Burgers by Josh Upper Deck

Most of our training for the Lashings challenge involves eating burgers. So that's what we decided to do tonight for the second night in a row. As we've mentioned before, Josh of Burgers by Josh fame has become a bit of a burger legend around Sydney. His massive Double Deluxe has made burger lovers salivate at the very sight of it. And since we loved Josh's so much on Sayurday, we thought we'd venture out to The Upper Deck at Greenwood Plaza for Burgers by Josh round 2.

The burgers come with the following ingredients-

THE DOUBLE DELUXE

Double Premium Wagyu
Double American cheese
Twice fried Hash brown
Westmont pickles
Spanish onions
Milk sesame seed buns
Mustard
Ketchup

We were happy to see Josh working hard in the kitchen to make our dinner. These burgers looked SO good upon arrival. We were happy to see pickles and onions peaking out of our burgers. We thought we'd receive our free bacon for fatties but alas, it was no where to be seen.

Biting into these burgers was very satisfying. The buns were great, the American cheese was melted just right, and the double patty very satisfying.

There were a few salient points however that need to be made. The hash brown, whilst filling, didn't add anything to this burger. It didn't contribute to the taste, but made the burger more clumsy to hold. The patties were also not as juicy as we would have liked. Josh's burgers on Saturday smashed it with the taste and juiciness factor. Saturday’s pop up was dripping with flavour and fat, but these burgers just didn't have the same standard that Josh is capable of. We also want to say- a little more onion and pickles please!

Don’t get us wrong- we loved Saturday’s pop up with the char grilled flavours and juiciness, but last night’s didn’t smash it.

We are in fine form for the burger challenge... We nailed these burgers in under 5 minutes. We left satisfied, but improvements are needed in this Sydney burger war we are in.

Lashings Gourmet Takeaway

Today we had a hunger to try something different. Yes of course it's another burger. After all, this is what brings you, the burger lover back to this burger blog for more right? Well, this time we were so hungry we decided to have a look into Lashings burger challenge. So out to Brighton Le Sands we did venture.

You won't find the Lashings burger challenge on the menu. But if you mention the words 'burger challenge' to the friendly staff, and tap your index finger to the side of your nose as you nod, they will know what you mean.

Simply put, the challenge is to consume the Double Whiplash burger with 12 patties in 30 minutes and the burger is free. Otherwise it will set you back a stunning $54.

We decided that before we should accept this challenge, we would at least sample these burgers and decide if we wanted to consume 12 of these patties. No point in eating so much if the burgers are rubbish, right?

So we ordered the normal Whiplash burger as well as a Double Cheeseburger. Notice that the Whiplash comes with American cheese.

The Double Cheeseburger came with your standard Australian Tasty Cheese.

The first thing to say about this burger is the size. We. Love. It. The size is what growing boys like us need. The buns were soft but also lightly toasted, giving them a soft crunch upon taking that first bite. The burgers were juicy and cheesey. The Whiplash had a kick to it (jalapeños will do that, as well as the special sauce). The Double Cheeseburger came with plentiful onion which made us happy.

Now we have begun our training by eating these burgers. It took us 5 minutes to devour these beauties. We have now devised a strategy for eating the 12 patty whiplash burger. We might need to train a little bit more before we take the plunge, so it looks like we'll be back to Lashings. Stay tuned for more burger fun.

Burgers By Josh X Young Henrys

'Burgers by Josh' has become a bit of a thing of adoration for Sydney burger lovers. When we heard that Josh was doing a pop up in Newtown, we jumped at the chance.

The venue was a hidden hole in the wall micro brewery in the heart of Newtown called Young Henrys. The place was bustling when we arrived. Young Henrys make great beers, so it makes sense to combine winning beers with great burgers.

When we arrived to place our order, the crew were busy churning out burgers for the hungry masses. Apparently they had run out of bacon (free bacon for FBAS members)

The cooking equipment was simply a BBQ. The boys would cook the burgers to caramelise and add that lovely char grilled look, flip, add American cheese until it melted, and then place on the grill above the hot plate. This way the meat continues to cook from the heat on the hot plate, but the end product is a juicier, more tender meat patty.

Here is the rock star of Sydney burgers himself- Josh! He patiently cooked the patties and then when ready, would hand test them to see if they were cooked right.

The end produce was superb. A double patty with dripping cheese, and special sauce.

We couldn't stop eating the fries- covered in smoked paprika and special sauce that had a chilli kick to it, and other special spices. We couldn't resist the crunchiness of these fries and their fluffiness inside.

Next we tackled the burgers. The first thing we did upon receiving our burgers was to press our hand upon the bun. These buns were glorious- soft, fluffy and yet firm.  And then the first bite...

These burgers were delicious. The patty was juicy and moist. We marvelled at how our patties were cooked differently- one was cooked more than the other, but neither of them were dry. The American cheese is a winner in this burger, but the real hero in this burger was the meat patty. Not only was the meat tasty, but Josh has the meat to fat ratio down-pat. Our burgers dripped oil, which we promptly used to dip our chips in. The spanish onions added to the experience. Josh's special sauce not only pleasingly oozed out of the burger, but added a depth of flavour to this wonder.

The burger was simple, and yet it was done to perfection. Even though we noticed that it lacked bacon and pickles, the burger was so perfect that it shows that even a simple burger, when done right, will make you come back for more.

Burgers by Josh was so popular that it was closed by 4pm. That's a sell out within 4 hours. We were glad that we just made it! A few hungry people arrived after 4 and left with rumbling tummies. This usually happens to us, but not this time!

Burgers by Josh- we will hunt you down again when you are in North Sydney. Simple yet perfect.

Bar Luca is our new home

Blame Canada, we have been apart from each other for too long. Let's see each other more often. Especially when you greet us like this:

Jacks Burgers Newtown

After battling the rain and being disappointed that The Milk Bar Inc had sold out of burgers (see below), we decided to give this place a go. If appearances count for quality, Jacks Newtown looks like it has the goods. The big Jacks Newtown lettering and the neon burger sign certainly gives the place some character and reminds you why you are here.

Looking at the interior board, there are plenty of options. Double Cheeseburger with fries for us please!

The friendly staff don't mind a few piccies for our burger blog.

Notice the cheese melting as the meat patty cooks on the hot plate. This is how you cook a burger folks!

Oh wow. We could not wait to sink our teeth into this. Look at how invitingly soft those buns are! Please appreciate the pain of the burger photographer- taking  in the melted cheese and the soft glimmer of oil as his mouth waters whilst considering how cold his burger is becoming so he can take a photo for the public. Oh the torture!!

Upon ordering, the friendly staff at Jacks Newtown asks you if you'd like a pickle on your burger. The answer to this will always be yes. 'Don't include a pickle' said no burger-lover ever! 

Notice the solid pickle at the top of the burger. 

OK, so eating this was simply a delight. 

The bun was a soft milky white bun, allowing us to have a firm grip on the burgers and hold it together. The meat patties were hot and oozing with juice. We love burgers that ooze more oil than a rich Middle Eastern country.

The feel of the burger was reminiscent of that great American burger chain Shake Shack- a soft bun with crunchy lettuce. The texture of the beef was second to none. The flavour also reminded us of Shake Shack- cheesy goodness.

However the meat was too bland. It didn't make the burger sing. The meat was more of a filler to enable the cheese to be the real super star of this burger.

The sauce on the burger is Jacks sauce- a combination of mustard and mayo which holds the burger together well, allowing the flavours to sing together.

We don’t know how they do their crinkle fries, but they are a wonderful side complement to the burger. They are quite crunchy and very tasty. It made us want to keep going back for more.

The juice left from the burger made us want to dip our fries in it. Very satisfying! A great way to spend a rainy Tuesday night in Sydney.

Milk Bar Inc

We battled the rain in Sydney to come here to grab some burger goodness.

As we started to order, the man behind the counter said 'Sorry mate... it's been a good day for me... but a bad day for you. No more burgers!'

They ran out of burgers! We were so disappointed!!

We asked for the wifi password so we could make alternate burger dinner arrangements. After surfing for a few minutes, the internet was cut off!!

Thankfully, we used our phone data and decided to give Jacks Newtown a go.