Burger week — m:brgr

Photos by Tracey Lindeman

m:brgr had not one, not two, but three burgers on offer as part of Burger Week. The first — the Kobe burger — was my decidedly tame pick, while my more adventurous dining companion (my roommate) chose the poutine and pulled pork burger.

“I always wanted fries on a hamburger,” my roommate said as she dug into her burger. “I feel ridiculous for eating it, though.”

I didn’t feel ridiculous eating my burger, a well-done Kobe beef patty topped with a slice of grilled beef salami, pecorino cheese, arugula, cherry tomatoes and a chili ketchup on the side. The bun was superb — sturdy in its burger-holding, soft and light on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, surely thanks to an egg wash before its baking.

The thick-cut beef salami was a nice touch — not heavy on the garlic like a lot of salami can be. The cherry tomatoes were sweet and juicy, which complemented the bitterness of the arugula nicely, and both ingredients worked together to lend a good flavour and dimension to the burger. It felt as though some additional seasoning, and perhaps some caramelized onions, could have served the burger well, but I do acknowledge that the choice in ingredients kept the burger relatively light (or as light as a burger could possibly be).

And, finally, the beef was good, if slightly overcooked, but not special enough to make me think I was eating a ridiculously expensive animal. A triple A grade beef or even bison could have done this burger justice, but at least I felt fancy ordering a Kobe burger.

My roommate’s burger was the opposite of fancy — pulled pork and a poutine on top of a hamburger patty? Really? Well, she’s currently stretched out on the couch watching Big Brother in a bout of the meat sweats, but insists she’s feeling fine after her culinary adventure. I sampled a piece of her burger (for research purposes, of course), and it was actually pretty good — the smoke on the pulled pork tasted authentic, and the bun wasn’t completely soaked with sauce like so many pulled pork sandwiches can be. She also liked the cheese (“it squeaks”).

We both give our respective burgers 8/10 — pretty tasty, but not the tastiest burgers we’ve had the pleasure of devouring. ■