WOAP 2016 - The Hideaway, Hot Blooded - 8.5/10

Preston’s beef patty with On Trays ghost chilli, cheese, crispy chicken, fried onion strips and compressed tomato in a housemade black pudding brioche bun. $21

The Hideaway does a good burger generally. I think they have stepped it up and delivered something special for the WOAP burger public.

It arrived in a neat, compact package and when unwrapped, revealed a sizeable pattie oozing with melted cheese atop a fairly thick slice of tomato within a broody, dark bun with charred edges.

Further investigation under the hood uncovered the fried onion strips.

Other condiments included an aioli or mayo (not sure exactly), and chilli sauce (On Trays ghost Chilli I presume?).

The pattie was superb. Perfectly cooked - medium rare but with a good char.  Meaty goodness and well seasoned. Good size/ratio to the rest of the burger. The perfect pattie was complimented by the melted cheese and the thick-cut tomato slice.  The fried onion strips added a bit of crispness. I didn't notice the chicken.

The chilli sauce added a bit of a kick.  If you like heat then this is good.  If you don't, it is still bearable.  Not sure whether it was really needed but it did add to the uniqueness of the burger.

What really made the burger interesting though, was the bun. Black pudding brioche. The texture was almost cake like, which completely changed the eating experience. It almost made it mushy but with pockets of crunch and then every now and then a more intense hit of hot.

Burgerability was excellent.  Pattie was perfectly proportioned to the bun. Ingredients stayed in place.  A nice amount of burger juice oozing out without being too messy.

In terms of flavour, the bun is the game-changer. I think they could have played it safe and gone with a standard bun. And this would have made it a very good burger.

Depending on people's preferences/taste buds, the bun either puts it over the top, or makes it completely bomb.  I debated this as I ate it and wavered both ways. Afterwards, mulling it over I decided that it was the right choice. It was a clear point of difference and gave the burger a different taste and texture. One that, when you really savoured it, was quite good. You can definitely remember the burger and it stands out from the crowd.

Highly recommended (but open to interpretation) - 8.5/10.