At The Dakota Eat Their Way Through The Country's 'Best' Burger Joints On Tour

Darwin band At The Dakota have been making their way around Australia on a national tour for the release of their second EP, Melt, of late — so, naturally, with a few shows still to go on the run (next stop: Sydney!), we thought we'd get the burger-lovers in the band to report back on which eateries cook up the meanest feed to fuel busy boys making music on the go.

The first batch of results are in, so let's get salivating...

adelaide: burger theory

dylan

Burger: Number 1

Came off a plane gagging — haven't eaten all day. Come to this joint, looks solid as from the outset and nice staff. Unfortunately, it disappointed burger wise. Shiny burgers buns and medium-rare patties are no crowd-pleaser. Lettuce and tomato greased up with cheese. Didn't taste fresh at all. Fair price but all in all a letdown. Only scored as high 'cos I was fanging for a feed, and even then I didn't finish it. Yeah, yeah, nah.

Rating: 4.5/10

jaxon

Burger: Pearl's Cheeseburger

Presented in a nice, traditional fashion, the tray with chips, napkins etc. Was hoping to kick off the reviews with a top start. It had the nice basic look about it, but the taste just didn't reach out at all. The pickles were cut very thick and the taste eventually took over the whole thing, which ruined it all. Ratio of patty to fillings was OK but that was the best bit.

Rating: 5.5/10

paul

Burger: Number 2

The burgers are simple, taking the philosophy that 'less is more' when it comes to the common downfall of overloading your bun with too many ingredients. However, the experience that ensued was unfortunately less positive. The buns were too buttery and sweet, which overpowered the flavour balance of the burger. And the meat, although high-quality and juicy, lacked the searing and crunch on the outsides that would have provided a textural boost to the burger.

Rating: 6/10

Brisbane: Ben's Burgers

Dylan

Burger: Classic

Holy dooley, it was good. The patty was cooked better than a teenager at his first Stereosonic. Fresh lettuce, tomato and cheese topped with delicious pickles and sauces. Mustard? Yes, please. She could have been a little bigger, but overall Benjamin makes a killer burger. Soaked up all the beers from last night better than any mop could. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Rating: 8.5/10

Jaxon

Burger: Classic

Nice little spot tucked away in Fortitude Valley. These guys really kicked ass with their craft, gorgeously seared pattys with a slight bit of red in the middle, which is what I personally love. Fresh tomato, cheese and lettuce didn't hurt at all, with a basic bun and lovely amounts of sauce helping it all make for a pleasant eating experience.

Rating: 7.8/10

Paul

Burger: Cheesy

Honestly, taken away by the first bite. It's a simple yet sophisticated burger paying homage to your typical cheeseburger. The bread was fresh and not too buttery. With a plethora of pickles to base the burger, along with good mate onion, the foundations of this burger were strong. But what really topped it off was the "special sauce" (some sort of chilli-tinged mayonnaise), which really balanced the flavour profile and gave it the 'Tender and Juicy' motto every burger craves.

Rating: 8/10

Darwin: Sweet Brew and Co

Dylan

Burger: Heart Attack Bun

One of Darwin's newest establishments offer up a burger called the Heart Attack Bun. She's a big, sexy beast on arrival and definitely passes the eye test. A bit on the fancy side, she's full of pulled pork, hash brown, avo, chilli and aioli. After swiftly removing the avocado (overrated green slime) the burger was finished faster than a virgin in a brothel. A tasty delight for the old taste buds, and big enough to quench the hangover. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Rating: 8/10

Jaxon

Burger: Fish

Served with a lovely, soft, buttered brioche bun with crumbed sweetlip pieces with a homemade coleslaw. What really stood out was how easy it was to take a bite and not have to wrestle with it. The taste was sensational combined with the coleslaw. The only bad I can take from this is that the the bun was toasted a little much to the point where it burnt, and lastly there was a little too much coleslaw, which threw the ratio off a bit.

Rating: 7.9/10

Paul

Burger: Heart Attack Bun

Ordered the 'Heart Attack Bun' because I like brutal honesty. Also, having been a long-term fan of hot chip rolls (carbs on carbs), I couldn't resist the idea of hash browns on a burger. The pulled pork was an absolute flavour bomb, accompanied by speck for good measure. Servings of avocado were aplenty, topped off with chilli jam and aioli to really bring the burger together. They also restored my faith in the brioche bun. Pulled pork burgers are a bit like the risotto of the burger world... very common but so often lacking in depth, and hard to finish. This one, though, was hard to fault.

Rating: 8/10

At The Dakota continue their journey at the Captain Cook Hotel, in Paddington, tomorrow night, 29 April.

See theGuide for details and additional dates.