Mumbai September: Burger fans took over the city for the August Edition of Visa Wellington On a Plate devouring  200-plus burger entries and sending through a whopping 11,500  ratings    to help determine  the  2023  Burger  Wellington  presented  by Garage Project finalists.

After a week of judging, the assessments are in, and 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  is  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,” he  adds.

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,” she says.

Head of Programming Beth Brash says every year they are blown away by the support for Burger Wellington presented by Garage Project, and across the board there were great quality burgers, ranging from more traditional flavours to innovative concepts including chocolate ‘patties’ and  Yorkshire Pudding ‘buns’.

“It’s been great to see Wellington’s burger-loving community exploring new venues too, there  were  a  few like Ernesto’s  Cocina  Cubana  and  Kanama  Kopi  Kadai    who  have  definitely won  over  some  new  fans.”

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

Visa  NZ  Country  Manager, Anthony  Watson, says   since  2009, Visa  has  been  a  proud    sponsor of the remarkable evolution that is Visa Wellington On a Plate – an event that  truly  captures  the spirit  of  our  vibrant  New  Zealand  community.

“The  Burger  Wellington  Award  is  a  testament  to  the  industry’s  creativity  and  is a celebration of the hospitality sector which Visa is delighted to support,” says Anthony Watson,  Country  Manager  for  Visa  New Zealand  &  South Pacific.

The  prize  for  Burger  Wellington  presented  by  Garage  Project  includes  free  festival   entry for  2024, and a special collaboration  brew  with  craft  beer I cons, Garage  Project.

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.