Inject the Fire!
In my quest for a great burger in Varna I had a partner in crime which did help with the exploration… I could eat more burgers!. I could try two burgers when I went to Old Buddies, and I think this one had more success than the previous. The truth is I wanted to go to many more places in Varna, but my fiancé’s dad is too great of a cook, and I just couldn’t eat more. This time I went for the spicy burger – Hot Pepper Joe, which was presented in an enjoyable way… a syringe.
In my exploration of burgers, I have started to appreciate chilli burgers much more, and this one was one of the better spicy burgers I have tried
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How tasty is the Motherf*#$&r? – 8.5/10
The spicy wasn’t as much as I was expecting considering the spicy ingredients which made the experience even more pleasant for me
The burger had:
- Beef
- Double Cheddar
- Pepper Rings
- Jalapenos
- BBQ Sauce
- Chillies
- Hot Sauce “hot as hell”
- Lettuce
- White Bun
I’m not going to repeat myself about the Koftes of Bulgaria. This was undoubtedly a more purist patty with fewer spices and a leaner cut. The burger accommodated much more for the patty since all the ingredients helped highlight the meat and nothing was dominating too much over it. Now I have learned to enjoy spicy food so for the people who are quickly burned from spicy I’m not sure if you are going to have the same experience as I. A slightly fattier cut for the beef would have made this work even better
Cheddar was good, it was the standard processed type. Compared to the other burger I tried at Old Buddies it was felt much better and was present throughout the bites, but I would have prefered something with a bit more character, tasty none the less
The onion ring style red and green pepper paste were a twist, it provided more texture to the bite and the sweetness together with the BBQ sauce was balancing out the spicy. In the same time, the rings weren’t prominent in any other way, with less spicy and more umph it could have pushed for the 10/10.
The main event of the burger (except the patty as usual) was the spiciness. The chilli they chose was a peppercorn based chilli that combined well with the bbq, and it wasn’t destroying my taste buds even though my partner in crime used the entire syringe of it. The jalapenos weren’t too spicy and were acting more like a relish and together with the lettuce were giving that freshness in between the bites. Overall the sauce game was on point.
The white bun was great, very classic for the Bulgarian scene and the logo on top was a great touch. I can have a bit more toast time, but it managed to hold all the sauces very well.
Burger joint venue and overall experience? – 9/10
Complimentary shots… check!
Great ale to soothe the pain… check!
Delicious fries… check!
Quirkiness level of the experience? – 8//10
It is not every day that you get a syringe in your burger. It was exciting but also practical because you could squeeze as much as you wanted from the hot sauce… Not that it matters for chilli heads like my fiance.