Back in 1946, before anyone in Australia had even heard of wagyu beef or brioche buns, a man by the name of Alfred Cook opened up a small caravan and began grilling hamburgers for the good people of Guildford. Who knew that’d it’d become the most well-known burger joint in the western state? Along with some seriously mouth watering meals on offer, the fact that Alfred’s is open until the wee hours of the night means that a certain kind of loyalty begins to be established. So when the oldies who used to party, they’d pop in for a late night “sponge-bath” to soak up their alcohol filled stomach. Once that generation’s idea of a big night turns into 2 glasses of wine and a night at the pictures, those fond memories and stories get passed onto their kids.. and so on. Today’s menu consists of some of the more traditional burgers but then ventures into some super sized burgers that put any regular Lot Burger to shame. I tried to go with something they might’ve served back in the 1940’s and ordered a Hamburger with Cheese that came with a traditional burger bun, beef pattie, tomato, lettuce, onion and a bbq sauce.

“It’s always hard to judge the popularity of a place when most of the clientele is pretty drunk. You’re in Perth so chance is it’ll be warm – that said there is no indoor eating at night. They do have a decent pit of fire to keep the punters warm though. After trying to work out where I best eat a hamburger with one night in Perth, all I kept coming back to was Alfred’s. So, with all the hype surrounding it I thought the 10 minute wait time between ordering and eating was pretty good. Although I’m sure it’s much worse when you’re there after midnight. For the Melbournians who read this: think Danny’s crossed with Andrew’s. The soft and gooey cheese was straight out of Danny’s and then the rest was like a smaller, less full-on Andrews/big bad fish and chip shop burger. The under salted pattie had a crunch to it’s exterior and was soft on the inside. The biggest difference to a traditional Aussie-style hamburger was the salty twang from the BBQ sauce that poked its head up every now and then. There are other, more goliath-type burgers on the menu but they all just seemed overkill. I liked this burger but I wouldn’t rush back. Props to them for keeping this establishment running for over half a century, but next time I’d be keen to try other Perth burgers.”

One of Melbourne’s great homes of music, the iconic Corner Hotel in Richmond is only a skip and a jump away from the city and very accessible from Richmond Train Station. The Corner has been a part of the Melbourne music scene since the 1940’s; fast forward to today where some of the biggest DJ’s and bands in the world still get butts moving on its dance floor. As well as pumping great music, the Corner’s rooftop kitchen is better known for pumping out some decent pub grub to the Richmond local, but also those wanting a bite before a gig. The open rooftop area is substantially covered from the weather elements with more than enough tables and seating to please the crowds. We thought we would try the Corner Chilli Burger (Double) with two Ranger Valley wagyu beef patties, lettuce, onion, tomato, cheese, jalapenos, chipotle mayo and a serve of chips on the side.

“Even though I’ve attended many gigs at the Corner, this was actually the first time I’ve ventured upstairs to the massive rooftop beer garden. Straight away I knew this was going to be a challenge to get through and consume in a dignified manner… and I was right. We did not need to go with the double; the beef was an off grey colour and somehow instead of being juicy, was “wet”. The two patties were both completely enveloped by a huge amount of stringy cheese that by the end felt like biting into rubber. In some cuisines, spices are added to mask poor quality meat, which I presume is the only reason jalapenos and chipotle were used in this burger. I’ll be back, however just for the live music.”

“The pattie was wagyu beef, but I can’t say I thought much of it. It felt and tasted like an everyday beef pattie. Those wagyu qualities just weren’t there for me. For an extra $2 we decided to go for the double pattie, but I think a single would’ve been enough. Some things that impressed me were the minimum amount of green stuff and the seductive amount of melted cheese all over the pattie. Another thing that really impressed me was the creamy characteristics the burger took on from the chipotle mayo – a really nice balance of cream and spice. The chips were OK.”