The Examiner's reporter Isobel Cootes went on the hunt for the best beef burger in Launceston.
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She has rated the city's burgers for their taste, value for money and sauciness, as she can not stand a dry burger.
She shied away from fast food burgers on offer across Australia and honed in on localised produce.
The only rule was the business could not know why she was there, to ensure the quality was not upped for the review.
The challenge to find the Launceston's best fried chicken burger was decided by my palette in January. Fast forward through a global pandemic and I thought what better way to pass the time than once again indulging in some food.
Household burger names Food for Dudes and Dudettes, Burger Junkie and Burger Got Soul were in the running again, but this time around they had another running mate. After I heard about a little food van, now brick-mortar-kitchen in Bakers Lane, by the name of Hungrybear.
Over a matter of weeks I visited the burger joints and frequented some places not known for their burgers to rate the city's best 10 burgers.
I tested three burgers from the four dedicated burger places as I allowed myself an extra few treats because of the pandemic. I would have tried more from others, but my waistline thought otherwise.
Furthermore I only ate options available consistently, not one off specials.
Here is what my taste buds thought.
NUMBER 10
Hungrybear's cheeseburger was great, it had everything I was after, but in comparison to the other cheeseburger's I tried it was just missing a little something.
It feature's a beef patty, cheese, pickles, lettuce, smoky mayonnaise, mustard and tomato sauce.
Hungrybear cheese burger $12 - Taste: 6/10, Value: 6/10, Sauciness: 7/10
NUMBER 9
I thought the FFDAD's loaded beef burger would be the answer to all my dreams, a take on 'the lot' burger.
Its beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, double cheese, aioli, chilli jam, bacon, beetroot, pineapple and onion rings paired well.
I love chilli jam and aioli as sauces, but their pairing with all those ingredients did not tickle my fancy as much as I had hoped.
Loaded beef burger $14.90 - Taste: 6/10, Value: 9/10, Sauciness: 7/10
NUMBER 8
I know I did say it would be beef burgers only, but this one was a slight exception for FFDAD's filthy feed burger.
I love beef, I love fried chicken, I love bacon, I love chipotle aioli and I love barbecue sauce, so there were no questions this would make the list. Add lettuce, double cheese, tomato, onion and mac n cheese and voila!
The only reason this was not higher was because it was a lot and my arteries did feel like they could have surrendered at any bite.
The filthy feed burger $17.50 - Taste: 7/10, Value: 7/10, Sauciness: 8.5/10
NUMBER 7
BGS's tomahawk burger was mouth watering and delicious - mainly because I do love anything with caramelised onion.
It had everything you need but is very meat heavy with the two patties. It consists of two beef patties, cheese, caramelised onion, relish and smoky barbecue mayonnaise.
The burger buns from this place also earned it extra points, they are always warm and fresh.
BGS's tomahawk $17.90 - Taste: 7.5/10, Value: 5/10, Sauciness: 8/10
NUMBER 6
BJ's americana burger is an extra little take on the classic cheeseburger. It did tick some of my boxes, but it did not make my tastebuds bounce.
And that is probably because there is only so much you can do with a patty, cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickle, onion, mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise.
However, it's sauce factor was high and bacon is particularly welcomed on any burger for me.
NUMBER 5
This was my favourite version/take of the classic cheeseburger I had on my quest to find the best beef burger. BGS' soul deluxe cheeseburger had everything you wanted.
The white bun was warm and tasty, but the oomph factor to make this higher on the list just was not there.
However, the prime Tasmanian fed beef, double American cheese, red onion, pickles (there were so many which I loved), mustard mayonnaise and ketchup sauce did deliver on my sauce radar.
BGS's soul deluxe cheeseburger $14.90 - Taste: 7.5/10, Value: 7/10, Sauciness: 10/10
NUMBER 4
Anything relating to Canada's food scene seems to awake my taste buds and BJ's all Canadian did just that.
Maple whiskey glaze.... it is the sweetness you need on a burger like this and all the ingredients pair very well.
This burger comes with a self imposed time limit because of the glaze. If you do not eat it within minutes you can say goodbye to any structural integrity the bottom burger bun had.
It arguable features everything could need in life - bacon, onion rings and a touch of whiskey. It also has a beef patty, cheese, lettuce, barbecue sauce and mayonnaise.
BJ's all Canadian $15 - Taste: 8.5/10, Value: 8/10, Sauciness: 9/10
NUMBER 3
By now you may have realised Burger Junkie knows its stuff when it comes to beef burgers and its dirty double burger is no exception, it's delicious.
You have double beef patty, double cheese, bacon, sarsaparilla braised onions, a hashbrown, chipotle aioli and barbecue sauce - I mean come on. It's a recipe for perfection.
It would have been higher on the list if, similar to FFDAD's loaded beef burger, I did not feel like I was going to enter into cardiac arrest at any moment.
In saying that, if you have an hour to spare to ride out a food coma this is worth setting aside the time.
BJ's dirty double burger $17 - Taste: 9/10, Value: 8/10, Sauciness: 9.5/10
NUMBER 2
The only reason Hungrybear's bears big beef burger did not take out first place was the bun and the lettuce.
I need my lettuce so shredded it is unrecognisable to me on my burger. It was shredded, but not as finely as a certain competitors.
The lettuce I can live with, but an improved burger bun would have done it for me. I do give a chef kiss to the burger's sauce - it's 10/10.
The burger's two beef patties, double cheese, lettuce, pickles, grilled onion and bear's burger sauce is heavenly. Especially if you do not have an irrational lettuce expectation as I do.
Hungrybear's bears big beef burger $14 - Taste: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Sauciness: 10/10
NUMBER 1
I have lived and breathed McDonald's big macs since the age of about 11, even when I went pescatarian I still got my fix by replacing the meat patties with hash browns.
In other words, it's my bread and butter and my first introduction to the burger world. However, the mega mac burger by BJ is on par.
Excellent bun, excellent sauce to meat ratio, shredded lettuce up to my irrational standard and pickles. What more could you need?
The burger's sauce reminds of Macca's big mac sauce meets tartare sauce, which sounds horrible now that I am writing this, but I promise it is 10/10.
BJ's mega mac $16 - Taste: 10/10, Value: 9/10, Sauciness: 10/10.
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