Mighty Ducks

We’re into the final weekend of Wellington On A Plate, and still there are so many burgers left untasted! I’ve been selecting them more or less at random, based on where we are and what we’re doing, rather than the more scientific approach I’ve taken in previous years. However, our fellow diners at Bambuchi on Thursday evening had recommended the duck burger at Ombra, so we thought we’d give it a try for Saturday lunch.

Ombra is one of the hipper joints along Cuba Street, a street known for its hipness. A hat, a beard, and a jaunty attitude are de rigueur. We were soon ensconced at a window table, and, after a lengthy inspection of the menu, decided on…two burgers. Their offering is called Mighty Ducks, and is described like this: Pulled duck with crispy skin and pâté, giardiniera pickles, endive and saffron aioli in a housemade Italian milk bun, with duck fat fries. Does that sound tasty or what? It looked like this:

The Garage Project beer match is Electric Dry Hop Acid Test. As I may have mentioned, I’m not mad keen on sour beers, of which this is one, so opted for a Whistling Sisters brew instead.

First thing you’ll notice is the size: this is not a large burger. This is due to the fact that it’s very rich, with duck meat, duck skin, and duck-fat-cooked chips, so in fact you don’t want a huge serving. The giardiniera pickles seemed to be exclusively red onion. I could have happily left the curly endive out, as it stuck out of the bun untidily and made getting a mouthful trickier than it needed to be. That said, this is a tasty burger. The duck meat was very tender, but there was the additional crackle of the skin. The fat fries – practically roast potatoes – were good, and the bun was nicely charred inside, which helps with burger integrity to the end. All in all, a very good burger, which I rated an 8.