‘Playful’ patties and shortbread fries: are these Burger Wellington entries really burgers?

Is it still a burger if the buns are rice cakes? Or the patty is made of chocolate mousse? What about if it comes with shortbread ‘fries’?

While there are plenty of brioche buns and meat patties on offer in the annual Burger Wellington contest, this year some participants are pushing the boundaries in unexpected ways. 

At The Bento Bar in Miramar, which specialises in onigiri rice, they are serving ‘Umami Sunrise’ burgers that feature toasted sticky rice buns.

Founder Mana Toyoda says people are surprised by the idea of sticky rice staying together in a bun shape.

But she says it didn't take much for them to turn rice into a burger, and it was something she grew up eating in Japan.

The Bento Bar, which also provides bento lunchboxes to schools, focuses on dietary inclusivity. Its Burger Wellington offering has both beef and vegetable options, and is gluten, dairy and nut free.

"It checks a lot of the dietary boxes," Toyoda says. "We just wanted to give no excuse to people to not try our burger."

At The Regal Shortbread Company, a micro-bakery in Whitby, Anita Vogt is serving up a whoopie pie burger that looks just like the real thing – from a distance.

The ‘Whoopie – Dessert First’ burger has a dark chocolate mousse patty, dalgona candy ‘cheese’ and pistachio ‘guacamole’ in a vanilla whoopie-pie bun.

Vogt says the burger, which is served with shortbread ‘chips’ and raspberry ‘ketchup’ has gone down well with diners.

"I think people have really enjoyed it because it's playful," she says.

Not everyone has been happy with her creativity though – she had received a message accusing her of having AI photos of the burger due to its realistic appearance.

"Which is really hilarious because it's not, it just looks like a burger."

Helen Wall, who runs the 17,000 member Burger Wellington Facebook group, says there has been a lot of interest in sweet burgers this year.

‘Hello, Love Dubai’ – a dark chocolate gelato burger take on viral Dubai chocolate – has attracted the most attention, Wall says.

Other standouts identified among the group include a Nashville-style fried chicken burger served in a pink-glazed doughnut bun and a burger that combines Filipino pork sisig with a smashed beef patty, deep-fried pork skin and cheese.

Burger Wellington, which is part of the Wellington on a Plate food festival, is now in its 16th year. Festival director Beth Brash says some participants have reported selling around 2000 burgers so far. The contest runs until Sunday.