It’s been two years since Hugo’s Burger Bar opened its doors to Paceville aficionados. It promptly established itself as a niche burger landmark and stole the pole position that McDonald’s held in this territory for so many years. In summer Hugo’s Burgers open until 4 am, so party goers found a new pit-stop for their late night Paceville touring, with the obligatory fries-in-a-cup.
Two months after launching a varied meat-only menu, Hugo’s came up with a vegetable option. Meat, take a back seat, as today is the day to make some room for a new plant-based burger.
Any lover of burgers and vegetables remembers that old school veggie burgers used to rely heavily on soy filling, but not this one. The patty is coated in a batter of panko breadcrumbs, which is lightly fried to make it look and taste crispy. Panko is generally lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs, so it absorbs less oil than standard breading. This might be one of the secrets that make this burger alluring to meat eaters. The inside is filled with sweet potato, quinoa, black zucchini, sweet corn, carrots, spring onions, kidney beans, chick peas and coloured peppers. This seems like a whole garden full of fiber, whole grains and legumes inside! We checked, and all the bits are really in there. All the vegetables are sourced from local produce. The vegetables are mashed and blended just enough to create a dough-like patty with a very uniform texture. Even though all the ingredients have been worked out in a patty, the burger still has a hint of the real vegetables inside with an appealing consistency and a hearty flavour.
The bun is your standard brioche bun; it’s fresh, sturdy and does a good job of holding all the burger elements together. It also has the Hugo seal, which emanates a kind of royalty and exclusive feel. The bun is the perfect size for the veggie patty, so full points must go to the chef who engineered this one. Both sides of the bun are covered with a Tzatziki dressing spread, made from yogurt, garlic, mint, and cucumber. Tzatziki is a wise choice here, as it adds a layer of refreshing and mild flavour. We also get some raw mixed leaves and carrot strings on top.
Amidst the crunchy breadcrumbs crust and the mushy inside, this burger has a moderate spicy flavour going on. But above all, the patty is moist and not dried out, like some of the other baked options out there. The mix inside the patty went through a few iterations throughout its lifetime, but we’re very convinced with its current version. There is enough flavour coming from the choice of vegetables inside the patty itself, that other condiments might taste superfluous. The extra raw toppings are there to add texture, and not necessarily taste.
Hugo’s made the right move when they added a veggie option to their menu, almost from the very start, as it provides a pit-stop to bean & zucchini lovers. We don’t know if this burger is going to convert any beef fans, seeing that Hugo’s has so many beef burger options… but you never know!
