By IANSlife

September 07, 2023 (IANSlife) Burger fans at the August Edition of Visa Wellington On a Plate devoured 200-plus burger entries and voted a whopping 11,500 ratings to help determine the 2023 Burger Wellington presented by Garage Project finalists.

After a week of judging, the assessments the winner of Burger Wellington presented by Garage Project 2023 is One80 Restaurant with their ‘Goan Chicken Ros Pao’ burger.

The winning burger takes inspiration from One80 Restaurant’s Executive Chef Chetan Pangam’s mother’s hometown of Goa, and the street food he loves. The burger features a richly spiced chicken curry, a ‘Ros’ omelette, and a unique bun that represents the ‘Poee’ style bread that the omelette and curry are typically served in.

Executive Chef, Chetan Pangam says this year’s Burger Wellington theme of ‘Breaking the Mould’ presented the perfect opportunity for his team to challenge perceptions. “In New Zealand, many people see hotel restaurants as boring, and that was the biggest stereotype I had to break with this burger. I wanted to create a humble street food dish in a winning burger concept. It took a huge team effort, with support from local suppliers, and in particular, I’d like to thank the Claireville Bakery for the custom Poee style bun."

Visa Wellington On a Plate Festival Director Sarah Meikle says the August Edition of the Festival was all about burgers, beer, and encouraging people to get out and support the hospitality sector. “It was fantastic to see Wellingtonians eating out and about, supporting our local venues. The One80  Restaurant  burger  was  a  real  flavour  journey that brought together the fragrant  herbs  and  spices of  India, it’s an absolute pleasure to see Chef Chetan and the team take the title this year.”

The  August Edition of Visa Wellington On a Plate included Events and Pop-Ups rounding out the programme, including New Zealand’s biggest celebration of good beer, Beervana.

Sarah adds, “With the new festival split it was important to us to offer some events alongside Burger Wellington, and it made sense for these to be burger-related, like the Future of  Food event with The Gas Hub, or Beervana-related like the Shining Peak Beer and Oyster Dinner at GPO. We were thrilled for the Everybody Eats team and their ‘To The Rescue’ burger which featured rescued and recycled food from Kaibosh, people could ‘pay as they feel” with all proceeds going towards the charity organization. Over the course of the festival, more than $5000 was raised."

The 2023 Burger Wellington presented by Garage Project award winners are:

• One80’s  Goan  Chicken Ros Pao – Burger  Wellington presented by Garage   Project  Winner
• Field  &  Green’s  Reuben-esque - 2nd place in Burger Wellington  presented  by  Garage  Project
• Ernesto’s  Cocina  Cubana - 3rd place in Burger  Wellington  presented by  Garage  Project
• Elixir’s The Phial  Of  Eären-Dill – Best  Use  of  Theme
• Myrtle’s  Belly  and  Jelly - Most   Innovative
• Regional  Award winners  are:
• Wairarapa - Café  Medici’s  A  Perfect  Swine
• Upper Hutt – Bone Face Brewing Co’s Yorkie Dork
• Hutt  City - Twenty Eight’s  Spice  is  Right
• Porirua - T  Bay Cafe’s  The  Hot  Chick
• Kāpiti - Hey  Coastie’s  Coast  with  the  Most

The Visa  Wellington On a Plate August edition ran from 11 - 27 August 2023. The Festival will return in  2024 with the May Edition focusing on food Events and Pop-Ups, and the August Edition focusing on burgers and beer, with Burger Wellington and Beervana.

(This article is website exclusive and cannot be reproduced without the permission of IANSlife)

IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in