Cheekyburger – Paddington

Bianca: The Hamburglar strikes again, it had been a while between burgers (a while in my world is generally a week or two) so it was fortunate I had a movie festival showing scheduled in Paddington one Saturday. Cheekyburger is the relatively new kid on the scene in the ever-growing Sydney burger wars.

The front of the shop is set up like a retro US diner – think Johnny Rockets in a tin shed, whereas the back is more laid back and has the general vibe of an outdoor beer garden, sitting outside would have been my preference but it was busy when I rocked up. So I had to sit opposite the TV screens showing the football, exactly what I needed when I was about to down my days calories worth. On the plus side – short-shorts.

I seem to have roped madre into my burger eating ways – she always goes a chicken burger which is great for me, variety is the spice of life. Staff were professional and courteous but they did look a little run off their feet.

I originally had plans for ‘Mac N Cheese’ and ‘Deep Fried Pickles’ but reality hit home and despite the size of my eyes I erred on the side of caution and ordered with some restraint.

With no chicken burger in sight, mum had the ‘Cheesy Porker’ $12.99. Which she really enjoyed, I believe I have made mention of my recent aversion to pulled pork these days, when it’s done horribly it tends to have the taste and consistency of tinned tuna. Not fun for anybody. Alas I can report this was not the case, the protein was the star and it was cooked well. There was a bit of drippage but pulled pork does straddle that fine line between dry and dull and tender and juicy, the latter being the case here. There was a point where mum took the hood off and started eating the pork with a fork, I swatted her forky hand away and corrected the situation don’t worry folks. My few bites were pleasant but I wouldn’t want to be eating a whole pork burger to myself, it was far too sweet for me. She also had hers without cheese, I know, I don’t know why I take her anywhere! For my FB FBAS friends I’d give it a 3/5 pickles.

And for moi, I had the ‘Cheeky Doublecheese’ w/bacon, $14.99. I’ve been flirting with double patties of late, they always look so much more enticing. But I have come to the conclusion that I always regret my decision mid-way through the burger, about time the heartburn starts rising up. I enjoy my milk and brioche buns so enjoyed the burger ‘vessel’ BUT it was stone cold. Really impacting the eating experience, I don’t think it touched any heat whatsoever. I opted for bacon because it simply makes everything better, it was crispy which added a nice textural element. The meat was both seasoned and cooked well, which is the basic cornerstone of any burg. The double cheese was pretty intense – the bottom layer of cheese was melted perfectly but the top layer sat rather limply and unmelted, which made for a rather sad and unfortunate sight. I can’t say I felt too functional after that endeavour but it sure felt great whilst I was eating it. Easily a 3.9/5 pickles.

We also shared an order of ‘French Fries’ $5.99. Whilst they were your standard French fry affair, decent and all that. They were teeny tiny, it was almost as if we got the bottom of a bag, they were all pinky size or smaller. Perhaps I’m being particular but meh. As well as ‘Yam Fries’ $5.99, otherwise known as sweet potato fries. They came with a tasty aioli on the side but the yam fries themselves were rather yawn worthy, I’d skip em.

I’m pretty keen to come back and a try a regular single cheeseburger, keep things simple as they sometimes should be.

Bianca