whats in you whopper jr? (Burger King)

This morning, after almost 2 hours of physical therapy, I decided to reward myself with a Whopper Junior since it's been months since I last had one. Fast food burgers are usually spared by the Burger Mafia when it comes to criticism, what can anyone expect from a mass produced and cooked by some 20 year old with little fine culinary arts training.

Out of curiosity, I visited the Burger King website to look for promos and they had the meal calculator wherein they calculate the amount of nutrients on the meals that they serve. So after selecting the whopper junior, large diet coke and large onion rings (a personal favorite), out came the results

Calories - 850 calories

47g of Fat

1380 mg of sodium

35 mg of cholesterol

No wonder it tasted that good! but it still made me feel guilty because the calories were quite high and since they were supposed to be char- grilled instead of fried, you'd be given the idea that it'd be healthier than your Quarter Pounder or Champ. But just like all fast food Burgers. the Whopper Junior is not something that should be enjoyed EVERYDAY. Just after every physical therapy session!

Failure to launch (a review on Johnny Rocket)

The burger mafia's first target was Johnny Rocket, a US-based burger chain with outlets all over the US and recently opened up an outlet here in the Philippines at Eastwood City in Libis.

The look is classic soda pop type outlet straight out of the 60's. with the soda fountain and working jukeboxes to boot.

Size

I ordered the basic burger; the rocket single, the menu says Cheddar cheese, fresh lettuce, ripe tomato, onion slice & special sauce. I asked what made up the special sauce, they said it was a mix of mayo and other spices like that of thousand island dressing. when the order came, let's just say that it didn't blow me away. it was an average size bun, average vegetables and the sauce is something one can whip up at home.

Juiciness of the patty

the waitress took our orders and asked how we wanted our patties, to be on the safe side I had it done medium well. I was expecting a little juice on the patty when it was served since it was flame grilled, to my surprise, the meat was bland and dry. I might just be my bias when since I like my burgers juicy. but it was like ordering a burger from a regular fast food joint.

Overall taste

Funny, that when we experience either extremely good or bad life. there almost so many words to say. So what do you say when you shell out expecting an above-average tasting burger and end up being served up a below average meal? that's right! not much...

Dining experience

The only positive i that saved the place was the bottomless fries! yup, a potato lover/carbo loader's dream come true! but before you carb crazies start rushing, a word of caution. If you're visualizing a mountain of fries served in a large serving dish, think again. they serve it small plates and refill it asyou wipe t out. Normally, that set-up would be cool, since you don't want to look like a person who hasn't tasted a potato in years, but the downside is that service takes some time. and those familiar with how carbohydrates fill up you up quickly, it makes me wonder if the outlet is doing that on purpose.

The verdict

The face of my friend (pictured above) says it all! before going to Johnny Rocket's we were arguing whether or not to go to Stacker's (which will be definitely be featured soon!) instead.
'Should've went with our gut. Johnny Rocket is where average meets bland and dry. All the packaging can't hide the fact that the burger failed on almost all standards set by the mafia. the only positive was the side dish.

The Burger Mafia has just gunned down Johnny Rocket!

Welcome to the Burger Mafia!

Simply put, the hamburger is a fairly simple piece of food, ground meat in between a burger bun. and voila! a Burger. However, some have taken the Hamburger into whole new level. Veggies, an additional patty or some secret sauce hopes to make the consumer's experience a little more satisfying...


This blog hopes to document all the burgers that we can sink our teeth into. Gourmet or Street, Burger Mafia will give you insights on how we see burgers

A great burger must have these qualities to make it satisfying, and these are the measures that we will use to judge the meals that we will sample:


1) Size - A good Hamburger must be big enough to fill you, not leave you with that feeling that you want to buy an extra side dish to get you over the hump.

2) The juiciness of the patty - be it vegetarian, beef pork or even lamb. if it ain't juicy, it just ain't right...

3) Overall Taste - How the add-ons compliment with the bread and the patty. and lastly

4) Dining Experience - You may have a good burger, but if you eat in a dumpster that looks like resto then the experience wouldn't be as fulfilling would it?

With that, let the burger hunting Begin!