Nestled between lush farmland and the sparkling harbour, Wellington is a foodie’s paradise, with an abundance of fresh produce from the local Greater Wellington region. To truly appreciate French fine dining paired with Wellington harbour at its finest, many find their way to the third floor of the Museum Art Hotel – soon to become QT Museum Wellington – to Hippopotamus Restaurant and Cocktail Bar.
Over two weeks in August, Visa Wellington On a Plate returned to the city with its battle of the burgers, Burger Wellington. Hippopotamus Restaurant and Cocktail Bar’s kitchen team – unaccustomed to serving burgers – seized the annual festival as an opportunity to innovate, collaborate and serve famously French cuisine and created the ultimate burger for the sweet tooth.
Executive Chef Laurent Loudeac and Commis de Cuisine Thomas Pepper unveiled the Sweet As burger as one of 116 burgers in this year’s Burger Wellington competition. “This dessert burger is a delicious alternative without compromising and creating an outlier in Hippopotamus’ offerings” says Loudeac.
The Sweet As burger, is indistinguishable at a glance from your run-of-the-mill cheeseburger, completedwith sweet polenta ‘fries’ and berry compote ‘tomato sauce’. However, a lingering glance brings the recognition of a classically French vanilla bean macaron ‘bun’. Curious diners who attempt to disassemble the culinary creation will discover a chocolate parfait patty crumbed in sweet nut mixture, a white chocolate pannacotta ‘cheese slice’, a ‘tomato’ comprised of raspberry jelly and Kiwifruit ’greens’.
The hotel is currently undergoing an evolution, and will soon be known as QT Museum Wellington Hotel. QT Museum Wellington will be the first property outside of QT’s Australian origins, led by design, quirk and innovation, capturing the heart of Wellington’s creative culture. This burger is a perfect introduction into QT’s signature quirky style.
