Restaurant Review: A burger meal kit to relish from BuJo

— BuJo has delivered the most satisfying burger I’ve tasted in years

BuJo Masterpiece Meal Kit

I have rules. It is not a proper burger if it so big it needs to be eaten with a knife and fork; the meat needs to ooze juices; the bun needs to be soft but not mushy; the cheese needs to be somewhat industrial but still have flavour; and once you have finished your burger it should not feel like you have eaten a brick.

Yes I loathed all those so-called ‘Gourmet Burger’ joints that we imported from London (via New Zealand) back in the mid 2000s. I hated their pretensions and I hated that they broke all my rules.

Thankfully this concept has run its course and proper burgers are back in fashion since around 2017 — and back in 2018 I rather heaped praise on the fine burgers of BuJo in Sandymount created by chef, Gráinne O’Keefe, in conjunction with local businessman, Michael Sheary.

Gráinne is the award-winning chef in Clanbrassil House and is known for her classical style mixed with creativity and wit. In a review for this page a couple of years ago I praised her caramelised leeks topped with chicken skin and a chopped egg vinaigrette, her panko-crumbed ham and cheese croquetas and pretty much everything else except the kale — but then I’ve never praised kale!

I know we can all cook a burger at home and I’ve been doing so for years but there is something about the meat mix used in BuJo burgers that I have been unable to reproduce. Enter the BuJo Masterpiece kit which can be delivered to every address in Ireland both north and south.

The kit arrived via DPD and was securely packaged with ice blocks plus a WoolCool Pouch which resembled a rough blanket to ensure everything stayed cool. I was delighted to see that everything except the plastic around the cheese slices was recyclable or compostable. The 'blanket' is also compostable but was instead added to the cat’s bed in the garage for those nights when she patrols our perimeter keeping us all safe.

This was the most satisfying burger I’ve tasted since I last visited BuJo in person nearly two years ago.

The meat in BuJo burgers is from certified grass-fed Irish beef and only fresh meat (not frozen) is used from whole muscle cuts with no additives or preservatives. BuJo’s burgers do contain a little more fat than my own recipe (they call it ‘white gold’) but fat is actually key to the flavour it turns out. Gráinne’s advice is to cook the burgers on a barbecue as they do in the restaurant to allow the fat content to drip onto the coals and allow the resulting smoke to help flavour the burger.

I confess I simply cooked them in a very hot frying pan and allowed them to rest for a few moments on kitchen paper. The brioche buns from Coughlan’s Bakery in Kildare fit into the toaster and crisped up nicely — the top even bounced back once pressed.

I drizzled a little of the BuJo sauce onto each cooked burger along with some onions fried in the fat from the burgers (another rule: fried onions add extra umami to a burger and are a must — I abhor raw onion). I also added some slices of dill pickle from the kit and some lettuce and tomatoes (not included).

The burgers were a revelation — the meat was sweet and oozed so much juice it dripped down my arm, the bun was light and fluffy but also firm enough to hold the burger in place, the cheese melted perfectly and added a creamy tangy flavour which mixed nicely with the rich BuJo burger sauce. The BuJo sauce had an extra kick of chilli which perked up the flavours further and overall this was the most satisfying burger I’ve tasted since I last visited BuJo in person nearly two years ago.

To celebrate St Patrick’s Day there is a special Weekender’s Kit which includes a Burger Kit as above plus a Brownies Kit and a Breakfast Kit for the morning after containing BuJo Rare Breed Pork Sausage Patties, Oliver Carty’s Smoked Bacon Rashers, Margaret’s Free-Range Eggs and Innocent Orange Juice. Four cans of Wicklow Wold Craft Beer can be added for an extra €10.

I know you think you can make your own burgers — trust me you can't. And do order BuJo if you can.

• BuJo Masterpiece Meal Kit
• 4 Double and 4 Single Bujo Burgers for €47 (including €7 delivery nationwide).
• BuJo Restaurant, Sandymount Green, Dublin 4.
• Shop.BuJo.ie
• Instagram @bujoburgerjoint
• Email: [e-mail]
• Note: Breakfast Kits, Brownie Kits and a special St. Patricks Day Kit also available.