Bulletproof Burgers may be the new kids on the block, but they’re not shy about calling out all other pretenders and proclaiming their own meat parcels the best burgers in town. But are they really that good? As an official judge at the Yelp Belfast Burger-off I decided I had the credentials to find out!
Bulletproof Burgers is situated upstairs from the new premises of California Coffee on Belfast’s Ann Street and to get to it you walk through a graffiti laden doorway and into a much cleaner version of the film ‘The Warriors’. The sign above the door is filled with bullet holes, ironically making it the least bulletproof looking sign on the whole street.
Some of the seating is that long bench Wagamama style that I’m not too keen on and some consists of normal tables and stools – all kind of informal with a ‘grab-a-a-burger-and-go’ attitude. The graffiti theme stays and overall the effect is clean, funky and spacious. The menu is minimal with just a burger and a cheese burger (you can also double up of course), chips, sweet potato fries and ‘angry chips’, there’s also sodas and shakes to choose from (no license yet, but it is coming).
When we went to try it out, we had two buggy in tow, so we just sat down in California Coffee and ordered from there instead. Our waitress wasn’t too sure if we could do this at first but after a quick check said it was no problem but we can only order their ‘better burger’. That was fine for us, we he had sweet potato fries with one and chips with the other.
The burger came in a basket wrapped in industrial foil and laden with golden chips all round (I couldn’t finish them all) I did take a photo but I can’t find it so here’s one from their Facebook to demonstrate:
I unwrapped my burger like a present and was presented with a wonderful looking yellowy shiny bun, lettuce sticking out and a pinky sauce oozing. The first bite was awesome: the beefy taste of the tender ground beef mixed with the slightly spicy tomatoey sauce and there was a bit of crunch from the lettuce tomatoes and onions.
The ‘crack sauce’ reminded me a bit of the ‘house sauce’ you get from the kebab shops but posher – it was really nice. As I proceeded the bun stayed put, no tearing or disintegrating, and I even detected a hint of brioche from it. The chips didn’t disappoint either, as they were crunchy and golden and some of the best homemade chippy style chips I have had in ages. I also poured A LOT of vinegar on them and they didn’t go limp or soggy.
The whole meal was a really hearty delicious feed and towed that fine line of familiar comfort food that is also a bit different so as to stand out from the crowd.
I really do think that next year we may have a new contender for the title of Belfast’s Best Burger, hopefully they’ll get a chance to compete in the next Yelp Belfast Burger-Off and we’ll find out just how bullet proof they really are!
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