Ze Pickle in Fortitude Valley
Pictured: Pablo Escoburger, Pulled Pork and Double Double
It was with sad hearts that our dejected band of Poppies Challengers set out today. Our long-time leader had absconded to seemingly greener pastures where the burgers flow freely in super-mega-jumbo combos. Not all was lost though, Sang had blazed a trail before us and left whispers of burger joint greatness hanging in the air.
Ze Pickle Results (Each index is out of 10): Average BCI (Burger Cost Index): 5.94 Average BTI (Burger Tastiness Index): 7.81 Average BSI (Burger Size Index): 7.69 Average AQI (Accompaniment Quality Index): 9.31 -------- Average Burger Joint Goodness Index: 30.56 / 40
Ze Pickle was a late addition to ze Poppies Challenge list. Would it prove worthy, or would it leave us in a pickle?
Seven burger aficionados braved ze taxi ride to this seemingly trendy establishment. Ze view from ze street showed little of what lay beneath but we followed ze small Ze Pickle sign and red neon arrow down ze rabbit-hole into a dimly lit room somewhat reminiscent of Greaser Bar. Our waitress impressed us all with her intellect and exceptional memory skills by remembering ze entire order – Pablo Escobuger with Ze Chips, Pulled Pig, Oak Wood Smoked Brisket with additions, Chee-ze with Kumera fries, Double Double with health, 3AM and a Double Double (are you similarly impressed?).
Ze accompaniments arrived and were quickly devoured by ze group. There was unadulterated praise for ze accompaniments which was reflected be Ze Pickle taking top AQI spot with 9.31. As our wait for burgers stretched on and on, we were left pondering why Poppie Pete had neglected ze Burger Speed of Arrival Index (BSoAI) in his formula and if ze burgers would live up to ze chips or if it would all go gherkin shaped.
Ze answer is summed up best by ze two quotes from Poppie Pete himself “this is not ze burger I was looking for” and “I like ze pickle on ze top of ze burger, but ze brisket was ze gristle”. Ze other burgers scored better reviews but none of us were blown away, perhaps ze almost perfect chips had affected our tastebuds and we expected too much. Overall ze burger joint fared well, coming in at 7th with a top spot for accompaniments, good marks in taste (8th) and size (9th) but let down somewhat by ze cost (17th).
Current Rankings: 1. Burger Fuel (32.00) 2. Snag Stand (31.33) 3. Miel Container (31.25) 4. Ribs & Burgers (31.20) 5. Miss Kay’s (31.03) 6. Hive Eat House (30.88)@ 7. Ze Pickle (30.56) 8. Chur Burger (30.30) 9. Pony Dining (30.25) 10. Greaser Bar (29.69) 11. Burger Urge (29.32) 12. Getta Burger (28.83) 13. Ben’s Burgers (28.50) 14. Alliance Hotel (28.18) 15. Hoo Ha Bar (26.25) 16. The Bun Mobile (25.38)^ 17. Yard Bird Ale House (25.05) 18. Laneway (24.54) 19. Gerard’s Bar (24.22) 20. MOS Burger (24.19) 21. Fab Fish & Burger Grill (22.91) 22. Redhook (22.69)
@Venue Re-visited ^Normalised Score
