Last July we built our own creation, merging two food icons: the beloved burger and the ever-popular pizza. We also challenged Maltese burger chefs to come up with their own version of the mythical pizza burger. One Daniel Callus, of Pavilion fame, was ballsy enough to independently come up with a Pizzatop burger! Can it deliver the crustiness of the pizza and the beefiness of the burger? That’s just what we’re going to find out today!
We already have a history with the Pavilion Gastro Pub, a spacious restaurant built on the historic site of the naval and military prison at Corradino Hill. Chef Daniel, who has a capacious affinity with both burger and pizza making, has put his experience in merging both worlds in one piece de resistance. He minces Angus chuck himself to create a 200gr patty, which is grilled and seasoned with just rock salt. The beef is topped with cheddar, mushrooms and crispy Parma ham, and laid over a bed of crunchy rucola and 2 slices of tomatoes. The lower half of the bun is spread with a sauce, that is a well-kept secret of Daniel’s. That’s the burger part. The pizza is made from the top half of the same bun, which is made in-house at the Eat Me I’m Famous bakery, part of the same group of restaurants. This part of the bun is chopped in two and the very top layer is discarded. The rest is spread with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, slices of pepperoni and oregano, and baked in a traditional pizza oven.
The bun is fluffy and tasty and when oven-baked works well as an alternative to classic pizza dough. Not all buns are up to the task, especially when it comes to hefty burgers with a lot of meat inside. This one holds really well and does not crumble all over when the time to bite comes. It shows that it has been specifically built to handle the job the right way round. The slight spiciness of the pepperoni works amazingly well with the decadent mozzarella and tomato base. It has all the salt, piquancy and heat in good balance, with a little spike of acidity. This sinful pizza-bread has proved to be insanely cheesy, which provides a contrast to the lighter, more refreshing parma ham, inside the burger itself. Daniel should start doing these pizza-breads as starters, as they will definitely be a big-bang hit with a pint of beer!
The most important aspect when making a burger always boils down to the meat. A combination of having the right cut of beef, the right grind and the right fat ratio set you off to a triumphant start. Chuck is a primary beef cut which we always enjoy. The muscles at the top of the shoulder, where the chuck is found, are interspersed with small loops of fat, which give the patty a great steak-like texture. Chuck is a hard-working group of muscles, so blandness is rarely an issue. Fresh ground chuck creates a more tender patty because it’s never compacted tightly together. It also has the perfect ratio of meat to fat, which is around 80/20. Plus, the fat isn’t as fibrous as something like brisket. And the coarse grind of the meat can almost be felt whilst carving your way bit by bit, each bite bringing a beautiful combination of flavour, moisture and overall burger joyfulness. It’s well-marbled, has a distinctive char with nice accents, and almost drips wholesome goodness with every bite or squeeze. And most important of all, it fills the bun perfectly, making for a very aesthetically pleasing view, as you see the server approaching, with your burger impending nearer and nearer!
The secret sauce resides on the bottom of the bun so it can soak well into the bread, coat the meat, mix with the beef juices that drip down, and anchor the patty in place. This is a cunning strategy. The amount of sauce is very generous which is always welcome, especially since this one is tangy and has a certain zip to it that goes well with this burger. Even though we could pick up the nuances of the sauce in every bite, it’s not dominant but is balanced nicely with the beef. We could eat the pizza-bread with just the secret sauce and the rucola, tomato and mushrooms, and it would still rate as superb!
If you ever wondered what it is like to taste a burger and a pizza in the same bite, then this should be the next burger on your to-eat list! With the Pizzatop burger, Daniel Callus has proven himself to be at the very top of his game, and right now he’s one of the most innovative burger makers on the island. He puts the same level of focus in every burger component, whether its the beef, the earthiness of mushrooms, the sizzling crisp on the parma ham or the conversion of a bread bun into a mini pizza. And that kind of dedication and fine burger making skills always ends up with top marks in our books.
