A burger challenge issued to competitive eater and model Nela Zisser (file video)
When reporter Mitchell Hageman heard Hawke’s Bay eateries from its twin cities were entering the national Burger Nation event, he gave them a try to answer the aged-beef old question: Is it Napier or Hastings that’s home to the region’s best burger?
The rivalry between Napier and the other side of the bridge just got a little sourer.
But don’t worry; there’s no animosity involved, just a bit of pickle juice and friendly competition as Hawke’s Bay businesses from both cities showcase their best burger creations as part of this year’s Burger Nation event.
Two Hawke’s Bay eateries – one in Havelock North and one in Napier – have pulled out all the stops for the event, with this year’s theme being simple, good food using the McClure’s Pickles range.
They are two of the 250 eateries around the country serving up their unique take on this most humble of culinary heroes.
“We don’t want to stare into the void of a burger spiked on top of a bloody mary in a Las Vegas death spiral of insanity,” Nick Brown, from event producers Cook & Nelson, said.
“Burger Nation is about finding the best burgers in real life. The dirtiest, tastiest, umamiest burgers in the country.”
Umamiest was right. Our first stop almost took us from Napier to Japan, where chef Toru Yamamoto of Albion Canteen had crafted the ultimate karaage chicken burger.
“I’m Japanese, and we bought this cafe in 2022. Since then, the karaage chicken has been sort of a secret item for office catering.
“We slowly started to put it into the safe menu itself, with karaage chicken wraps and karaage chicken on rice.”
Chef Toru Yamamoto of Albion Canteen with his special karaage chicken burger for the Burger Nation event. Photo / Connull Lang
Behold his crown-jewel Burger Nation entry, a Japanese-style fried chicken burger with sweet and spicy McClure’s pickles and slaw with kewpie and lemon chilli mayo and chips.
“It takes about 10 minutes to make. We get the chicken, clean it and marinate it in koji paste with garlic, sesame and chilli. This makes it softer. We then put the karaage chicken flour on.”
You can tell Yamamoto knows his stuff and his passion for Japanese cooking shows.
The chicken was tender and burst with flavour despite being a little messy to eat (Yamamoto told me guests staying in the hotel above often used forks and knives to eat it).
Yamamoto thought he had a pretty good shot at being one of the best burgers out there in the Bay.
Hawke's Bay Today reporter Mitchell Hageman samples the beer-battered fish burger from Best Burgers in Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor
Over the rivers in Hastings, Havelock North’s Best Burgers has produced something you could describe as summer on a plate.
Chef Simon Parkinson has crafted a creation that’s jam-packed with beer-battered market fish of the day, house tartare sauce, American cheese and the McClure’s sweet and spicy pickles.
“We’d previously entered the NZ burger competition sponsored by McClure’s, so we thought we’d give this a crack as well,” he said.
“We decided it would be a good opportunity to do a fish special, something we’ve wanted to do since we started. We figured out how we could make it work, and it was about time to put a fish burger out there.”
Chef Simon Parkinson of Best Burgers in Havelock North shows off his fish surprise as part of Burger Nation. Photo / Paul Taylor
Parkinson said the ethos of the Best Burgers business was good, simple food done right and, on that promise, he delivered.
The fresh fish was melt-in-your moth and the crunchiness of the pickles and spice of the tartare source added some extra zing.
So, when push comes to shove, which was really the best?
Despite this Hawke’s Bay Today reporter initially not being a pickle-lover, I think I’d better give both eateries the equal win for converting my picky tastebuds.
Burger Nation runs until March 3, so get out there and try the Bay’s great burgers for yourself.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
