I love a good burger, and I don't mean the type that passes for a burger at the leading fast-food chains, I mean a real burger. A burger that is almost too big to bite into, with a juicy, tasty filling, using quality ingredients, made with TLC.

I had heard good things about the burgers at recent opening BLT Burger, the second BLT restaurant from Laurent Tourondel and Dining Concepts restaurant group. So it was with some anticipation and expectation that I popped into BLT Burger for a burger or three on a busy Friday night.

Shakey Start

As the main idea behind my visit was to review the burgers, we opted for one starter and three burgers. We chose the Mozzarella Sticks ($60) served with a spicy tomato oregano dipping sauce. The deep-fried sticks were hit-and-miss. When they were good they were tasty bites of melted cheese that worked wonderfully with the delicious sauce. When they were not, they were hollow inside as if all the cheese had run out during the cooking process.

First in our burger feast was the Salmon Burger ($72), described on the menu as Atlantic Salmon Burger, Avocado, Red Onion, Arugula, Zesty-Cayenne Tartar Sauce; the restaurant offers a number of alternatives to the classic beef burger. The salmon patty itself was delicious, with good flavour and texture. Unfortunately the sauce, which did have a spicy kick, was so salty that the only way to enjoy the burger was to scrape the sauce off the bun.

Burgers Sent Back, Twice!

The other two burgers we indulged in were the recommended Australian Wagyu ($118), 7oz Grilled Ningaloo Farm Australian Wagyu Beef Burger, and the Roaring Forties Blue ($98), 7oz. Grilled CAB (certified Angus beef) Burger, Roaring Forties Blue Cheese, Balsamic Caramelised Onions, Mushrooms.

As we were sharing the burgers we cut the Wagyu burger in half first, it was clear from the dark red, soft center of the beef patty that this burger was not medium as promised, it was closer to rare. A note on the menu says that all burgers are served medium unless otherwise requested. My dining companion chose to eat his half as he likes his beef rare anyway and enjoyed it, but I sent mine back to the kitchen as it didn't taste like Wagyu. When it returned it had been cooked medium and the beef was as good as expected, with wonderful flavours and that decadent richness that one associates with Wagyu. My dining companion had a bite of my burger and admitted that it was better than his rare half as the patty had reached a temperature that allowed the fat to melt.

Our waiter was feeling apprehensive by this point, two burgers, two problems. He must have wished to be anywhere but work when we cut into the Roaring Forties Blue burger. Not only was it not medium, it was not even rare, the very center of the patty was raw. My dining companion wondered if the person cooking the meat was an out-of-work sashimi chef. We immediately sent the burger back and requested a fresh one. When our re-fired burger returned it was cooked medium. Not surprisingly the following text that appeared on the first menu has now been removed from the current menu, "Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood or eggs may increase the risk of food-borne illness".

Now on to the taste of the Roaring Forties burger. This is not a burger for the faint-hearted, it is extremely filling and the blue cheese permeates every bite so don't order it unless you love blue cheese. We enjoyed that the blueness of the cheese complemented and contrasted at the same time the caramel sweetness from the onions. Of the two flavours it is the sweetness that lingers.

Slaw, Fries, Toppings

All the burgers come with a small serve of coleslaw, that had been given a unique flavour from the addition of apple, walnut and coriander. All burgers come with lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickles. For an extra $10 per topping you can add to your burger: bacon, grilled red pepper, portobello mushroom, fried egg, homemade chilli, bbq onion, and sliced avocado. Cheeses ($8 each) available include Blue, Vermont Cheddar, American, Swiss, and Monterey Jack. 

We tried three of the fries options, Skinny, Fat (both $38), and Sweet Potato with Chilli Spice ($42). The fat fries were by far the best, with the texture of mashed potatoes in the middle. I found the other two disappointing - just too thin and lacking taste, but my friend enjoyed the sweet potato fries.

We tossed up whether to have a milkshake for dessert, as they looked great, but made the mistake of trying two of the desserts available that night. They were both way too sweet for us and going into further detail would just involve criticism and no positives, so I will just say you must have a deep love for sweet, sweet desserts to order one here.

Second Visit

I went back to BLT a second time, just for a burger, as I was perplexed. The burgers when cooked right were good. When combined with the atmosphere, friendly service, small bar, comprehensive drinks list, and price, BLT Burger was a place I wanted to like, but I could not get around a burger place not being able to cook the patties correctly. I wondered were we just extremely unlucky. 

On my second visit I again ordered the Wagyu burger, medium, this time with the addition of bacon and cheese. The burger was well-done on the edges and med-well in the center and was dry and largely tasteless, I could have been eating any meat. As the tables are close together I noticed that the burger at the next table requested medium was medium rare, and at another table a burger requested well-done looked rarer than my supposed medium burger. The coleslaw that I had so enjoyed on the first visit tasted like it was made the day before and was minus the apple and walnut, and the fat fries tasted like the oil needed changing. If this had been my first visit I would not have returned.

Strangely our embarrassed server the first time said that Tourondel's idea of medium was not as cooked as most people expect. What a load of BS! Especially now that I have experienced a well-done burger called medium. They should simply say the burgers come how the chef on duty feels like cooking them, but if they are aiming for consistency (and repeat business) they should hire people who know how to cook a burger as requested.

Related Restaurants

• BLT Burger