Outback, Orlando, Florida, USA

Burger name: Bloomin’ Burger
Price: $9.99

Menu description:

Topped with Bloomin’ Onion® petals, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spicy bloom sauce.

Rating:

Review:

This is my first review of an Outback burger although I've had a few before I starting blogging my reviews.  What attracted me to this burger was the Bloomin' Onion petals.  These are like onion rings but aren't rings, I guess you could call them onion fingers.  As usual, I removed the lettuce and tomato and ate these separately before starting on the fries saving the burger until last.  Although the burger itself looked great I could tell that the bun was going to be dry.  A few flaky bits on the lid and I noticed it was crispy and dry at the bottom when I removed the raw vegetable elements earlier.  Undeterred I delicately cut the burger in two.  At this point I should mention the knives at Outback, these have to be the biggest and meanest looking steak knives I've come across in a restaurant.  I was reminded of the Crocodile Dundee comment, "that's not a knife, this is a knife" or words to that effect.

The burger itself was very nice, cooked to order and I chose medium/well.  The Bloomin' Onion petals were a nice addition and added a tasty texture dimension - am I sounding like a food critic yet?  I would recommend this burger to anybody visiting an Outback, if you fancy the Bloomin' Onion petals but like the look of a different burger on the menu then you could always have the onion as a starter as that's on the menu separately.

About the venue:
Outback is an Australian themed restaurant chain with restaurants in a number of countries worldwide.  The Outback on Vineland Avenue in Orlando, Florida is typical of a restaurant in their chain, a number of Australian related items of decoration coupled with efficient and friendly staff.

The Cheesecake Factory, Orlando, Florida, USA

Burger name: Monterey Cheeseburger
Price: $11.95

Menu description:
Avocado, Melted Jack Cheese, Arugula, and Red Onion with Honey-Mustard Mayo.

Rating:

Review:

This was my first burger with avocado, which I would have said I didn't like.  I'm fussy about food textures and this always looked a bit like green paste to me.  Rather than risk detracting from the enjoyment of the burger I decided to eat it first, get the worst out of the way first is my eating mantra.  I was pleasantly surprised, it wasn't like paste at all.  Not sure it would have added anything to the enjoyment of eating the burger, in fact it would have added a slippery dimension that could have resulted in the burger itself being ejected from the bun and shooting across the table to my wife's plate.  I would have got it back but I'm quite a shy person and it would have been embarrassing.  I also removed the arugula (a rocket lettuce) and the tomato and ate these separately too.  Once the fries were demolished I was ready to tackle the burger.

The burger was cooked to order, I opted for medium/well and wasn't disappointed.  My first bite was very enjoyable, in fact each bite until the last was just as good.  A very tasty burger with a good steak taste that is rare to find, I've eaten too many burgers that don't taste of much.  I deliberated with myself all the way back to our apartment whether this was going to get a 4 or a 5.  In the end I opted for a 4 (maybe I need to introduce a half-rating scoring system as this is really a 4.5.  That requires me to create a new image - maybe one day.  In summary, I'd recommend this burger to anybody visiting a Cheesecake Factory restaurant and will be tempted to have it again if we visit before the end of this trip.

About the venue:
The Cheesecake Factory is a restaurant chain in the USA with venues in many cities across the country. They are usually very busy at peak times and the portion sizes are very large. If you plan to eat more than once course make sure you are very hungry or are happy to take some of it home with you. The Cheesecake Factory at The Mall at Millenia in Orlando, Florida is typical of a restaurant in the chain, nicely decorated and comfortable with a wide range of menu options - especially cheesecakes.

Bonefish Grill, Orlando, Florida, USA

Note: An updated review of this burger has been completed on 7th May 2013, please refer to that one too as it was a much better eating experience.

Burger name: "American Style" Kobe Beef Burger
Price: $11.30

Menu description:
Soft brioche bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, special sauce and sharp cheddar. Served with fresh greens or house made chips.

Rating:

Review:
The first burger on our current trip to the USA was at the Bonefish Grill on West Sand Lake Road in Orlando, Florida.  I opted for the standard burger without any additions and selected the house made chips.  The burger construction was good although I was surprised by the quantity of potato chips (crisps to us Brits).  I would have preferred to have received fries (chips to us Brits) but this didn't detract from the burger although they were too crispy for my liking so I left them mostly untouched.

The burger itself was great, nicely cooked and not greasy.  As usual, I removed the tomato and salad elements but kept the onion and pickle on there.  Given that I didn't each the chips I dived straight into the burger itself.  In the last few years I've refined my burger eating habits and now cut them in half, Bonefish kindly provide a steak knife which makes this job easier.  A friend had highly recommended this burger so I had high expectations however these weren't met on this occasion.  The burger bun was a little dry and flaky which for me detracts from the enjoyment, hence the 3 burger rating.  I'm sure that with a fresher bun this would have been a great burger but the one reviewed only gets a good from me.

About the venue:
Bonefish Grill is a chain of restaurants across America.  The one we visited is on West Sand Lake Road in Orlando, Florida, USA.  They have a varied menu catering for many tastes.

Passion Cafe - San Pedro, Spain

Burger name: Passion Royal Burger
Price: €12.50

Menu description:

Beef burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo & gherkin served on a sesame bun with slaw and fries.

Rating:

Review:

A very nice burger, a bit on the juicy side, but that's easily fixed with a napkin.  The burger was cooked to order, I opted for medium and it was on the rare side of that for me and little more pink than I like.  The 'slaw' was just shredded vegetables however a bit of mayo soon stuck it together.  As usual I removed the salad bits from the burger to avoid any slippery mishaps.  The bacon was very close to perfect for me, a minute longer on the grill and it would have been crispy enough.  Overall it was a good balance of fries and salad and a tasty burger that I highly recommend.

About the venue:
Passion Cafe in San Pedro, near Puerto Banus, in Spain is located in a small shopping area on the south side of the town.  Don't be put off by the location as the food is excellent.

Los Naranjos - Marbella, Spain

Burger name: Hamburguesa con Bacon y Queso
Price: €11.00

Menu description:

Hamburger with bacon and cheese.

Rating:

Review:

A very tasty burger in a fantastic setting.  The burger came with fries as well as tomato and onion.  The burger also had something that looked like thousand island dressing which added a nice flavour.  The burger was also cooked to order and I selected medium.  If you are in the Marbella area and fancy eating at a restaurant with great views over a golf course from the terrace then I can highly recommend this.  This would have been a 5 if the meat had been marinaded to enhance the flavour.

About the venue:
Los Naranjos is a golf club between Marbella and Puerto Banus in Spain.  The terrace restaurant has views over the golf course and the surrounding hills.

Charlies - Marriott, Marbella, Spain

Burger name: Classic Charlies Burger
Price: €12.90

Menu description:

100% beef patty served on a sesame bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, picked and french fries.  Ordered with cheese as an extra topping.

Rating:

Review:

My first burger of a long weekend break in Marbella, Spain.  Craving a bit of winter sun and a weekend of burgers I ordered this at the on site restaurant.  It was an enjoyable burger served with lots of fries.  My normal method of eating burgers is to remove the salad elements and eat these separately and this occasion was no different.  The burger was served in a basket lined with paper hence the photo from above.  If you happen to be staying at the Marriott resort in Marbella then I suggest you give this a try.

About the venue:
Charlies is an on site restaurant at Marriott's Marbella Beach Resort east of Marbella, Spain.

Garfunkel's - Gatwick North Terminal, UK

Burger name: Bacon and Egg Burger
Price: £8.99

Menu description:
A 4oz beefburger topped with grilled bacon and a fried free range egg, served in a soft flour bap with hash browns and a grilled tomato.

Rating:

Review:

I had low expectation from this burger when I ordered it and when it arrived it's appearance didn't raise my expectations any.  I only like bacon on my burger if it's crispy and this bacon wasn't so I removed it and ate it separately, I also did this with the egg as this can cause the burger (or the egg) to slip out when eating it.  The bacon was quite nice, a little on the fatty side for me so I ate this, the egg and the hash browns first before tucking into the burger.  I was pleasantly surprise at how tasty the burger was. If the bacon and presentation had been better this could have been rated a 4.

About the venue:
Garfunkel's at Gatwick North Terminal is one of many places to eat when flying from the airport.  As usual with airport restaurants it's quick with questionable service.