weep'). I went to Trade Kitchen which has been a mixed bag in the past. I saw other burger-fiends I knew finishing off the 'Sea Burger' and they said they were not too impressed, so I had low expectations. However, on eating my burger I was pleasantly surprised. The patty was seasoned well and had herbs in it (thyme? oregano?). I particularly liked the lemony prawns that were included in the burger - they gave it a 'lightness' (is that possible for a burger)? I do think the bun was a bit dry, and in these times of brioche buns and steamed buns this is definitely an area for Trade Kitchen to improve on. In any event, I wolfed mine down. The chips were standard but satisfactory, the service was lovely. I give Trade Kitchen 6.8/10.

Day 3 - Duke Carvell's, excellent, as expected

The sun shone down, literally on the Smokey Bandit burger from Duke Carvell's. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and we ate outside. The burger came on a wooden board with red checked paper (reminiscent of last year's double down presentation). There were three bits of bun, similar to a Big Mac, and 'special sauce' and shredded lettuce. However, what made the burger special was the tasty beef brisket patty (not too much so it didn't overwhelm everything else), the smoked cream cheese and the spring onions - an innovative combination that really worked. The bun was very soft and was easy to squish, so that you can get the perfect mouthful. Duke's has improved from last year on giving you more chips. The chips appear to be triple cooked and are crunchy and perfect. I give the Smokey Bandit 9/10.

I went for a swim after the burger. I was not agile in the water, but I did do 660m.

Dinner was at a non-burger WOAP event (shock!) - a special carnitas afternoon at La Boca Loca in Mirimar. We were seated at long tables and tried two different slow cooked pork dishes with fresh corn tortillas and a range of salsas (including cactus salsa). One of the other attendees sitting near us had her first ever margarita, so it was something of an event.

Day 2 - seafood extravaganza & chicken

I have never eaten at Coco at the Roxy, but the service was attentive and the dining room worked well (given it is in the foyer of a movie theatre). The burger had been much vaunted on Instagram, but unfortunately there was just too much going on: two different patties containing a combination of clams, smoked snapper and paua, and a huge battered octopus tentacle. All of this did heavy combat with an eggplant relish. The shoestring fries were good, but not special. I award the 'Sleeping with the Fishes' burger 5.5/10. (I should add that one of my dining companions got the steak and chocolate pudding set menu and was very pleased, and they have excellent wine matches available).

Later in the evening I scoffed down the 'Chook in a Bun' from Grill Meats Beer: 'Char-grilled spice-rubbed chicken thigh with bacon aioli, Preston's streaky bacon, gherkins and preserved lemon relish in a Pandoro Turkish roll, with chilli fries.' It was obviously one of those 'hungus' moments because the vegetarian I was with said afterwards that I mumbled 'this is so delicious' in between mouthfuls. The bun was a good texture and they were generous with the gherkins. Most of my chilli fries were devoured by my other (non-vegetarian) dining companion, but the few I tried were satisfactory. No points, really, for inventiveness - but still, a damn good chicken burger perfectly executed. I give the 'Chook in a Bun' 8/10.

Day 2 dawns

Excited for Day 2 of Burger Wellington, particularly after seeing a photo of the burger at Coco at the Roxy. I am going there for lunch and then planning on heading to Grill Meats Beer later this evening.  I've done 660m this morning (in the pool, not the harbour!) 

Day 1 - 900m and quack instead of oink

Day 1 of Burger Wellington started with an unexpected mega-swim. Freyburg Pool was closed for lane swimming so I had to rush out to Kilbirnie to get my 20 lengths in. I have never been to Kilbirnie before and wasn't sure what the length of the pool was (and could tell it was definitely shorter than Freyburg), so I did as many lengths as I could before dinner - which turned out to be 36. Turns out the pool is 25m so I am off to a roaring start with 900m under my belt.

A group of us went to Coene's Provisions (the old Martin Bosley's). We had expected to have the 'Filthy Swine' (Island Bay pork sausage patty with Waikanae pork coppa, bacon, black pudding, wild pork salami, Bethel Woods pulled pork and Human's Hot Sauce and pickles in a Brezelmania brioche bun). Due to a change in chefs, Coene's Provisions is now doing the Maimai Burger. This is described on the (recently updated) WOAP website as: 'Coq au Vin – Canter Valley duck, crispy skin, cucumber, watercress, chilli hoisin & plum sauce, Zaida's sesame bun, hand cut fries, aioli.' 

The bun is an absolutely stand out. It is a brioche bun (or 'bree-okky' bun as some like to pronounce it) and has just the right 'squidge'. Unfortunately the rest of the burger underwhelmed, primarily because the duck seemed not to have been seasoned at all and didn't taste, well, ducky. There was little in the way of sauce in the burger to add any flavour, and what there was definitely didn't taste like chilli or hoisin. Others at my table objected to the cucumber in the burger, saying that the cucumber became the predominant taste. The fries were standard pub fries and there was no aioli to be seen.  

The starters we got were excellent, so it may be the issues with the burger have come about because of the last minute change of plan as to what the burger would actually be. The kitchen also seemed to be under a bit of pressure: our burgers took ages to come out and they had run out of peanut butter parfait which is one of their two WOAP desserts.

I rate the Maimai Burger a 4/10 (although am definitely looking forward to trying some more of Zaida's buns throughout the competition). Hopefully Coene's gets out the salt and pepper and fires up some hoisin sauce for future customers!

Burger-Swim Challenge

Blog posts coming soon (Wellington on a Plate, 14-30 August 2015). 20 burgers. 10 km of swimming. 17 days.