We visited the Worcester's Hanbao dubbed 'best in the UK' on TikTok

And it was during that exact monotonous cycle of flicking through short clips of cute pets, slightly irritating dances, and recipe recommendations on the platform that I discovered this local gem.

Championed by viral food and travel blogger Magda Brzdak, who has a whopping 22,300 followers and a combined one and a half million likes on the platform, Hanbao in Foregate street went viral after she posted a video of their 'Odd Future' burger.

Amassing a mind-boggling 600,000 views and 53,000 likes, masses of hungry viewers - including myself - drooled over the video, labelled '#FoodPorn'.

@magdabrzdak #placestoeat #foodie #burgerporn #worcester #outdoordining #lockdowndate #southwestengland #ukplacestovisit #foodtiktok #foodlover ♬ Up - Cardi B

Subsequently, Magda once again made the three-hour journey from her hometown and revisited a second time, boldly labelling the independent burger joint the 'best in the UK'.

Given I was attempting dry January, I thought rather than save myself some money I'd swap the liquid calories for a good old pig out over the weekend, so me and my partner decided to head down and see what all the fuss was about.

Being an unorganised human being who fails to plan more than 15 minutes in advance, we hadn't booked a table and had massively underestimated the restaurant's popularity.

So, when we approached the stylish shopfront of the promised land to see a short queue had already formed by the door at around 7.30pm on Friday evening, I thought our chances of getting our hands on one of their much-coveted burgers were dead in the water.

Those plans soon looked not only dead, but cremated, when we were told there wasn't any tables available for another two hours. 

But fear not, this is not the end of the review, as the excellent staff at Hanbao made space for us to instead eat in the downstairs bar area which, given it was fairly early in the evening, we were more than happy to do.

As we were in the bar area, it felt wrong not to start with a tipple, especially with such a fine selection of cocktails on offer (neither of us were driving).

I opted for a 'Death Row', a gold rum-based cocktail which consisted of bourbon, cognac, orange liqueur, apricot liqueur, passion fruit purée, lime juice, apple juice and orange juice, while my partner went for a 'Gin Fizz'.

They arrived both promptly and impressively presented, each in their own unique glass complete with a small light show to boot.

Needless to say, they tasted great - a sign of things to come. 

Now, on to the main event. 

Despite the restaurant 'blowing up' on social media for its Odd Future burger, which is uniquely sandwiched between a glazed donut bun, I went for the Hanbao, intrigued by the combination of Char Siu bacon with a beef patty, American cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, tomato, white onion, shredded iceberg lettuce, Hanbao special sauce and a demi brioche bun.

Being a vegan, my partner had just one option to pick from, so without a great deal of deliberation her mind was set on 'The Hard to Please'.

As we'd already failed dry January, I thought 'why not go the whole hog' and ordered some of their double fried confit Jerk BBQ wings and two types of fries for the side as well.

Although clearly being packed out, there was no noticeable wait for the food, and everything arrived piping hot which is always a positive early indicator. 

Again, the presentation was superb, with each element arriving in its own Asian style, bao bun steaming basket.

Having eagerly anticipated this burger since I first pieced together an article on Hanbao in early December, raising it to my mouth felt like a 'here we go' moment. 

And after drawing my first bite, I was not one bit disappointed, it was everything I was wanting from a burger and more - the combination of flavours was immense.

The wings were equally sensational, and the fries a perfect balance crispy on the outside but light and fluffy within.

More impressively so, my partner gave an equally glowing review of her meal. 

In many places the vegan option is more a token rather than something which has had similar effort and care poured into its creation, but you could tell Hanbao had put just as much thought and creativity into crafting their non-carnivorous option as they had the rest.

Full disclosure, I haven't tried all the burgers Worcester has to offer, my bank account and general health being two chief reasons for my excursions only being occasional. 

But what I would say, is the burger I had from Hanbao certainly was the best I've tasted in my 24 years of scoffing, and it would definitely be hard to beat. 

In my opinion, the pricing of the burgers may seem slightly high at around £10 without sides, but the quality more than justifies what you pay, and in hindsight one portion of the fries would have sufficed for the two of us.

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the upstairs dining area, so I can't shed much more light on what lies beyond the front bar.

However, if you are looking for a tasty, messy burger, great wings and even better drinks, then Hanbao gets my full recommendation.

All that's left to say is this is not paid-for journalism, nor did we ask for or get any free food or drink - in fact, they didn't even know we were coming. 

It's an honest review of a great experience at an equally fun and contemporary place to eat and drink in Worcester.