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!)