Overview
From the owners of Mount Wellington's Marua Road Cafe and gourmet sandwich delivery service Deli Llama comes a new burger joint in the heart of Stonefields.
The Chosen Bun has been a concept in the making since Chris Von Batenburg and Mustafa Ali first became friends five years ago. The pair are self-confessed "burger freaks" and have spent many nights trying to create their perfect burger.
The core idea behind the space was to create somewhere diners felt comfortable hanging out for a while and possibly sinking a beer or two — rather than limiting themselves to takeaway only. After finding the space in east Auckland's newest suburb and an offer for Chris to sell Marua Road Cafe, they decided to go all in on the burger bar dream.
So what makes a burger from The Chosen Bun? The buns are 100 gram brioche and come topped with black and white sesame seeds. Chris adds that they are made daily to prevent them becoming soggy after the addition of further ingredients. The signature patty is a 150 gram blend of chuck, sirloin and brisket — no other spices or ingredients are added except salt and pepper. They're cooked to medium by default "to preserve flavour and keep things juicy."
The pair also made the decision to make all fillings and sides gluten-free to keep the menu diet friendly. The burgers are available as a salad for those on a low carb diet.
There are currently ten burgers on the menu, ranging from $6 for a pint-sized cheeseburger to $16 for a double patty offering with onion rings, two kinds of cheese and smoky barbecue sauce. The namesake Chosen Bun burger comes with the aforementioned beef patty and the addition of cheddar, pickles and dijon; The Big Smoke features crispy noodles, pickled slaw and Fix & Fogg Smoke and Fire peanut butter; The Righteous One is an option for vegetarian that arrives stacked with portobello mushroom, grilled haloumi and onion rings; and The Golden Phoenix features buttermilk fried chicken, Asian slaw, honey sriracha and Kewpie mayo.
Burgers can be paired with fries (potato or kumara), onion rings or mac 'n' cheese balls, and washed down with Six Barrel sodas or house-made shakes — the current list includes toffee chocolate, apple pie, lime sherbet and chocolate fish.
The Chosen Bun is open daily from 11.30am-8.30pm. Find it at 3/40 Stonefields Ave, Stonefields.