Burger and Beyond’s – Double Bougie Burger DIY

Burger and Beyond have been exceptionally high scorers on our scorecard with the Bacon Butter Burger. The Bougie Burger has adopted the same core elements in terms of the meat, bun and cheese. It is hard not to appreciate the brilliance of the meat, safety and reliability of the bun but how have the strong spine been supported with a new line up in the condiment and toppings section?

The Bun: 17/20

The Bun at Burger and Beyond I found exceptional. A soft, well steamed demi-brioche that delivers a slight sweet injection. On our first review this exact bun scored full marks and by my estimation, not much has changed. Although I am able to score them a very respectable 17/20, I cannot give them the scoring they were given before due to an absolute overkill in other categories affecting negatively the consistency of the bun. The steamed brioche, quite simply, did not hold up to the condiments and toppings stacked inside this burger. The bread fell apart within minutes and turned into a sliding mess of a burger; at one point I even had to ponder to mix it round on the plate and make a ‘burrito bowl’!

The Toppings: 6/10

The toppings that came with the Bougie Burger were: Pickled Onions and Beef Fat Onions. These both had a lot to live up to, taking into consideration the combination of Pickled Onions and Bacon in the Bacon Butter Burger. The bacon at Burger and Beyond is a marvel and unfortunately the Beef Fat Onions seemed to be a pointless and tasteless addition. The pickled onions were still great, in fact, I would go as far as to say they are the best pickled onions I have ever had. Layering the beef dripping onions, as directed by the instructions, on the bottom half bun did damage to the bread. The beef fat dissolved the brioche to a disappointing shadow of what Burger and Beyond’s bun we accoladed so high. They were tasteless and messy and I think this was one of the reasons for the newest Burger and Beyond DIY Kit coming up short.

The Cheese: 20/20

If I could have given 40 points here I would have done. A doubleof Burger and Beyond’s American Cheese is an absolute category winner. The Cheese is flavoursome and has the food porn look that you crave before demolishing a burger. I wish I had just wiped the sauce from the cheese and just enjoyed more from it, the condiments let the cheese down but the cheese, still, was a masterpiece in a toppling stack!

The Patty: 20/20

There is no comparison. For me, Burger and Beyond’s beef is light years ahead. It is rich, full of flavour and even through the condiments attempt to disrupt the balance of this burger the meat brought about seniority. It has a wonderful texture and the flavour is, without question, the best beef burger patty I can remember. Period. If you like the sound of this patty you should check out some of their better scoring reviews like this one

The Taste: 17/20

The taste category was a tricky one for me as I had high expectations and I need to be both critical and objective in my review of one of my favourite restaurants. For me, the patties steal the show. The meat is so rich and flavourful that it managed to still shine through the poor show of condiments and affect the overall taste to a strong 17/20. the negative impact of scoring came from the condiment and topping categories but when you grab just a little taste of just bun, cheese, pickled onions and beef – You are almost willing to forgive everything else for that moment of joy!

Our Verdict: 79/100

Scoring the Bougie Burger on its own merits was hard when inevitably you think back to the prestigious Bacon Butter Burger. Keeping the core elements the same in the bun, cheese and patty supported by the presence of excellent pickled onions was a good choice. Arsenal in 90s comes to mind: Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira and Ian Wright, strong spine! The likes of George Wreh (Steak Sauce) and Sylvinho (Marrownaise) are long , long forgotten!

The Bougie Burger is upheld with some excellent elements and let down by some poor additions. I would not go for this burger again unless they ran out of Bacon Butter Burger’s and I remade it with a simple hack of removing everything I didn’t like and keeping the core, it would still be a pretty phenomenal cheeseburger however basic.