7Bone's doughnut burger was a heart-stopping thing of beauty

If crimes against food are possible, I thought, then the head chef's recipe stash is currently being searched by the police.

Cheekily named 'Taking Le Tiss', the filling was what you'd expect from a burger joint. Burgers and cheese. Simple.

READ MORE: Our review of Café Thrive’s Barbie-inspired pink burger

But the vessel for this meaty goodness explained its name: a doughnut, halved, glaze where sesame seeds would normally be.

What in the Krispy Kreme was going on?

My journalistic instincts kicked in; I had to get to the bottom of this.

So flanked by a couple of my colleagues, I paid the Bedford Place restaurant a visit to try it out.

@southerndailyecho First time for everything, right? We tried Taking Le Tiss, the current special at @7BoneBurgerCo in Southampton - a burger wedged in between two donut ‘buns’ 🍩 #southampton #burger #donutburger #donuts #hampshire ♬ Up Beat (Married Life) - Kenyi

Even on a rainy weekday night, the place had a nice buzz, with friendly (albeit monstrous burger-affiliated) staff greeting us moments after we walked through the door.

One of my colleagues has a nut allergy, and our server made sure his needs were catered for.

The menu gave a breakdown of the burger: for £10, you got three smashed beef patties, sandwiched between American cheese, with a grilled glazed doughnut and maple butter hot sauce.

It also revealed a little about its history. It turned out it was the first-ever special they ran at 7Bone, way back when the founders had a food stall just over 12 years ago.

Well it couldn't have been such a disaster at the time to be bringing it back... could it?

With the burger taken care of, my indecision was squarely focused on the choice of side, of which there were plenty.

Loaded tater tots felt appropriate with the gut-busting Americana the burger evoked.

But instead, I hopped across the northern border and settled for a personal favourite: the Canadian-inspired poutine fries, with a rich, beef gravy and nuggets of curds (not dissimilar to mild cheddar).

By the time the grub came out, my food envy had reached breaking point.

Having ogled the meals being enjoyed by fellow diners nearby, had I made a terrible mistake?

From the first bite, my fears were allayed. This isn't too bad actually, I thought, as I went in for a second.

By the third, I was fully on board.

By the fourth, I could see why Elvis went the way he did.

The contrast of sweet and savoury is a time-tested combination, but what made this a match made in burger heaven was the hot sauce.

Tangy and spicy, it cut through the richness of the doughnut and the meat and made it incredibly moreish.

Given 7Bone's success, how could I have ever doubted them?

And while I almost slipped into a diabetic coma later that evening after drinking several pints of water, this must be the most memorable, if not delicious, burger I've had in Southampton.

You might call me a madman too - but now, I'm one of the converted. Come join the cult.