Burgers at The Hayberry

We have been in a burger coma for the last week, so apologies for posting this a week late.  After experiencing burger heaven at Mobbs Lane burgers for breakfast, we decided to stay in our happy place and go for a burger dinner. 

We were looking for somewhere local for dinner, somewhere on this side of The Bridge. One shouldn't have to trek too far for a good burger (although, our burger love has taken us to America. A few times.) So after a few google searches, we narrowed it down to The Hayberry.  

If you like beer and burgers with the blues, then this is the place for you.  We came at night, when there is plenty of atmosphere and loud blues.  This place is hip and it was pumping.

Being a cold winter night, we were looking forward to sinking a hearty amber ale with our burger. Sadly, there are no amber ales on tap at The Hayberry, only pale ales. Being amber-ale-kind-of-guys, we were cut to the heart by this news. (Have you noticed the lack of amber ales on tap in our beloved nation?? Surely this is something that could be easily rectified, and we're sure we're not alone in our love of amber ales... but sadly, we digress...) 

The quality of the burgers made up for the lack of amber ale. We ordered the Classic Burger and the Cheesy Bacon Burger. Doubles for each of our hungry tummies.

Our eyes lit up when the burgers were delivered to our table. The burgers were very pleasing to the eye. The first thing you notice is the softness of the bun.  Biting into this soft, brioche- like bun was a wonderful sensation. When our incisors hit the meat patty, it was also a good feeling. The meat patty was soft and moist, cooked to perfection. It had a smoky taste which we really enjoyed.

The whole combination of flavours worked together well- the right amount of sauce and American mustard combined with the cheese.  Actually, maybe there was a little too much mustard. With such a substantial meat patty, we would say that the burger was a little light on the pickle and onion side for us. But the burger had a classic American taste to it which we really loved. We give it 3/5.

The sides were amazing. This place serves waffle fries, which is a rare treat in Sydney town. Waffle fries provide more crunch and crisp for your bite, and we were not let down with these crispy delights.

Mobbs Lane Take Away

Morrison Burgers

Meat District Co. Burgers

During Friday afternoon, our burger cravings kicked in.  We just so happened to be near this place.

The burgers came presented on a wooden platter, with crispy chips to the side.  We immediately noted that the patties were dripping with cheese, much to our liking.

The burgers were small but the patty was hard to get hungry mouth around.  Loaded with baby spinach, tomato and Mayo, the definitive hero in this burger was the sizeable meat patty. It all went down well with a pint of Ruby Tuesday.

Tuckshop Burgers

      

The burger is mightier than the pen....

Summer is a good time to hang out with friends, drink good beer and enjoy tasty hamburgers.  We headed down to Modus Operandi in Mona Vale, Sydney to discover what kind of beer and burgers they were dishing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.  Situated in a revamped warehouse, Modus Operandi is definitely one of the more hipper breweries that are on offer.  The burger on the menu is called the Ernest Burger.

Here's the menu's description of the burger:-

Ernest Burger- 200g premium hemmingway [sic] patty, house pickles, bacon jam, baby cos, American cheddar, bacon, mustard mayo

Apart from getting the spelling of Hemingway wrong on the menu, this description sounds mouth-watering.  I asked the staff about why it was called a Hemingway burger.  The staff told me that Ernest Hemingway made burger patties according to a certain recipe which involved 12 different ingredients.  I was also concerned that the burger was not filling enough (it doesn't come with chips).  But again, the friendly staff assured me that the burger patty was sizeable and I would not be disappointed.

They were right.  The burger definitely did not disappoint.  This burger is definitely all about the patty!  The patty was chunky, beefy and juicy.  It dripped with burger saucy goodness as I took each bite. There was a good portion of bacon, a chunk of pickle, and the crunch of the cos lettuce.  The bun was soft and smooth.  I now have a new appreciation for Hemingway.  The man knew what he was doing.

My only complaint would be that there was a little too much horseradish cream in the burger.  It rather overpowered the taste of cheese and pickle.  And I did not notice the taste of 'bacon jam'.  In fact, I've never even heard of bacon jam.  I think I'll have to go back and try this experience again.

The burgers are like Hemingway's writing- quality and memorable.

If you want a meaty burger that you can sink your teeth into, with a delicious craft beer, you won't be disappointed at Modus Operandi.

Postscript- A quick google search confirms that Hemingway did in fact love his burgers.  Among his materials that have been digitised for the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in 2013 is a burger patty recipe.  You can see a scan of the recipe here.

The text of the burger recipe is reproduced below.  So grab a copy of A Farewell to Arms and enjoy!  But don't eat too many or the bell will definitely be tolling for thee!

PAPA’S FAVORITE HAMBURGER. There is no reason why a fried hamburger has to turn out gray, greasy, paper-thin and tasteless. You can add all sorts of goodies and flavors to the ground beef -- minced mushrooms, cocktail sauce, minced garlic and onion, chopped almonds, a big dollop of piccadilli, or whatever your eye lights on. Papa prefers this combination.

Ingredients --

1 lb. ground lean beef

2 cloves, minced garlic

2 little green onions, finely chopped

1 heaping teaspoon, India relish

2 tablespoons, capers

1 heaping teaspoon, Spice Islands sage

Spice Islands Beau Monde Seasoning -- ½ teaspoon

Spice Islands Mei Yen Powder -- ½ teaspoon **

1 egg, beaten in a cup with a fork

About one third cup dry red or white wine.

1 tablespoon cooking oil

What to do --

Break up the meat with a fork and scatter the garlic, onion and dry seasonings over it, then mix them into the meat with a fork or your fingers. Let the bowl of meat sit out of the icebox for ten or fifteen minutes while you set the table and make the salad. Add the relish, capers, everything else including wine and let the meat sit, quietly marinating, for another ten minutes if possible. Now make four fat, juicy patties with your hands. The patties should be an inch thick, and soft in texture but not runny. Have the oil in your frying-pan hot but not smoking when you drop in the patties and then turn the heat down and fry the burgers about four minutes. Take the pan off the burner and turn the heat high again. Flip the burgers over, put the pan back on the hot fire, then after one minute, turn the heat down again and cook another three minutes. Both sides of the burgers should be crispy brown and the middle pink and juicy.

Burgers at 2773

Today was a day to try something new.  Something outside of Sydney.  Something in the postcode 2773.  So we headed off to sample a burger from the Blue Mountains.

2773 is the postcode of Glenbrook, and it's also the name of this trendy burger joint.

This place was surprisingly over-crammed with hungry people for a week day.  We sat down in the only table left in a the corner of the restaurant.  The menu boasts a wide variety- coffee and shakes, soups, meatballs and burgers.  This place certainly was buzzing with activity.  We ordered some flat whites, and a couple of burgers.  Given the huge number of people here with big burger appetites, we thought we would be waiting for a long time for our order to arrive.

But we were wrong.  For a place so busy, the service was incredibly fast.  We ordered the pulled pork burger, as well as the wagyu beef burger.  With sweet potato fries as a side, you certainly are in for a treat.

The shredded pork burger was served with coleslaw (cabbage and mayonnaise) along with pear.

The beef burger was served with bacon, rocket, melted cheese, beetroot and tomato.  None of these over powered the burger, but nicely complemented it.  The beef had a nice BBQ taste. 

The buns were soft, glossy and very buttery. Our only complaint is that it was a little too sweet for our taste buds.

This is a great place to visit for a burgery-goodness day trip. You will not be disappointed.  With free wifi for you to blog about your burger, you can't go wrong.  The prices are a little on the steep side, but the atmosphere is buzzing, the waitresses aim to please, and you'll have a great time sampling the burgers here.