Burger Theory, Ghetto Burger and Shizzle Burger

Burger Theory's 'art burger' is smart marketing. Each fornight Adelaide's burger cognoscenti are parting with their hard-earned pocket-cheese to be the first to sample Burger Theory's latest experiment. This is burger oneupmanship at its very finest. And I'm certainly not immune. Right now, my guiding purpose in life is to sample each and every art burger. And with good reason. These are burgers with imagination and flair.

Last fortnight, the art burger offering was the Ghetto Burger - chicken crackling, quick pickles, american cheese and truck sauce.



I like the way that Burger Theory think - but they didn't quite pull this one off. It seemed somehow confused. Don't get me wrong - it was better than just about any other burger going in Adelaide. Fried chicken skin? Hell yeah! Quick pickles? Delish! American cheese? Bring the fatty flavour! Truck sauce? Errrmm... I just don't think it was the right choice on this occasion. I envisaged the Ghetto Burger as super rich (beef + melty cheese + chicken skin) and seriously crunchy (chicken skin + pickle) with acid (from the pickle) to cut through all the flabbyness. These individual elements all worked but the truck sauce just didn't pull the whole thing together. I wonder if kewpie mayo or blue cheese might have worked better. What I'm trying to say is that it seems to my that Burger Theory usually highlight the funky beefyness of their patties and that didn't seem to happen this time. Part of the problem may have been the fact that my patty was squashed so flat that about half of it hung out of the arse of my bun and threw off of the bun-to-patty-to-filling ratio.

The offering this fortnight is the Shizzle Burger - guacamole, pickled red onions and iceberg lettuce. Distinct from rich and funky burgers I usually like, this burger is fresh'n'zingy and perfect for eating on warm Spring days.



I'm pleased to see the little pots of truck sauce on the side have returned!


The Shizzle is a well balanced and excecuted burger. Salty, zingy guac and sour pickled onion cut through the rich beef while the iceburg lettuce brings the crunch. And the patty was the right size this time too!
I love that Burger Theory are willing to experiment and have fun with their burgers and I'm really pumped for the remaining art burgers.

Burger Theory, Be Friendly Burger

I needed to cleanse my body and soul after my last disastrous burger experience. Only a Burger Theory burger had the power to restore my faith in burger-dom.

If you follow Burger Theory on either Facebook or Twitter you probably already know they're offering limited edition art burgers. They rotate every two weeks and the first and current offering is the Be Friendly Burger - apple-slaw, chipotle mayo and crispy sugar-cured bacon. 



This is complex and textural burger. Crispy bacon and the crunch of fresh apple offsets the savoury, fattiness of the melty-cheese-topped-patty while chipotle mayo adds a warm richness that brings the whole burger together. And 3 bucks for bacon may seem a little steep but you've probably never had bacon this crispy before.



If the Be Friendly burger is anything to judge by, the rest of the art burgers are going to be amaze-balls! Word on the street is that future art burgers will include deli meat, Mexican, and native fruit themes. Apparently next weeks burger will include CHICKEN SKIN!! SQWEEEE!!

And I'd love to see Burger Theory rock a lamb burger just to give Maccas a short sharp poke in the eye.

Burger Theory, Adelaide

You know when the Burger Theory van is parked practically out the front of your building the wise Gods of Lunch have smiled upon your midday meal.



Today's burger feast was a number 2 (burger with pancetta, blue cheese and caramelised onions), fries with truck sauce and a coke zero.



First to the burger. Made with 100% Coorong Angus beef they grind themselves, seared to perfection with a nice crust but blushingly pink and juicy inside, and served on a Bread Top (which is pretty much a bun made of sugar spun by magic pixies) burgers here are unfailingly good.

Burger Theory has become an icon of the Activating Adelaide program. You can vote to extend the Splash Adelaide trial period here: https://www.facebook.com/SplashAdelaide.



When you add pancetta, blue cheese and caramelised onions (you can see the caramelised onions almost spilling out of the picture above) you end up with sweet, beefy, tangy, salty mouthful of heaven.



Crispy on outside and cloud-fluffy on the inside - Burger Theory's fries are among the finest in Adelaide. I feel like a blasphemer saying this but unfortunately today's batch of fries were a little underwhelming. I suspect they'd been hanging around for a little too long because they weren't as crispy as usual. Still, they're better than just about anywhere else.

The fries were helped along by the healthy dollop of Truck Sauce - which if I had to take a stab at guessing the ingredients I'd guess a combination of mayo, velveeta cheese and a little mustard. I love the stuff but wouldn't mind seeing the Truck Sauce in a little pot on the side because I imagine the hint of bitterness could be a bit of turn off for some people.

If you haven't had Burger Theory yet now is the time - you don't want to anger the Gods of Lunch! Check out their calendar here to see when the van is next near you: http://www.burgertheory.com/