Hamburger Throw Down Competition at Ayala Center Cebu

I was not supposed to be in Ayala yesterday but due to some snags at work, I ended up in the middle of a unique competition.  I witnessed a Hamburger Throw Down Competition organized by the local hotel and restaurant association. I had really had fun watching the ten teams from Cebu's finest resorts, hotels, and restaurants compete in making the best burger creation that somehow goes with the theme of Taste of Cebu.  It was a well-conceived idea by the Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association of Cebu, Inc. (HRRACI). 

The teams were given 700 grams of meat and 15 minutes to make a burger that tastes and looks good. They were tasked to make 2 burgers, one for presentation and another for tasting. The 3 judges who were picked came from Cebu's top newspapers. The event was also covered by several media outlets like Y101 FM station. 

I really feel that it is very tough to judge a competition like this one. One judge even quipped that it is easier to judge a Miss Gay pageant.  Another intimated that you just cannot enjoy the food. Indeed, it would be very hard. My tongue could probably go numb after 4 choices. Luckily, I was just a spectator.

In the end, the burger creation of Shangri-la's Mactan Resort bagged the top prize. Finishing 2nd and 3rd, were the burgers from Marco Polo Plaza, and Cebu City Marriott Hotel respectively. What's so unique with Mactan Shangri-la's burger was that they used a guitar-shaped bun and they had some banana chips and bread sticks for sidings. Marco Polo's pizza burger added an Italian twist to their burger, along with special sesame buns and classic potato chips. The 3rd place burger by Marriott had crispy lechon skin inside their burger. 

Writing this artile made me wonder where can I truly find the best burger in Cebu. Any suggestions???

Ayala Terraces was smoking yesterday...

Grillin' Burgers

Marco Polo's Pizza Burger

The "lucky" judges

The Big Winner

Marriott's Burger with Lechon

Trophies

The winning chefs

Team Shangri-La

Links:

More Pics from the HRRACI Burger Throw Down (Facebook)

Burger in Carcar

Ramen and More at Kotobukiya

Cebu Gastronomic Adventure