Mon 10 Aug 2009
Brunch at Niche Cafe – chicken burger FAIL
Posted @ 9:06 pm under Burgers, Cafe, Eating out, FAIL, SavouryWe were at Carousel Shopping Centre recently and feeling hungry, stopped for a burger brunch at Niche Cafe, which is in the section near GAME and JB Hifi, down the way from the new Dreamy Donuts kiosk. We’d eaten breakfast here before and enjoyed it, so were pretty confident the burgers would be decent. Jac ordered the veggie burger (AU$10.50), which consisted of a veggie pattie, cheese, beetroot, tomato, baby spinach, barbecue sauce and sour cream.
Apart from the beetroot, I thought her burger looked really good – especially the bright white sour cream. She said it was pretty tasty, though she would’ve liked the cheese to be melted. I don’t think I’ve had sour cream in a burger before, but I do like the idea of it – I’d love it as an alternative to mayonnaise.
I ordered the chicken burger (AU$10.50). This proved to be a bad choice.
You could see Jac’s vegetable pattie in her burger. Can you see the chicken in this burger? Can you see something vaguely chickeny in amongst all that leafy green? Maybe just a wee shadow of a suggestion of a hint of something that may be the chicken in this “chicken” burger?
This is why the chicken wasn’t visible! Look! A sad, pathetic little chicken thigh, less than half the size of the bun. Not good enough! I was not impressed. Niche Cafe chicken burger FAIL. Interestingly, the menu advised the chicken burger contained grilled chicken breast, as well as the capsicum, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise. But there was no way this piece of chicken was chicken breast – it was far too fatty and juicy, with the distinct springiness of thigh meat. It was actually quite tasty… just a shame it was so small. I couldn’t help but feel cheated and dissatisfied!
Wait… let’s do that properly! Here’s my ode to Fail Blog, a site that never fails to crack me up. :)
18 Responses to “Brunch at Niche Cafe – chicken burger FAIL”
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Comments are moderated, so please don't worry if your comment does not appear immediately. Just keep in mind: 1) time differences and 2) I am unable to access the blog at work. :)
August 10th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
It looks pretty, but I would have sent it back to the kitchen for them to correct.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Should have complained! I would have!
August 10th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I LOVE your ode to Fail blog, I visit that site daily!
I would have been tempted to send that back. More than $10 for what is essentially a salad roll isn’t acceptable. I will steer clear of the chicken burger at Niche Cafe (or perhaps the establishment entirely…)
August 11th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Please tell me you returned it or at least complained!I think if I were a cook, and I gave a tiny thigh piece instead of a large chicken breast on a sandwich i’d feel very unprofessional. I couldn’t imagine what the cook was thinking when he cooked this up!
August 11th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Yes, the meat’s too tiny! The vegetables look really fresh and perky though.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Hehe, your chicken burger fail made me laugh. The piece of meat in there is really pitiful–I wonder how the cook could have justified sending it out. Jac’s veggie burger looks delicious though.. the sour cream is a good idea!
August 11th, 2009 at 9:14 am
yeh I agree with everyone – it defo should have been sent back! altho i can understand that when one’s tired and hungry he/she wouldn’t want to wait any longer for a new sandwich.. But still!
August 11th, 2009 at 10:13 am
That is definitely a fail burger! I would hate to be biting into the other half of the burger and finding that there is no meat during my bites :(
August 11th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Please tell me you tried the new dreamy donuts and will be doing a blog on it?! ;)
August 11th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Your ode to Failblog made me giggle. You should submit it :D.
August 11th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I LOL-ed at your ode to Fail Blog. Gosh I love that site.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
That is so little and tiny, definate fail!
I would have been so disappointed it I got that, for the amount of salad that is in that it is just a salad roll with a side ordering of measly chicken, BAD!
August 11th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
You sure it wasn’t a chicken nugget burger? Cos I see that as a piece of nugget and not something that should fill up atleast half a burger! Hope you complained!
August 11th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
You should have stood up, held the plate aloft and shouted, “Where’s the beef?!” Or in this case, “chicken?!” ;-) Just a little inspiration from a popular ’80s TV commercial.
Sorry it was a disappointment. And for the money you paid! :-(
A friend once (rightfully imo) complained about not getting enough onion rings with her sandwich. A waiter came out with a saucer and 1 onion ring on it. I’m pretty cool, but that rankled me. Contempt for the customer…not wise!
August 12th, 2009 at 4:32 am
TOTAL FAIL! you crack me up… and you’re too nice TFP! I would have marched right back up there and demanded a new sandwich, or at least another piece of chicken to fill the bun!
August 12th, 2009 at 8:19 am
I’m usually pretty non-confrontational but that’s just ridiculous, the size of the chicken. If they’re advertising it as a chicken burger, they should ensure the chicken isn’t nugget sized. I would have taken it back and said something.
August 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Hi everyone,
You’ll be cross at me, because I didn’t complain. We didn’t have a lot of time to eat because we were expected back at our house in half an hour to meet with our real estate agent. We didn’t have time to wait for a replacement, and I was too hungry to not eat anything.
But the thing is the whole time, I knew I would post the photo on the blog. I knew I would write about the burger and about the cafe. I knew that I would have my say here on the blog, and that’s enough for me. I don’t underestimate the power of blogging in spreading the word (good or bad) about eateries.
If I had more time, yes – I probably would’ve said something.
But really, the chef shouldn’t have sent the burger out like that in the first place. He/she would’ve seen the size of the chicken, yet he/she chose to send it out – it was not a mistake. It was a choice made by someone who clearly didn’t care about the quality of the product nor the value for money to the customer. No one should have to send crap like this back in the first place, because it should never make it out of the kitchen to the table.
So while I didn’t make the chef / server squirm that day by complaining, I’ve certainly had my say here and that’s not being silent by a long shot.
Dave,
Yes – there is a Dreamy Donuts post coming up. Just wait and see!
August 31st, 2009 at 2:50 am
Thats pretty bad form of the restaurant. I can’t believe they charged $10!! Australia has gone expensive.
Maybe don’t buy food from food courts, they’re usually pretty shabby and shit.