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Burger Theory Review at Kongs Cardiff

I was recently asked back to try out the burgers at Burger Theory at Kongs in Cardiff. I’d been a few times in the past and did a blog post after my second visit to the pop up kitchen on St Mary’s Street. I’m glad to say that things have improved quite a bit since then as it was still new on the scene and I did have a couple of issues on both my first two visits.

I decided to take my younger sister and her boyfriend to see how it faired against some of the other burger places a 16 year olds frequent in Cardiff these days and to get a younger persons perspective. I was offered a £35 voucher towards food so I paid extra for the rest of the food and drinks on the visit. Seeing as I wanted to compare against how they had progressed since the 18 months after they opened I thought I’d opt for the same burger I ordered on my first visit the Kimcheese featuring Beef patty, melted cheddar cheddar, kimchi, pulled beef rib with black pepper glaze, chipotle mayo (£11.95).

I was going to order the cola ham hock dirty fries I’d seen on the menu previously but they were a special and been replaed by the “You have goat to try these fries”, which were a Caribbean take on dirty fries, which consisted of Fries loaded with goat curry, melted cheese, lime and coriander aioli, pineapple and scotch bonnet sauce, coconut flakes.

My sister opted for the Cheese theory with Beef patty with crispy bacon, melted cheddar, house pickles, Dijonnaise, house ketchup (£8.75) and her boyfriend went for The Sherriff with Beef patty with crispy bacon, melted cheddar, onion rings, BBQ sauce (£9.25).

We fancied a chip fest so went for two standard fries (£2.95 each) and a side of halloumi chips (£6.50).

Soft drinks all round for the teens whilst I sipped on a pint of Tiny Rebel Cali till the food appeared out of the kitchen.

Kimcheese Burger at Burger Theory Cardiff

The Kimcheese burger had grown since my first visit and was an absolute whopper of a burger to be fair. I was close to doing a few tricep dips off the edge of the bun to allow my jaw to take it in for a bite. There was a lot of juice and I was glad I had my side of the table to myself so I didn’t drown the person next to me whilst I chomped away.

There was a decent amount of meat content with the patty, beef rib and combined with the other fillings it did taste really good. Again though there wasn’t much kimchi going on. I don’t think I had any of the advertised fermented Korean staple in my burger the first time I visited and I struggled to find much in it this time unless they had done a batch of their own quick pickled kimchi but there was none of the expected pungent condiment in my burger this time either. Apart from that I was pretty happy with the burger.

There was a bit of a mix up with the fries but probably due to me using the voucher to pay at the start for  part of the meal as the server wasn’t sure what to do with it. I ordered one portion of the goat curry dirty fries and two portions of the standard ones but two goat ones came out. They immediately gave us a serving of the standard and let us keep the other goat curry but wasn’t sure if I’d been charged for the two goat curries. I’d had £35 towards the food, which came to around £55 in the end so I wasn’t bothered too much about going back and checking with them or causing a fuss.

goat curry dirty fries at Burger Theory

The goat fries were amazing though and a great addition to the menu instead of the usual pulled pork or chilli beef you tend to find at most burger houses when opting for some dirty fries. They were a slow burner mind as the first couple of bites I thought oh, they aren’t too bad but a minute or two later I could of done with someone fanning me with a palm leaf whilst squirting my mouth with a super soaker 2000 filled with milk.

Not that I was complaining, I was expecting it to be hot spice wise but for me the meat could have been a tad warmer. They were pretty epic though.

halloumi fries at Burger Theory Cardiff

My sister has an obsession for halloumi fries and was very impressed with Burger Theory’s take on the deep fried slabs of cheese and so was I. Portion size was generous and they looked exactly like chips, I thought they had brought out two different thickness of potato kind at first until I bit into one.

She also smashed the Cheese Theory burger and gave it a massive thumbs up along with her partner who said it was the best burger he’s ever had. He attempted a stab at the goat dirty fries and like me thought they were fine at first but when the heat kicked in he bailed. They both enjoyed the standard fries, although they didn’t quite manage to finish them off. Not from lack of trying I might add, they were just stuffed from the burger and other bits and bobs.

The Verdict

I was a lot happier with my food compared to my first and second visit. The Kimcheese burger was still lacking on the Kimchi front though as I’ve always got a tub to hand in the fridge at home I was looking forward to a healthy portion in my burger.

The goat curry fries were a really nice change and if you like your spicy food, keep with them as they seem quite tame at first but they don’t take long to catch up with you when you’re least expecting.

I’ve heard rumours that Burger Theory will be opening up as a standalone restaurant in Cardiff in the near future so keep your eyes peeled on socials. I’m hoping they carry the bottomless burger brunch they do at the standalone Bristol venue to Cardiff too as that will be unreal.

If you’ve not been to Burger Theory before, it’s located at Kong’s Bar on St Mary Street, which is a basement bar next to Turtle Bay.

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Beefy Boys Burger Restaurant Review Hereford

So i’ve been teased with the chance to try out the legendary Beef Boys up in Hereford for over a year now. I almost divorced the other half when she owned up to taking a detour past that neck of the woods on the way back home from North not too long ago so she promised we would stop there on the way up next time we headed up to Anglesey.

I’d heard from many that they knocked out the best burgers they’ve ever tasted and some were massive foodies so the bar was set.

Luckily for me we were heading up north between Christmas and new year just gone so we took the scenic route via Hereford for me to make my own mind up. I didn’t realise how popular they were or the size of the venue so didn’t make a prior booking and tried to do a walk in. Don’t be a fool like me especially in December in near freezing temperatures.

We bit the bullet and said we would take a table alfresco just so we didn’t have to make the journey a second time after it took us forever to park in Waitrose with the atrocious road management put in place that doesn’t let any cars turn right when the light goes green. You will find out the hard way soon if you’ve not already had the pleasure.

We were shown a table furthest from the building to start but we were fortunate to be moved under the heat lamp after about 10 minutes, which might have just saved us from frost bite.

The Food

Seeing that i’d started to lose feeling in my fingers I drawn to the spicy options on the menu to start the blood flowing again.

Starters we opted for Mac n Cheese balls sprinkled with bacon dust, parmesan and chives with a pot of chipotle mayo. Mac n cheese with bacon and a kick of chilli what more do i need to say. Crispy shell, cheesilicious centre with bacon loveliness for good measure.

Hot wings and mac n cheese bites at Beefy Boys

Next up was the chicken wings. Llio ordered the wrong ones so we ended up ordering two portions one of the Ninja wings with Soy, Garlic, Honey, Sesame Seeds, Sirachi Dip and the other special of the time with a bit more of a Korean twist.

Both equally as delicious. I loved the crispness from a double dip in the fryer and the sauces / toppings from both versions worked very well together.

I went for the Rude Boy burger as it had 3 chilli rating to get the central heating back on track. The burger included Fire Roasted Green Chilli Salsa, Jack Cheese, Bacon, Lettuce, Onion and Tomato, served with a Jalapino popper on top.

Burger at Beefy Boys Hereford

The burger was pretty decent although I think I set my expectations a bit too high. I couldn’t really fault it as it was juicy with a nice pink centre but I was expecting something a bit spicier based on the spice rating. I was also hoping for the heat to warm me up slightly too.

Normally we try two flavours and do a share but the other half wasn’t feeling a burger on the day and opted for the chilli cheese fries with crisp french fries topped with a generous helping of chilli con carne and cheese. She enjoyed hers although it was a bit more than she bargained for and was easily a main meal rather than a side dish. I’d recommend sharing one between two rather than one each.

I had a taste just to try and was a good chilli but I’m just not a big chilli con carne one fries fan. If you are then you’re going to love them. I opted for the millionaire fries instead with parmesan, truffle oil. You can’t go wrong here really and the chips were cooked just right with a ample dusting of cheese and not too much truffle oil, which can be a bit overpowering sometimes.

The Verdict

I enjoyed what we had. On this visit I enjoyed the sides and starters more than my burger but then I’d probably opt for flavour over spice the next time as I went for spicy but it wasn’t very spicy so that was the only reason I wasn’t bowled over. Some of the other burger options did some delicious though but i’ll learn from my mistake and book a table prior to arriving next time as it was bitterly cold eating outside in the middle of winter. Not their fault, they were fully booked inside and I opted to eat outside but it did affect the visit a little.

Would I go again? Yes i’d go again and I loved the wings. They also have menu specials so there is usually something different on the menu and not just the usual suspects on the menu. It’s also very rare I’d eat out and not sample a desert on the menu so I might have to go back just to for for 3 out of 3 too but it was just too cold to hang around any longer outside on this visit.

Just make sure you book a table if you’re going in winter or dress for the cold that’s all I can recommend.

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