Ok, disclosure time first. I've been a fan of Murder Burger for some time already. Despite never having eaten there, I love the branding, the messaging, the decor and the overall tone of the place. It takes a certain kind of warped logic to call a burger joint 'Murder Burger', to feature a kitten in the logo and to dress the staff in t-shirts saying 'Meat Is Murder'. I love it.
So this afternoon it didn't take a great deal of arm-twisting for the missus to convince me to take the trip to Ponsonby to try it out at last. I think I was expectantly sitting in the car before she got to the end of the sentence. Weirdly, as we parked, I noticed myself actually getting nervous. Would it actually be any good? Had I been shallow enough to be won over purely by the power of marketing (not for the first time, either)? Was I about to be humungously disappointed?
No. Not at all. Not one tiny little bit. Not even a smidgen.
I've said this before on this blog, but a burger shouldn't be a hard thing to get right, but from a few previous experiences like the one a bit down the road from here, it would seem so. Apparently it's phenomenally difficult for some people. Not so for the Murder Burger team, whose patties are top-quality beef, gristle-free and packed with unadulterated MEAT flavour.
This is a burger joint that's not afraid of the meat - take the only salad option for example. The 'Meat Salad' is described as follows: A whole punnet just filled with lamb french cutlets, free range bacon and chicken nibbles, covered with the sauce of your choosing and no vegetables at all. Don't tell me there's any part of you that doesn't want this." Brilliant.
Back to the burger. They're all served in a focaccia bun, which is initially alarming as focaccia is one of the many breads that is entirely unsuited to burger-holding, but fortunately Murder Burger's definition of 'focaccia' is basically a slightly herbed burger bun, so it passes. My Gourmet* Beef, Cheese & Mustard burger was just that, that excellent patty, plenty of wholegrain mustard and a melting bit of fake cheese (always fake cheese - real cheese has no place in a burger, unless it's blue), and a tolerable amount of simple salad.
See? Simple. High quality. Well-cooked. What more you might need I do not know. Oh, and rumours of sky-high prices here abound and I can confirm they're wholly untrue. Mine was $10.50 and worth every cent, the most expensive is $14.90 for a massive-sounding beast of a burger.
So there we are. My faith in New Zealand's burger ability restored. Kiwi carnivores, you have a duty to visit this place, and frequently. Commitment to quality, and a sense of humour like this must both be encouraged.
Murder Burger
128a Ponsonby Road
Auckland
+64 (0) 9 550 5500
http://www.murderburger.co.nz
* Yes, as I've said this word is horribly overused and I hate it. Here they also have a range of burgers called 'Super Gourmet', and I'm not sure whether this is a massive pisstake of 'Gourmet' culture or not. It should be.
Friday, 17 April 2009
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7 comments:
Ah Murder Burger. We love it too. Sure, it's more than, God forbid, Maccas, but it's real food, well done. Much healthier option for the kids, who finish off every scrap of their burgers. And we always get a laugh from the funny slogans and pictures. ("Meat will make you happy, underwater pooh man" is a particular favourite.)
haha. What a joke. Their so called "brand" is about as imaginative as a 12 year old writing for his class newspaper.
... as is your argument. Show me one more compelling brand on the entire New Zealand high street. Anything else that stands head and shoulders above the norm.
No?
Didn't think so.
I've secretly been contemplating the meat salad... it's just so... right... for probably the wrong reasons :)
It's on my 'To-Do List'
Here's a great site by the way if you're not already awar of it: http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/
That's a phenomenal site - has reminded me how long it was since my last cheeseburger! I'll be back in MB before too long...
Just returned back home to the States from a quick visit to Auckland to see a good friend. I am in the middle of my "2010 Cheeseburger Challenge", so I figured I'd better check out my Kiwi burger options prior to arriving. A quick google returned Eating Auckland's blog entry and no kidding, it is an epic burger. Had the Basic with lettuce, tomato & edam cheese. OMG that was tasty. I then went to BurgerFuel to try them and they were indeed inferior. Returning to MuderBurger for confirmation yielded the Gourmet with mustard & edam cheese. Jeezus.... Man, I wish we had 'em in California - I'd be there every other day.
Glad we could be of help!
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