A burger based on the Goan street food dish ros omelette has taken the top spot in this year’s Burger Wellington competition.

The entry from One80 Restaurant in the capital’s Copthorne Hotel, the Goan Chicken Ros Pao burger, was inspired by Head Chef Chetan Pangam’s​ hometown of Goa and its ubiquitous dish, a spicy curry poured over an herbed omelette and served with pao or poee bread.

“The theme was breaking the mould and serving a burger in a fine dining restaurant was hard work by us to change people’s perception,” said Chef Pangam. He said his inspiration came from trips to see his mother and the street food he encountered in Goa. He had been working for six months on the burger. “It’s messy, tasty, best with a beer, and can be had up until 2am. So to share that was very special.”

The burger includes chicken, a ros-style omelette, onion yogurt and smoked havarti with curry on the side to pour over, with many ingredients sourced from local suppliers including Zany Zeus yogurt, E.g. free-range eggs and a poee-style bun that Chef Pangam developed in collaboration with Claireville Bakery in Carterton.

Chef Pangam said the burger was so popular, he’d already had customers asking if it was being extended. He wouldn’t confirm that but assured fans that a new menu was launching soon this spring.

“Once we made finalist, our phone and emails have been non-stop.”

The winning burger beat over 200 other entries in Burger Wellington, part of the August edition of Wellington on a Plate (WOAP), which also includes beer festival Beervana.

“It was fantastic to see Wellingtonians eating out and about, supporting our local venues,” said WOAP festival director Sarah Meikle​. “The One80 Restaurant burger was a real flavour journey that brought together the fragrant herbs and spices of India, it’s an absolute pleasure to see Chef Chetan and the team take the title this year.”