Burger Van Bistro of Bucharest, Romania.

I have travelled. I have returned.

And what did I find in my travels I hear you ask? Burgers. Lots of Burgers. I normally stick to my full critiquing to the Norwich based burger venues but as a one off I thought I would write a small review to introduce you all to the Burger Van Bistro of Bucharest, Romania. If ever you happen to end up there, this place is definitely worth a visit!

The Burger

Juicy would be an understatement. This burger was so succulent it was dripping left right and centre and quite frankly I should have worn gloves. The meat itself was reasonably tasty though it could have been seasoned a touch more if I am being really picky. My personal favourite way of seasoning is actually basting with fresh butter on the griddle for the final few seconds. I do not want that in any way to distract from the actual cooking of the burger, as it was perfect. It was slightly crisp on the outside, perfectly soft and melt in the mouth in the middle and served medium rare as standard. The accompaniments for this burger consisted of freshly sliced lettuce and grilled onion, adding a nice freshness. The cheese was a standard plastic style creamy cheese which was basically just something to help the whole thing slide down the gullet better. The main star of this burger was the 'bacon' which turns out does not exist in Romania as this certainly wasn't bacon as we know it. It was a cross between cured salami and a frankfurter, slightly spiced and heavily smoked to add quite an extreme rich taste. Polished off with some classic american style mustard this was the perfect burger to cure a raging hangover after many cheap Romanian beers.

The Sides

Rosemary and thyme salted fries. And my god did they salt them. There was probably more salt on these fries than in the dead sea, if you dropped one in it would probably sink. This was the only real downside to the meal. I probably did need the extra salt as Romania was ridiculously hot and I probably sweated out half my body weight. Thankfully they had a mason jar of hipster cucumber water on tap which we drank nearly 5 litres of. 

Overall

The burger was sloppy, greasy, well-cooked and balanced well. Yes it was difficult to eat. Yes caused a huge mess. However, all the ingredients were fresh and for what we paid (not more than £6) it was actually really worth it. This is by no means a classy gourmet burger but it is certainly well above the standards of your everyday burger chef. In a way it made me think of 5 guys and what their burgers should taste like.

Just avoid the fries if you are dehydrated.