It’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens in the city. It’s even more exciting for me when they include a brand new burger on their menu! Black Sheep recently opened their doors on Dresden Row and they boast “Brunch by day. Small plates, craft beer, and cocktails by night”, which is a statement that is sure to please both early risers and night owls alike. I was not expecting a brunch place to serve a burger, but I was pleasantly surprised to see one pop up on the premiere menu. Simply titled “Burger” (it’s only a matter of time before they give it a SHEEPish name), it is a breakfast inspired meal that I knew I just had to try!
Stats
From the menu: “house ground beef, English muffin, fried egg, aioli, fontina, tomato, iceberg lettuce”
Appearance (7.25/10)
When it was placed in front of me, my first thought was that the plate was too small for everything that was on it, and it made it feel very crowded. I know it’s somewhat nitpicky, but it was the first thing that came to my mind (it’s also worth mentioning that since they are so new this is something that I’m sure will be solved over time, making it a very small issue).
In terms of the burger, it appeared to be a lighter-fare meal, which is completely acceptable given the brunch/small plate style of Black Sheep. I was really intrigued by the use of an English muffin as the bun, and I think it is a very appropriate choice for this burger. The huge fried egg was draped over the juicy patty, and although the broken yolk gave it a somewhat messy appearance, it also made it that much more visually appetizing (I love a good fried egg on a burger!).
Taste (8.25/10)
While this burger is fairly simple in structure, it is by no means that when it comes to taste. The patty was cooked perfectly allowing it to retain most of its juiciness, and I fell in love with the beefy flavour that it brought forward. The egg was great, and I really liked dipping the burger in the puddle of yolk that dripped onto the plate as it allowed each bite to be slightly coated in that delicious eggy flavour, which I really liked paired with the taste of the aioli.
The star of this burger has to be the fontina. This mild cheese was a great choice for this breakfast inspired burger as it wasn’t too heavy in comparison to the other ingredients of the burger. The perfect amount of fontina was incorporated, and it made for a cheesy time, but not so much that it overpowered everything else.
My one complaint of the burger was the strength of the English muffin. I loved the use of the muffin, but it did not hold together when faced with the various juices that this burger produced. By no means do I want to see them get rid of the English muffin, but I would love for them to get a heartier version that has no problem keeping the components together.
The squid ink aioli that they serve with this fries is also worth mentioning. I’ll admit that when I first saw the dish of they dark gray substance, I was slightly intimidated. Our waitress told us that it was a combination of “squid ink, balsamic vinegar, black garlic, and soy sauce”, and as soon as I tasted it, I fell in love. I could not get enough of the stuff, and I give two huge thumbs up to the person that came up with the idea!
Cost vs. What You Get (7.5/10)
This breakfast burger will cost you $16, which also includes your choice of either fries or salad. Due to the quality ingredients, and overall deliciousness, this price is pretty fair. If they were to upgrade the English muffin, I would more inclined to say that this price is appropriate for the burger.
Overall (7.67/10)
Kudos to Black Sheep for what they have managed to create in the short time they have been open! I have yet to hear anything bad about this place, and the few staff members I spoke to were very approachable and friendly. This burger was pretty great all around, and the other menu items sounded pretty tasty too! If this is the quality that they have reached this early on, I can’t wait to see what they come up with in the future. I definitely recommend checking out Black Sheep for both food and drinks, and don’t forget to try that squid ink aioli! You won’t be disappointed!
Black Sheep Restaurant
1569 Dresden Row, Halifax, NS
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