Laurie Dee’s recently reopened within the $30 million ‘Urban Diner’ development at Pacific Epping (previously Epping Plaza) providing a restaurant and entertainment precinct that caters to the demands of all the families moving into the new surrounding estates. As you’d expect, everything is brand spanking new and th evenue resembles a cross between an American diner and a fast food outlet. We ordered at the counter, grabbed a booth and eagerly awaited the Double Laurie Dee Burger with Angus beef that’s minced daily and then smashed, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, special D’Sauce, tomato, lettuce, pickles and tomato relish.

“Oh God this looked the goods and was exactly what I needed as I was completely starving (having taken the long way to get to Epping). With giant, crusty chunks of beef hanging off and ample amounts of cheese, I could not wait for my first bite. The beef was perfectly salted and crumbly with creamy cheese filling in every crevice. The pickle added a nice sour bite, but possibly the only thing I’d change is the tomato relish to a ketchup – apart from that I couldn’t fault it. The smash method of cooking a patty (starting with a fresh ball of mince and then smashing into smithereens with a spatula on the hot plate) has not caught on in Australia but I’m glad these guys have done it, and done it so well.”

“This was a very cheesy and greasy experience. Packed with meat/juice goodness, relish and melted cheese, each bite is consistently the same in taste and texture. The Special “D” sauce combined well with the relish. There wasn’t a lot of green stuff to make it boring, but enough to add some underlying fresh tones to cut through the sauce. The chips come seasoned with herbs and really tasted great – good enough not to share.”

“What really got me excited was when I saw other diners’ burgers. I was filled with massive food envy as I waited for my meal. As it arrived at our table all the signs of a smashburger were apparent: a smashed pattie. It was terribly soft and greasy, and by “terribly” I mean “awesomely”. I was too busy trying to keep a good grip on it all to try ingredients individually but the main flavours were soft, salty beefiness and then the creamy punch of the melted cheese. The only thing I would change would be their special sauce to something more traditional. Save your airfare money, maybe pack an over night bag (we are talking Epping here) and make your way down to Laurie D’s for a little piece of the USA in and around your mouth.”

Pickle n’ Roast Healthy Food Outlet is a relative newcomer to Camberwell junction. They offer a limited menu of sandwiches, burgers, soups and coffee that are all available to dine in, take-away or local delivery. Pickle n’ Roast is setup much like most other cafés and won’t stand out in your mind as being on trend or hipster. Instead they focus on making memorable meals with good produce. With five burgers on the menu, including a vegetarian option, we went with the Cheese Burger Meal with chips, which for some reason is the only burger available in a meal, that comprised of a Pickle n’ Roast beef pattie, cheese, ketchup, mayo and a bun covered in melted mozzarella cheese.

“Luckily we were in no rush and weren’t particularly starving when we first walked in, as this burger took forever to arrive, and considering we were the only people there and the staff to patron ratio was 1:1, the long wait was puzzling to say the least. Having not taken much notice of the menu, I was a little surprised to discover both sides of the bun covered in greasy melted cheese, completely consuming the small beef patty covered in more cheese. The patty was thin, possibly store bought and possibly frozen before hitting the heat as it really lacked any flavour or colouring. It really reminded me of something I potentially would’ve made myself while bored and hungry on school holidays in about year 9.”

“A simple, but yet filling burger. For some reason the top bun was hollow but this was definitely a good idea because I can’t imagine how filling it would’ve been with all the extra dough. The tasty cheese and the mayo combined well to cover and moisten the thin beef pattie. The melted mozzarella on the bun was a good move and something I’ve never encountered before however, it did make the whole meal very greasy.”

“What an oddity. I’ve never in my life seen this before. Whenever a waiter brings me a knife and fork at a Burger Adventure I always laugh to myself at how they’re wasting their time. But after I grabbed the oily, mozzarella covered bun I kind of get why they were there. Whether or not it was by design, all that oil was balanced out by a rather lean pattie. There was also a lot of herbs that came through like rosemary and oregano. Some of you may know that I love mayo in burger, but it’s only really doing its job if you’ve got tomato to help it out. There wasn’t any here so I had to add more ketchup which did help the burger a bit. Great: it wasn’t. But it sure was memorable.”

Occupying a small corner shop in a sleepy pocket of Caulfield, Tuck Shop Take Away blends in seamlessly with it’s surroundings and could very easily go unnoticed. However, the line of people out the door is hard to miss. The husband and wife duo, with a resumé between them that includes Fat Duck, Attica and Vue Du Monde, may explain the queues and hype as they offer their version of the local shop of yesteryear. Once inside, everything should look familiar as they’ve decked it out full of retro and nostalgic items and, the familiarity continues on the menu full of burgers, jaffles, shakes and sweets. We waited patiently and ordered a Minor burger that comes with a 100% beef pattie, served pink on the inside, lettuce, tomato, American cheese, onion, pickles and Tuck Shop sauce.

“All the signs of a good burger were there before even seeing one; a big line of people who aren’t grumpy is always a good indication. The anticipation escalated quickly when I saw the guy moulding the beef patties fresh right before our eyes and the confirmation came the moment I unwrapped my burger and took my first bite. Everything was in perfect proportion, resulting in a delicious bite each and every time. The beef had a great amount of flavour and juice trapped inside, with the saltiness combining well with the cheese and salad. The bun wasn’t as sweet as your typical brioche bun, which I prefer, however still soft but dense enough to remain intact until the end. We ordered way too many chips and ashamed that I hadn’t done any exercise that day, unfortunately left some behind.”

“When I think Tuck Shop I’m always taken back to the days of school where Four’n Twenty pies, chico rolls and sausage rolls dominated kids greasy hands on the playground. The concept of a burger in the school tuckshop was just big filling buns with a flat, under seasoned, over cooked square pattie topped off with Rosella sauce and Kraft cheese squares. This burger is still very humble in its presentation and ingredients with nothing lavish, but made with so much care and precision that every element in there serves a great purpose. I loved pausing between bites, grabbing a hand full of the most saltiest fries and throwing them down my gob. That balance of tang and salt in my mouth was take-away heaven indeed.”

“Over the years I have eaten my fair share of burgers and this first bite has been one of the best. A cheersquad full of softness, juiciness and tangy mustard cartwheeled up to my tastebuds and introduced themselves. As much as I enjoyed those first couple of chews I was hoping that there’d be more boldness to the experience; more lingering flavours rather than fleeting. Being so light and so tasty this makes this a great choice for a lunchtime burger.”

After being inspired by a recent trip to the U.S where Fat Bob found himself surrounded by many of the loves of his life – more specifically burgers, beer and vintage signs – Fat Bob returned to Melbourne and set about creating his own man cave. Along with the help of his friend Michael, Fat Bob’s Bar & Grill was born. Located down a lane-way, squeezed between 2 warehouses in Moorabbin’s industrial area, you are instantly teleported to another era and continent, with a seriously impressive collection of vintage signs of all shapes and sizes gracing the walls. You’d be convinced you’re in the States hanging at a local Hot Rod restoration garage that conveniently sells burgers and over 20 different beers. We grabbed a booth and eagerly awaited the Jackie O that came with a 180g of grass fed beef pattie cooked to medium, tomato, Spanish onion, Fontina cheese, cos lettuce, mustard, tomato sauce and Fat Bob’s special sauce.

“Loved the presentation in the al-foil wrapping that serves so many purposes: retaining heat, trapping in ingredients and juices and keeping my hands clean. The first thing that really stood out for me was the perfectly melted cheese slowly cascading over the beef pattie… and then I took my first bite. The creaminess of the cheese interacting with one of the most perfectly seasoned beef patties I’ve had in a while is about as good as it gets. The next standout in this burger, which only became apparent towards the end, was the sweet bun that remained completely intact while up against some serious juiciness. Im really glad someone has taken on the daunting challenge of bringing great food and service to the industrial, suburban parts of Melbourne that are so often neglected, and judging by how busy it was it’s been well received.”

“Initially when walking into Fat Bob’s I thought this place might be trying too hard to be an American diner with all the American paraphernalia and neon lights – this could’ve been a case of “all swing, no ding”. I wasn’t a big fan of lining-up to order– for me there is something about being served that makes me feel I’m being properly catered to and if you are going to have an American diner I’d assume you would go in that direction. When you finally place your order at the counter and sit down you really start to take the place in and notice things. For example the great calibre of American signage on the wall and even some local Melbourne stuff (I’ll leave it to you to list). The staff are really friendly, pretty quick to service and always seem to have a smile on their dial– something that people forget to do these days. I say ‘always’ because I’ve been there three times already and three times my mind was blown. The bun and the pattie were amazing with the right amount of condiments, sauces and flavour. The chips were good (maybe not worth $3), but good either way.”

“This is really up there with the best of them. Not because of any one thing in particular, but more for that warm feeling of awesomeness and sparks that fly that got us into this little thing we call an Adventure. Its a relatively simple burger, but you can tell that there’s been thought put into it. Most important of all was the pattie which was delightfully meaty, well-rounded and salty without making you reach for your 7-Up. This is a bang-on awesome burger with just enough of everything there to make you think about ordering another one, or when to schedule your next visit.”

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.”

Located on a compact, corner block with a spiffy new modern interior, New York Minute comes from pretty good pedigree as the owner is previously of Danny’s Burgers in Fitzroy and St Kilda. Offering a short but sweet menu these guys are open 7 days a week from breakfast ’til 10pm with nothing over $10. One sleepy Sunday night amongst the aroma of two of our favourite smells (coffee and burgers), we eagerly awaited their New York Mac with 2 Beef patties, special sauce, spinach leaves, Swiss cheese, pickles, onion and one and half buns.

“It takes some balls and confidence to take on the big guys when it comes to imitating an absolute classic however, I really think they’ve done it justice with their own twist. The 2 thin patties covered in cheese, combined with the 3 soft buns meant a super soft burger experience that contrasted really well with the sharpness of the special sauce and pickle. I was left looking a complete mess but I’d be happy to tackle it all over again.”

“This was what a real Big Mac should taste like! It had a real home made and slightly healthy spin to it with the inclusion of spinach and a higher grade of beef. The pattie tasted great and combined with the cheese and mayo it was like a gift from the take away gods. Delivered with minimal spinach so to avoid that gritty feeling in your teeth, the only real down side was that the bun was a bit too thick – especially the middle bun. The chips were great and were well worth paying an extra $5.50.”

“I ordered the New York Mac and didn’t even know what I was in store for. It arrived before me and all the planets aligned. A little hard to manage at first but when you bite in you those memories of when you graduated from Happy Meals to the big boy meals started to flood back. They’ve made their own special sauce, got the onions right and the pickles were spot on – but multiply any McExperience you’ve had with a wheelbarrow of quality and flavour and, this is where the New York Mac is at. The beef patties had a sweetness to them and the Swiss cheese was a beautiful creamy touch. It really makes you rethink ever eating a Big Mac again.”

Co-owners Matt Ward and Mitch Haworth’s first venture is primarily all about great coffee, but they also knew they’d have to build a mouth watering menu to match. Prospect Espresso was a well need addition to the Camberwell cafe scene, boasting a warm and cosy interior filled with natural raw materials. The beautiful custom made communal table commands the room but also offers a generous amount of side dining tables that work perfectly in the smalll and well-thought out used space. Using a range of seasonal ingredients their lunch menu offers a variety of fresh, tasty bites as well as a couple of good ol’ meaty offerings including their Prospects Burger. The house made minced beef is accompanied by bacon, cheese, pickles, and lettuce all in a soft bun. On the side you’ll find some crunchy fat chips with creamy aioli.

“I can’t believe I left this place without finishing my chips or trying their coffee, but the burger was so rich and full of flavour I couldn’t possibly cram any more into my stomach. Really well presented with a skewer holding everything together, the flavours that stood out for me were the perfectly cooked, thick and salty piece of bacon that contrasted really well with the soft creaminess of the melted cheese and aioli. The beef patty was minced coarsely and kept it really juicy and tasty, and the sweet, seed covered bun kept everything together pretty well.”

“This is a sexy piece of work. The bun shone, the cheese oozed and I swear the bacon winked at me as it lay underneath, inviting me to take my first bite. Before I did though, I unloaded my chips strategically onto the plate to catch all the burger’s juices. First bite in: big success, a lot of juice seasoned chips. The coarsely ground pattie didn’t have a lot of seasoning but this worked in its favour. The semi-sweet bun was tasty but was a bit doughy, leaving me with a bunch of it left on my plate. The bacon and cheese combo were by far my highlight. The bacon was lean as hell and there was a whole lot of it – I didn’t want it to stop. A really well-balanced burger that’s sure to be known as the toast of Camberwell.”