These are now our go to veggie burgers. From the photos it looks like you overcooked yours a bit. When overcooked they taste completely different than usual. Directions say 3 minutes per side, but I find they need less, at least on our gas range. So far these are the best veggie burgers we can buy in the store. However, like you, I also tend to like burgers that are not trying to be meat substitutes, such as a nice black bean burger, or ones based on portabello mushrooms.