Tuesday, March 11, 2014
The Botanical – 169 Domain Rd, South Yarra,
Victoria, Australia
Burger:
Cheeseburger & French Fries
Serviettes:
1
Dress Code:
Smart Casual
Sleepiness:
5 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
$13
Summary
The Botanical, or simply ‘The Bot’ as it’s commonly referred to by the locals, is a Melbourne institution located opposite the Botanical Gardens. The Botanical truly is a multi-faceted venue offering a formal dining room, informal wine store and cafe, a less formal bar and lounge, a courtyard and options for private events. The rear bar has its own menu available 7 nights a week, ideally suited to match your drink of choice, with live music on Wednesday and Sunday nights. Being an almost perfect balmy summer night, we grabbed a seat in the olive-tree lined courtyard, grabbed a beer and ordered the Cheeseburger & French Fries with lettuce, tomato, pickle and tomato chutney.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Humburger – 789 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Burger:
New York
Serviettes:
4
Dress Code:
Casual
Sleepiness:
20 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
$13
Summary
Located towards the northern end of the Glenferrie Rd shopping strip, Humburger recently opened with a contemporary, modern interior fit out featuring exposed white bricks, cow hide stools, neon lights and mirrors. With ample dining options including inside, outside and courtyard seating, it’s an ideal place to grab a bite to eat regardless of time or weather. With 5 different beef burgers, a chicken and a vegetarian on offer, there’s a burger to suit everyones taste. We went with the ‘New York’ burger with 2 beef patties, bacon, cheddar cheese, Emmental cheese, pickles, mayo and tomato sauce. You can wash it all down with either something alcoholic or a milk shake, and if you’re still not full by the end, the humballs are delicious for dessert.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Third Wave Café – 189 Rouse St, Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Burger:
Gourmet Burger
Serviettes:
4
Dress Code:
Smart Casual
Sleepiness:
15 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
$18.90
Summary
Down away from Port Melbourne’s main drag lies a café that you’re either going to say is breaking down barriers or just a little bit indecisive. Like many of the other internet dudes that take photos of their meals with oversized cameras, we were sent a few emails inviting us to come down and check out the menu. After gracefully declining (as we always do) we popped in on our own accord, primarily out of curiosity as to how a Russian/American menu, cooked by a Japanese Chef would work out. Even though you’ll find Blinztes to BBQ ribs on the menu, the desire to serve nothing but premium quality food is at the forefront of owner Greg and Inga’s minds. After being greeted by some super friendly staff we ordered the Gourmet Burger that came with porterhouse mince, spice, fetta and sun-dried tomato pattie on a bed of basil mayo in a brioche bun plus lettuce and tomato.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
MEATliquor – 74 Welbeck Street, W1G 0BA, London, UK
Burger:
Green Chili Cheeseburger
Serviettes:
6
Dress Code:
Smart Casual
Sleepiness:
8 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
£8/$14.60 AUD
Summary
You can’t accuse the gents behind MEATLiquor of being ambiguous. When you hear about it or see its neon signs there isn’t much left to the imagination right? You might expect MEATliquor to be a little like what everyone else is doing: embracing the classic diner style with a little bit of alcohol to sip on the side. Well, it’s a little bit of the opposite. When you do manage to be let in by the bouncer (after waiting for an hour), that first step inside the dark, loud, graffiti soaked venue resembles more of a nightclub than a restaurant. Don’t be fooled by all of this because MEATliquor is still all about meat and liquor. The people behind it all started it in what’s looking like a trend for most success stories: humble beginnings serving out of a van (MEATwagon), then moving to pop ups (#MEATeasy) and finally to a couple of fixed spots (recently opened in Brighton). The guys are Chef Yiannis Papoutsis and Scott Collins, who met at MEATwagon one night. Collins was so impressed with the product that he arranged for Chef Yiannis to open up at Collin’s pub for a night – then the word spread. With an all-out attitude that dares you to eat and drink ’til you drop, their menu consists of plenty of juicy burgers and drinks to make you stumble home. After a recommendation from one of the waitresses/burgerettes I went for the Chili Cheeseburger that came with a beef pattie, chili butter, cheese, red onions, pickles, lettuce, mustard and ketchup (and a Jameson to boot).
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Hello Sam – 760 Chapel Street, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia
Burger:
Too Cheesy
Serviettes:
2
Dress Code:
Casual
Sleepiness:
13 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
$12
Summary
Go back some 10 years and unless you were buying a Lamborghini or on your way to buy a couch, you’d probably never really have thought to hang out that far down Chapel St. Nowadays, amid a jungle of high rise apartments, you only have to spit and you’d hit a new place to eat. Hello Sam is making the most of the sprawl and basically has any type of burger for any occasion or any body. Their owner Katherine Sampson (bonus points for why it’s called “Hello SAM”) is better known for her Healthy Habits chain but aims to bring the diner tradition out of the dark dingy corners, polish it off and please a whole bunch of Melbournians with some gourmet burgers. Hello Sam’s menu is pretty extensive, so whether you’re in the mood for a fish, lamb, chicken, or beef burger (or maybe even a hotdog) you’ll be covered. We decided to upgrade their namesake Simply Sam burger to the Too Cheesy version. It came on a brioche bun with an Angus pattie, lettuce, tomato, red onion, tomato relish, 2 mustard mayo and a cheddar ale melt.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Pim Pam Burger – Sabateret 4, Born, Barcelona, Spain
Burger:
Pim Pam Completa
Serviettes:
5
Dress Code:
Casual
Sleepiness:
15 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
€5.40/$7.80 AUD
Summary
When you’ve been out all night and drank one too many Moritzs, the last thing you’re going to want is many tiny Spanish plates. Thanks to the festive Catalan and tourists-alike, a late night burger joint is always going to flourish. Pim Pam (English translation: “Pim Pam”) has been overwhelmed with customers ever since opening their doors in 2006. In fact, their parent restaurant, Pim Pam Plats, who were known for serving deli style eats as well as their trademark hamburger, had to create a dedicated burger restaurant to cope with the demand. Calling themselves the benchmark of Barcelona, the guys pride themselves on their version of slow-cooked fast food, calling it Fast Good, using only the freshest ingredients from local markets. They offer a range of burger options that either come with a beef and pork, veal, chicken or veggie pattie. I decided to try their Pim Pam Completa burger that came on a traditional burger bun with a 150g beef and pork pattie (you can upgrade to 200g if the mood should strike you), lettuce, tomato, onion, gherkin, cheese, egg, bacon and special sauce.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Warburger – Cr Puławska & Dąbrowskiego, Mokotów, Warsaw, Poland
Burger:
Cheeseburger
Serviettes:
4
Dress Code:
Casual
Sleepiness:
10 minutes
Would we recommend:
If you’re in the area
Price:
19PLN/$6.45 AUD
Summary
Whenever you’re in a new country it’s always recommended to go and eat where the locals eat. Thanks to the burger craze hitting Poland over the last couple of years, at Warburger you’ll be right at home tucking into a hamburger side-by-side with genuine Polaks. The guys behind the burger wheeling kiosk were looking to provide locals with a decent alternative to the swamp of kebab shops across Poland. For owners Adam and Bartek, it was important to show the good-folk of Poland that a hamburger wasnt just a measley piece of minced meat between some bread. So they went about sourcing all local produce, baking their own buns and branching out into different styles of burgers including a range of gourmet twists on the classics, as well as a venison burger. The venue itself only has space for a handful of people, but on a warm day you won’t have a worry in the world because it’s surrounded by park benches and shady trees. Unlucky for me it was a rainy summer’s day so I sat under cover waiting for my Cheeseburger that came out on a buttermilk bun, with a 100% Polish beef pattie, Mimolette cheese, tomato, lettuce and red onion. Purely because I could, as I walked out I helped myself to one of their free apples available to the customers.