Charlie Bill, Miss Piggy marries a Prawn Star - 9/10, Burger Wellington 2012
Pork and prawn patty with Harrington’s porchetta and apple relish on a Brezelmania chilli corn bun with roasted gourmet potatoes - $22
As luck would have it we lucked onto Charlie Bill today. Weren't meant to be going there at all. Lucky.
We were supposed to be somewhere else but got a tip-off the day before that where we were going wasn't all that good. On asking where we should go we were told that Charlie Bill was getting pretty good reviews.
A quick discussion with the team and it was agreed that Charlie Bill was where we were going. A phone call to reserve and we were locked and loaded.
Now the reason Charlie Bill wasn't on our list was the fact it was a pork and prawn burger. Being a classic burger afficianado I had targeted establishments serving beef. And to be honest, I wasn't overly excited leading up to the visit. Boy did I get it wrong!!
When this burger turned up we just knew it was going to be good. It just looked tasty. As I was working, getting the shots for this review, Brad and Hoppy were tucking in. And they were absolutely loving it. Hoppy had abandoned his cutlery. Between each mouthful compliments flowed effusively from Brad. There was a party going on in their mouths. I quickly got in on the party.
And here is where I had to accept that beef was not the be all and end all of what made a burger. This one had it all. It was just perfect. The flavours all danced with each other; and the texture was melt in your mouth.
The pattie could not be faulted. Chunks of prawn with a bit of give gave it great texture. The bun itself actually added to the flavour, delivering beyond its traditional function of holding the burger together.
Sweet, salt, dissolve, crunch. What was that flavour? Coriander? check. Soy? maybe. Fennel? What are you talking about Hoppy? Not a chance!!
But he was convinced and wouldn't accept that perhaps, just maybe, it wasn't fennel he was tasting.
Showing off his ignorance he questioned our host, Leigh, as to whether there was fennel in the burger. If fact, it didn't really come out as a question but rather a statement "there is fennel in this burger, isn't there? No? Im pretty sure there is!!"
When Leigh left, Hoppy held strong to his belief that there was fennel in the burger, accusing Leigh of not knowing what she was talking about. It was all we could do to stop him from going out back and confronting the chef!!
Luckily the burger was so tasty, he couldn't leave it alone for any length of time.
I ate mine slowly, savouring every bite. It was really, really, really good. I was so sad when I finished it. I wanted more.
So to the scoring. It was as good as the T-Rex from Boulcott Street Bistro. We didn't think the T-Rex would be challenged, but here we were. AND it was a pork and prawn pattie. Preposterous!!
The fact that a non-beef burger could compete with T-Rex meant that it had to be something special. For that reason; for the fact that they tried something innovative and new; and pulled it off so stunningly made us think that maybe it was even better than the T-Rex? And that is what we agreed. It had to score higher. We gave it a nine.
So congratulations Charlie Bill. Once again, my prejudices have been busted open. Last year a vegetarian burger scored top prize in the comp. This year a pork and prawn pattie beat out a chuck steak and bbq shortrib pattie (albeit in our own non-official rating system)!!
Our plates were clean. We had already had an entree before the burger, but as I noted earlier, it left us needing more. We had to settle for dessert. Would have rather had another Miss Piggy Prawn Star!!
I can only hope they make the top five. Failing that I will run a personal campaign to keep the Prawn Star on the menu. Its too good to be around for only two weeks...
Epilogue: and sadly it missed out on the top five. If it were there it would definitely have been in the top three and would have given the top two a good run for their money...Make sure you get the votes in next year!!
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| It just looked tasty. Blow this picture up to full size and salivate!! |
As luck would have it we lucked onto Charlie Bill today. Weren't meant to be going there at all. Lucky.
We were supposed to be somewhere else but got a tip-off the day before that where we were going wasn't all that good. On asking where we should go we were told that Charlie Bill was getting pretty good reviews.
A quick discussion with the team and it was agreed that Charlie Bill was where we were going. A phone call to reserve and we were locked and loaded.
Now the reason Charlie Bill wasn't on our list was the fact it was a pork and prawn burger. Being a classic burger afficianado I had targeted establishments serving beef. And to be honest, I wasn't overly excited leading up to the visit. Boy did I get it wrong!!
When this burger turned up we just knew it was going to be good. It just looked tasty. As I was working, getting the shots for this review, Brad and Hoppy were tucking in. And they were absolutely loving it. Hoppy had abandoned his cutlery. Between each mouthful compliments flowed effusively from Brad. There was a party going on in their mouths. I quickly got in on the party.
 |
| Even the colours worked wonders... |
And here is where I had to accept that beef was not the be all and end all of what made a burger. This one had it all. It was just perfect. The flavours all danced with each other; and the texture was melt in your mouth.
The pattie could not be faulted. Chunks of prawn with a bit of give gave it great texture. The bun itself actually added to the flavour, delivering beyond its traditional function of holding the burger together.
Sweet, salt, dissolve, crunch. What was that flavour? Coriander? check. Soy? maybe. Fennel? What are you talking about Hoppy? Not a chance!!
But he was convinced and wouldn't accept that perhaps, just maybe, it wasn't fennel he was tasting.
Showing off his ignorance he questioned our host, Leigh, as to whether there was fennel in the burger. If fact, it didn't really come out as a question but rather a statement "there is fennel in this burger, isn't there? No? Im pretty sure there is!!"
 |
| You could see the bigger chunks of prawn in the pattie. |
When Leigh left, Hoppy held strong to his belief that there was fennel in the burger, accusing Leigh of not knowing what she was talking about. It was all we could do to stop him from going out back and confronting the chef!!
Luckily the burger was so tasty, he couldn't leave it alone for any length of time.
I ate mine slowly, savouring every bite. It was really, really, really good. I was so sad when I finished it. I wanted more.
So to the scoring. It was as good as the T-Rex from Boulcott Street Bistro. We didn't think the T-Rex would be challenged, but here we were. AND it was a pork and prawn pattie. Preposterous!!
The fact that a non-beef burger could compete with T-Rex meant that it had to be something special. For that reason; for the fact that they tried something innovative and new; and pulled it off so stunningly made us think that maybe it was even better than the T-Rex? And that is what we agreed. It had to score higher. We gave it a nine.
 |
| A buttered chilli corn bun, slightly toasted. It actually added to the flavour of the burger. |
Our plates were clean. We had already had an entree before the burger, but as I noted earlier, it left us needing more. We had to settle for dessert. Would have rather had another Miss Piggy Prawn Star!!
I can only hope they make the top five. Failing that I will run a personal campaign to keep the Prawn Star on the menu. Its too good to be around for only two weeks...
Epilogue: and sadly it missed out on the top five. If it were there it would definitely have been in the top three and would have given the top two a good run for their money...Make sure you get the votes in next year!!
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