National Burger Day Party

If you're under the impression that I like burgers, then I'm afraid you've got me all wrong. Hah! Who am I kidding? When it was announced that Mr Hyde would be bringing back National Burger Day and celebrating with a party again this year there was a lot of commotion on Twitter. Mostly between Flick, Lauren and myself.

Of course, to go to the party you needed to purchase a ticket and these tickets sold out quicker than it takes Flick to eat a whole crab with burger chaser. 

I woke up from my night shift slumber to find that I'd missed the boat and a ticket. We hatched a plan over Twitter that I'd stand on the other side of the fence and the girls would lob burgers over to me. Now, whilst this was all a joke, my sadness was not a joke. 

My lucky burger prayers were answered when our pleas were heard and a latecomers ticket was released just for me. Christmas had truly come early and I don't think I've ever Paypal'd my spondoolies over so quickly!

But enough of burger admin, and onto the only thing we all truly care about, the line up. A total of 18 special burgers and 2 desserts were on offer. And with each ticket, a pint of Kozel lager, a Jameson Pickleback and a Breddos Chilliback with Jose Cuervo. 

We hopped straight over to the bar, went for Kozel and Aperol spritzes to fuel our game plan. We heard early on that someone had managed 6 burgers. Even with their smaller special sizes for the evening (anything between 75g and 120g patties) that was some true dedication!

First up, Mother Flipper. Without a doubt The Candy Bacon Special stole the show. 

The patties (120g) are made from coarse mince, loaded with squirt of magical MF special sauce and American cheese. Topped with pickles, home-candied brown sugar bacon, shoestring fries to give a perfect crunch and gently squashed in a toasted brioche bun.

We then split to order our next choices, Le Bun for the girls after giving up on Burger Bear's worthy queue. For me, Lucky Chip and their Donald Trump Burger (as endorsed by Donald Trump, apparently)!

Aged beef patty (105g) drenched in bourbon and vanilla BBQ sauce, grilled onions, American cheese and huge hunks of pickles. Perhaps a little too sweet, but perfectly manageable in a small size like this. I'd have loved it even more with a squirt of mustard and some more crispy onions.

As pickle-fiends, Flick and I opted for a pickle party in our final burgers. Lauren went for Smokestak who's Brisket and smoked bone marrow burgers looked pretty damn impressive.

And the pickle choice of the night? PYT Burger's Pickleback Slider. Custom beef patty (85g) topped with applewood bacon, Jameson glazed and fried pickle chips. I could quite happily have a whole trough of fried pickle chips and they are glorious in a burger. With just a hint more Jameson and bacon, this burger would have been a good contender to knock Mother Flipper off the top spot.

Happy as clams (or pickles), the girls tuck into their patties.

As the night crept on, things got a lot darker. We negotiated our way back to the bar for a top up. Bypassing the offer of a Pickleback or Chilliback that came with our tickets (a shot followed by a chilli or pickle juice chaser!). 

At Scoopsy Daisy, we all shared The Fat Elvis. Peanut butter and banana ice cream topped with bacon dust. This was an unusual combination, even for a gal like Flick who mixes her condiments! I loved the ice cream, just perhaps not bacon dust with it, sorry Elvis.

And finally, a dessert made just for me (naturally) Crumbs & Doilies Filthy Burger Cupcake. Salted caramel butterscotch bun, PB&J brownie patty, Speculoos cheese, Biscoff mustard and Swiss meringue lettuce. Followed with a side of shortbread chips with Yuzu and Speculoos dips.

No other cupcake will be the same!

The National Burger Day party was amazing (even the part where Flick-penguin attacked us in a photobooth). I'm not sure I want to go to any other sort of party in future now.

Mr Hyde's own photos of the night are pretty good, here.

If you're planning a burger crawl or going to a food festival yourself, take wet wipes. Everyone will be your friend and you'll be able to eat more burgers, that's what we learnt!

Until next year, burger pals!

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