THE EMPIRE
Hey Burger Squad
So this one was a long time coming, and was highly reccomdend so I was trying to get in without the hype so I could just have it for what it was
Why here? cause we’d just taken my mum up the mount and it was hard work so needed a good feed
Parking was unusually easy, parked right opposite pronto which for that area on a nice day is unheard of, I usually expect to walk a block or more
We ended up getting there around 4pm so we were smack in the middle between the rushes so there weren’t many other people there, Staff were super friendly, most of them seemed like tourists working over their OE or something, seating was all good nice benches or decent chairs, tables were a little wobbly but fixed that easy enough. Sitting outside in the sun was great, they had bar leaners right on the foot path if people watching is your thing, it’s very much my thing so I had a great time watching while waiting for our burgers.
Just by the by, Mum only wanted something to tide her over till dinner, ordered a muffin, not only was it huge but it came with a honey/yogurt spread instead of butter and while I’m not exactly an expert, best muffin I ever stole a bit of
But the Burger
Beef and Bacon Burger
Prime Beef Mince
Streaky Bacon
Fresh Tomato
Beetroot
Caramelised Onion
Melted Cheddar
Lettuce
Homemade BBQ sauce and Aioli
$15 + $3 for a side of chips – had it with a can of coke
So those prices we’re looking at a pretty tall order of who they are competing with at that end of the market, this wasn’t cheap so it had to be pretty good to be pass-able.
First thing I noticed was that it was really well presented, actually the first thing I noticed were the chips that were epic, but this is a burger review..
Given the size of this I thought it not polite to try and eat it with my hands while in polite company so I tore it down and dug in with a knife and fork ( cause mum was watching and I didn’t want her to think all her hard work of raising a civil child had gone to waste) so from the top down. The bun was perfect, I know its not easy to get that blend of a bit of crunch/toasting with the soft inners but they did it, I thought the sauce looked like there was too much like it was gona run or be over whelming but it wasn’t.. like it was a little but not enough to give it a mark down. the bacon was pretty good I would have liked it to be a bit more crunchy to give it some variety with the mouth feel scale but i think that would have been more relative had I been taking bites and getting the full burger taste with each bite..
The patty was great, again they did a good job of it ( they didnt ask how I wanted it cooked now I think of it) but I’d say it was medium maybe medium rare, again i like a bit of a texture to the outside which there was but I thought there would / could have been more, but it was certinaly cooked well – the salads tasted fresh and crisp so over all I was pretty happy
I’d go here again if it came up, I don’t know if I’d go out of my way just to go there again, but making the most of running up the mount while im here I’m sure i’ll swing in again
I know alot of you like the number rating so I’ll give it an 8/10
Good job Pronto!
If anyone has suggestions for where next hit us up, I’ve got some car review cars coming up so will be boosting those around so happy to head to rotorua / taupo for some tasty burgers!
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